A free report from John & Harold

        Marketplace Ministry

        From a Pastor's Perspective

     Let's Wake up the Sleeping

    Giant in the Church

        From

                  “Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace”

          by John Garfield & Harold Eberle

There is a sleeping giant in our churches.  They are the folks that sit in the pews who never seem to make it into the ministry of the church.  It’s an uncomfortably large percentage of our congregations.  Every church has three categories of people with different ministries and functions.  I’m going to use three terms to describe them; Priests, Levites, and Kings.

Priests – are the pastoral staff in full-time ministry.  About 2% of us get paid by the church to be senior pastors, lead worship, teach, etc.

Levites – About 20% of the church is “lay ministry” that helps make the ministry of the church work on a volunteer basis.  These folks don’t get paid, but they do assist with classes, worship, counseling… anything the priests need help with.

Kings – This is most of the remaining 80% of the congregation.  They haven’t made it into the ministry inside the church (for various reasons).  Although many are talented they are consumed by their jobs or businesses.  They are either unavailable or unmotivated to be part of the church ministry team.  They are a little frustrated about warming the bench and they are often a source of frustration for the pastoral team since they never seem to get totally on board with the church.

Differences in the Roles of Kings and Priests

What does it mean to be a King and Priest? In the Old Testament times a person had to born of the kingly family in order to become a king. They had to be born into the priestly family line to become a Priest. But Jesus Christ came into the Earth as both King and Priest. Now He sits at the right hand of the throne of God as King, and He is making intercession for us as the Highest Priest. He rules over a Kingdom and He is building a Temple.

Here is the good news. When you became a Christian you were born into God’s family. You are now of the kingly and priestly family line. Yes, you are a King and a Priest. Your primary calling may be to serve within the Temple (Church) as a priest, or it may be to expand the Kingdom on Earth as a King. Either way, you will serve Him with your whole heart, and He will be with you, even to the ends of the Earth.

This understanding opens the door for marketplace ministry and the role of Kings endeavoring to expand the Kingdom.

Eureka! We see that Priests (pastors, teachers, and other anointed church leaders) have a role in the Church. Kings (Christians in the marketplace) have a role out in the world, expanding the Kingdom of God. Our attempts to close the clergy/laity gap fall short because God isn’t trying to make Priests out of everyone or to keep the entire congregation busy (and introverted) inside the local church. Most of us have ministries outside our church—expanding the Kingdom. We are the Abrahams and Isaacs (businessmen), Joshua's and Caleb's (military), Josephs and Davids (government officials), and Nathan's and Daniels (Prophets in government) of this present age. We can expand the Kingdom of God into every area of society.

The Apostle Paul asked the question, “How will they go unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10:15). The implied answer is that they will not go. So I am writing to send you, to tell you that it is okay to expand the Kingdom of God into your corner of the world. Be a King!

 Kings Reach Outside the Church

Think about the great names that you know from the Bible. Perhaps Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and David come to mind. Now, list all the Priests you can remember. Draw a blank? You may think of one or two Prophets, but leaders identified strictly as Priests do not stand out. Why is this? The reason is that God always has used Kings as the movers and shakers in the Kingdom.

Priests (pastors, teachers, and other church leaders) play an important role in the Temple (Church) in equipping the saints to do the ministry (in and outside the church). They keep families healthy by feeding them the Word. They counsel, encourage, heal, marry, and bury. They shepherd, feed, and equip God’s people. Pastors naturally gravitate to a peaceful, healthy atmosphere and have a Godly motivation to keep their congregations happy and maturing.

In contrast, Kings are aggressive. They establish their authority and they are willing to assert themselves. They move people into new territories—stretching people out of their comfort zones to expand the Kingdom of God on this Earth.

Historically, Kings have been leaders who worked closely with Priests and Prophets. They were talented people with the resources to get things done. They also were well-versed in God’s Word and occasionally could operate in prophetic ministries themselves.

In the Old Testament, we see that Daniel spent his life in a governmental (kingly) role but used a prophetic gift to interpret dreams. Abraham was a businessman who raised livestock and became the most powerful man in his day. Moses was a national leader. Joshua was a military leader. They all had a calling as Kings to possess the inheritance God gave His people.

