Leveling the Church: Multiplying Your Ministry by Giving It Away

by Micah Fries, Jeremy Maxfield

What if the secret to pastoral success is to do less ministry?

Or maybe it’s more like a two-part secret: do less ministry, develop more people. The typical pastor takes on far too much. Who visits the hospital? Who counsels couples? Who teaches and preaches and disciples? Usually, the pastor. But according to Ephesians 4, a pastor’s true goal should be to equip the so-called ordinary members of their church to take on these pastoral tasks. Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield will show you how by:

exposing the dangerous undercurrents that may be holding back your church culture teaching you how to narrow your focus in order to multiply your ministry walking you through how to delegate, develop leaders, and deploy your members.

Yes, the people in those pews expect a lot from you, but learn how you can manage expectations, lead well, and pastor biblically. Not only does this approach drastically reduce the pressure on you, the pastor, it multiplies the effectiveness of your ministry 10, 20, even 100-fold!

Genres: Leadership, Church, Discipleship

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Micah Fries is senior pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leveling the Church: Multiplying Your Ministry By Giving It Away - by Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield is attacking the notion of, what they call, the "super pastor", the idea that the pastor is in charge of everything in the church and pretty much meets everyone's personal spiritual needs. Instead, they believe that the biblical model is for the pastor and elders to train men to be able to do various tasks that many think the pastor is solely responsible for.

I wasn't quite sure what I thought of this book at first, but I've concluded that I like it overall, though with some caveats which I'll mention in a moment.

The premise is very interesting. As I mentioned above, the case is made that the pastor's job is not to take on everything himself, but to build up others to be able to take on ministerial tasks, like visiting the sick in the hospital, counseling, and visiting in general. As the authors put it: "…while the pastor ought to engage in ministry actions like visiting others, such ministry is our familial responsibility. The vocational responsibility of a pastor or church leader is, particularly, to engage develop the church community so we can all engage in acts of ministry together…"

They attack the notion that Christianity is individualistic in its nature, that it is focused upon ourselves: MY spiritual growth, MY being spiritually fed, MY being ministered to, MY needs need to be met: "…we have repurposed the Christian faith in a way that is generically individualistic.  We claim that we don't need the church to worship, that we can worship anywhere.  We claim that no one can judge us.  We claim that our relationship with God is our business alone…….  Consider, how we regularly judge the success of a worship service.  We leave and say things like, 'That was great! I really got fed today!'  That sounds mature, and faithful.  It sounds like we are prioritizing good biblical teaching, but it is actually in opposition to biblical worship.  When we judge the effectiveness of a worship service by what it does for us, we have made ourselves the object of the worship experience." Rather, as this book points out, we Christians are supposed to gather together regularly, meeting one another's needs(and those aren't always personally felt needs), talking, and getting to know one another, and pushing each other to live as we ought. The authors put it bluntly: "We are specifically encouraged to gather together so we can be in each other's business." This group responsibility for one another's spiritual needs and well-being truly fits with the Biblical model.

As to some of the things I was wary about: There was a positive quotation of a Catholic priest with no disclaimers about his beliefs. I'm afraid that perhaps this means that the writers consider Roman Catholicism an expression of the true Gospel. But it's not, it can't be. From what I understand of the teachings of Roman Catholicism, other mediators between God and mankind are proposed besides Jesus Christ and the idea seems to be propounded that Jesus Christ's righteousness is not the only righteousness available to cover one's sins (Mary's and other saints' righteousness are also available). Also the focus and reverence of the virgin Mary is quite idolatrous (also her being another mediator for us in Heaven, and her not being a sinner). I don't remember the authors quoting or saying anything else that indicated that they espoused Roman Catholicism, rather they emphasized the importance of getting the Gospel right. So perhaps this quotation was just something that wasn't thought through…

Second, I didn't quite understand what is meant by "Multiplication" . I was getting mixed impressions of what they meant by that. At first I got the idea that the goal is not necessarily to multiply the people in your church but rather to grow spiritually. But then it started to sound like numbers of people are important. "Our vision is to see one percent of the metro area worshiping with us on any given weekend…we had to reach new people and see them developed into multiplying leaders." They measured baptisms, measured the amount of people in certain small groups..etc. That leads me to the question: Who builds the church? Doesn't Christ? Who are we to assume that we know how many people He should be adding to our particular local gathering? The number of people in our area appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48)? what if 1 percent is too low? What if it is too high? Besides, what if one percent of our area do believe, but are attending other biblical churches in the area? What if our particular church is supposed to stay a small body of believers? The Lord will add our number if He sees fit, but it is not our place to set a numerical goal, nor I might add (in our day and age) an ethnic, age or gender related goal of the types of people we want in our group. The Lord builds the church, we don't pick the people He builds it with or how many people or how fast it should grow numerically.