In the New Testament, we see the Lord pressing major initiatives with Kings again.  Neither Jesus nor any of the 12 disciples came from priestly lines.  The major players were Kings in the ministry sense.  They had influence and power in the marketplace; some even had significant wealth.

Notice that the Kings did more than provide for the Temple of God. This is important because some church leaders today want to release the Kings, but they think the King is to use all of his profit to provide for the Priests and the Temple. Of course, the Kings will be blessed financially, and they will be generous in providing for God’s house, but they are called to do more than that. Kings have the calling of God to extend the rulership of Jesus Christ into all of the world. They expand the Kingdom to fill the Earth with His glory.

 Scott the Evangelistic Welder

In our church, Scott is a welder. He often has to travel and work twelve-hour days. As a pastor, it’s frustrating to see him come and go—it’s difficult for him to carry responsibility in the church because of his travel. However, wherever he goes, his foreman sees his talent and gives him the most difficult welding jobs. Even though he works in a union, employers ask for him by name. Why? He has an anointing for his craft and he’s very good at it.

Whenever he comes back, he usually brings a testimony about how he ministered to or led someone to the Lord on his last job. He doesn’t just weld; he takes Jesus into the marketplace. They don’t have chaplains on construction sites, and the workers are a crowd not normally in church on Sunday. Only a King can reach them.

Kings, Priests, and Prophets

Working Together 

Nearly all of God’s major initiatives in Scripture had the three ministries of Kings, Priests, and Prophets working together. When David was King, the Prophet Nathan blessed David’s initiative to prepare for building the Temple. Nathan also pointed out David’s sin with Bathsheba. Throughout the Old Testament times, Kings sought the advice of Prophets before engaging in warfare. Priests offered the sacrifices that went with those initiatives.

Certain functions were required to be kept separate. Kings were not allowed to perform priestly functions. An impatient King Saul was sentenced to death for operating as a Priest when he offered sacrifices in place of Samuel, who was late in arriving (I Sam. 13:11). On the other hand, Saul previously practiced among the Prophets with no negative consequences (I Sam. 10:9-12).

Highlighting some of the difficulties these three groups have working together may help to understand their differences.

 1. View of Wealth — By a King’s standard, Priests are typically far less focused on wealth and possessions. Pastors, especially TV ministers, who are over-zealous for wealth seem out of place. On the other hand, some Priests spiritualize poverty and encourage others to adopt their simple lifestyles. They say, “Blessed are the poor,” and they believe humility and meekness are clothed in “holy” poverty. However, Kings simply can’t absorb this message. Their ministries in the marketplace are rooted in their influence and prosperity.

Without promoting the excesses of materialism, we must make room in our theology and churches for Kings to be channels for the finances, influence, power, and leadership to expand the Kingdom (outside the church). If we release their ministry, they will bring evangelism to our communities and growth to our churches.

 2. Leadership in Churches — The role of Prophets is to speak the voice of God. Priests have the responsibility to run the local church. When the church undertakes large-scale programs, projects, or fund-raisers, they often attract kingly ministries which can be tempted to run the whole church. Priests never can surrender the leadership of the church to a King without violating a spiritual principle. Kings don’t serve God in the Temple; they serve Him in the marketplace. Local church pastors must never surrender their leadership to Kings that are called to function outside the church.

 3. Decision Making — Our present theology places pastors of local churches as the highest authority and requires all activities to come under their “covering.” A senior minister needs to be the highest authority in his/her church, and a Priest shouldn’t be deterred from his/her vision for the church by Kings who really are called to expand the Kingdom outside the church.

By the same token, when Kings function in the marketplace, expanding the Kingdom, they are not simply an extension of the pastoral ministry in that city. Think about it. Historically, although Kings received guidance from Prophets and Priests, they made decisions on their own. Did David need anyone’s permission to fight a battle? No. He heard from God and he took action. It was that simple.

Kings need to give themselves permission to hear God and act. They don’t need their pastor’s permission to operate outside the church. Of course, their actions should harmonize with the Priests’, but Kings certainly won’t get direction to function outside the church from most pastors. Kings are competitive, bold, creative, and decisive. For the most part, they will not learn to exercise those skills from a shepherding mentality.

Please hear this simple pattern for decision making. Pastors should make the decisions affecting the local church; they are God’s Priests in the Temple.  The tithe belongs to the Priest and Levites. Kings should focus their initiatives toward the great commission—reaching outside the church and expanding the Kingdom. Kings should return from the marketplace with fruit—fruit that grows the local church. Pastors function primarily in the church; Kings function primarily in the marketplace.

We do want to note that even though the ministry of Kings is focused on the marketplace, we still see them attending and supporting their local church….worshipping (and tithing) beside prophets and apostles.

 4. City Transformation — We all want to see our cities won for Jesus, but at least here in the United States we have not seen it. Pastors have tried. We have unified, strategized, prayed, held city-wide meetings, and tried to function as the gatekeepers of their cities. What has been missing, however, is Kings. Pastors have stepped outside the Temple and haven’t seen the benefit of working with Kings in the capacity for which God created them. Without the decisiveness of Kings, progress at these pastors’ meetings is painfully slow. Decisions require committee unity before anything can move forward. Whatever timely thing God might want to do (prophetically) is compromised in scope, schedule, and cost to make sure no one is offended and to be sure it fits within the church budget. The result—very little is done. No surprise when you think about it. The very concept of taking a city is a kingly function that can be blessed by pastors/Priests, but not performed by them.

 5. Apostolic Influence — Lastly, it’s worth noting that the Church is on the eve of a great apostolic awakening. Just as the prophetic ministry came to the forefront in the 1980’s, apostles similar to Paul, Peter, and James are beginning to appear with strengths in fathering, networking, church-planting, and miraculous signs and wonders.

When these priestly ministries begin to function, they will help release the kingly anointing and bridge the functions between pastors, Prophets and Kings. There will be greater initiative and authority for bold new moves outside the church that expand the Kingdom…and grow the Church as a by-product.

For future success we must understand the distinctions between Kings, Priests, and Prophets. All of God’s major initiatives in the Bible were the result of these three ministries working together. When modern-day Kings begin to function, we’ll see new land taken for the Kingdom. Kings will begin to inherit the whole Earth, as they possess what the Lord has for them. Pastors will see the impact of Kings in Church growth and evangelism. It’s time to make room in our theology for this three-fold cord.

 6.  Learning to Equip Kings —  Polishing a young King into that shiny diamond is a little like raising a strong-willed child.  They can be independent and self-willed and the finished product will function outside my church instead of inside it. They are best mentored by other kings. Their best correction comes from the failure of their own flawed initiatives.  We can help them most by pointing them in the direction of the kingdom and helping them understand the value and place for their ministry.  A pastors biggest mistake can be putting Kings in charge of people ministries inside the church; thus introverting their focus. Kings can be pastoral to a degree, but generally with regard to the people in their own business. 

Here’s how you can best release the ministry of Kings.  Think of their marketplace ministry / business as a cell church. They can minister to and mentor their employees and customers and create an ownership in their own ministry. They will delight in bringing them to church as well. Challenge them to expand the influence of their ministry through their business or job or network and, when that is successful, challenge them with; 1) networking with other kings, 2) taking the city, and 3) expanding into missions around the world.

We will be developing more pastoral resources and conducting conferences to help pastors release the ministry kings so stay tuned.

7.  What I can do to release Kings in my Church?

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 WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Find out more about how to tear down the strongholds that keep you chained to a poverty mentality and how to use your gifts to serve God in the marketplace in my book “Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace” available at:

http://www.releasing-kings.com

• Releasing Kings shows how you can be part of the next global revival that is beginning in the marketplace

• The marketplace is an exciting new frontier for those called to ministry and evangelism…and business

• You will begin to understand the new global perspective that is enabling enterprising business leaders to impact generations by passing their financial and spiritual heritages on to others.

• Releasing Kings will help you understand your eagerness to pursue bold, creative and competitive ministry goals.  You’ll connect with the desires of your heart in a practical way.

• You will discover new opportunities that are opening for mentoring others and sharing the secrets and benefits of Christ centered business.

• Learn how to discover PASSION for your CAREER.  You’ll connect your vocation, ministry, and your life purpose for the very first time.

 If you would like to go beyond the book, Harold and I are available to do conferences, or consult with you on how to start equipping Kings in your church.  Contact info

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John Garfield

www.worldcastministries.com