I also a bit concerned about some implications I got from things they said about ministry, it seems as though they think that the ministry done by people ought to be an 'official' church ministry, outside of the regular sermon meeting on Sunday. "…our life in the church has to be more than a once-per-week gathering for an hour of worship. This will mean, for example, investing in a Sunday school class or small group or serving in an area of ministry." Don't get me wrong, I agree that we don't just sit and listen to the sermon, leave, and that's our church life. But what if it's not an official, church recognized area of ministry that you've signed up for? What if your ministry is meeting another church family in the week and the majority of the rest of your church family never find out that you did that? Or just talking and encouraging someone else while meeting on a Sunday? Does it have to be 'official' or known by the rest of the body?

The last question I want to mention that this book brings up in my mind is, how does the Pastor equip the Saints? I see the thought that he is to equip other people to work with him and help lead, but how, really, will the spiritual growth of the people happen? Does equipping the Saints mainly happen by the Pastor offering practical training and appointing tasks or by preaching the Word? Biblically he mainly seems to be instructed to equip them by preaching the Word. By reproving, rebuking and exhorting people. Feeding the sheep - That seems to be his main instruction for equipping the Saints.

Perhaps the other elders are to take care of practical training and appointing tasks? Or perhaps the people are to be looking for ministry opportunities on their own, look for needs that need to be met, not just for the church building, but the needs of individual members, the building up of individual members, the provoking of one another to love and good works independent of having to have a permanent, recognized part in a small group ministry geared toward any specific work. Some of the works will be done in the large group (listening to teaching of the Word of God on Sunday), small groups (helping someone paint rooms, clean things, just getting together..etc.) and one on one works (sweeping the floor in the church kitchen, mowing a fellow member's lawn, visiting the sick, widows, elderly, or helping someone with their personal struggles). None of the works need to be publicly acknowledge by the corporate church.

Having said all of that, I'll repeat that the book was quite good overall, very thought provoking (as you can probably tell by my ramblings). The authors give a good demonstration that Christianity is not to be lived in isolation, but as a community, as a body of believers each member needing the other. And they also show that people shouldn't expect the pastor to be the one to do, or even to lead, most of the ministry that happens in the church. People shouldn't go to church just to "fill up" but to live out what they've learned, and not just living it on Sunday but on every day of the week. I'll end with one more quote from the book: "… if spiritual maturity is typically measured by daily Bible reading as individuals, and if discipleship (if it happens) is typically measured by the reproduction of sound doctrine and maybe Scripture memory, and if leadership is qualified by theological education (and perhaps business savvy for directing growth strategies and managing staff recruits), then we're functionally gnostic. We've focused our efforts on the acquisition of spiritual knowledge in the mind while disregarding the spiritual significance of daily life in the physical world. An incomplete gospel is an incorrect Gospel."

Thanks to the folks at MP Newsroom for the free review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)

[Conrade Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ministry is more about people and less about programs. It is more about serving, less about receiving. It is about directing people's attention to God more than anything else, through discipleship and multiplication of more of such 'directors.' Church leadership is precisely called to do that. After a long period of serving in church from youth pastor to senior pastor, authors Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield reflect on their ministries and if they had to do it all over again, they would focus on the multiplication of people to do the ministry instead of doing everything themselves. In rethinking leadership and how to lead in Church, they acknowledge that the "biblical plan for church leadership is to develop a culture of multiplication: to not only see people come to faith, but also help them grow into maturity." Examining Ephesians 4:11-16, they are convinced that God is calling the Church to enable the people in Church to serve. That's what the spiritual gifts are there for. Growth is not just about numbers. It is about growing the fundamental trunk of servants. Teaching good sermons is not enough. We need to train servants to serve. Growing numbers is not enough. We need to grow in maturity. Being faithful in service is not enough. We need to bear fruit. The three key thrusts in this book are: Discipleship, Leadership, and Mission. At the onset, the authors take time to examine the way of Jesus, how he was investing his time with his disciples. After putting forth the biblical stance, he goes to show us the barriers that prevent many churches from practicing that. One could get bogged down with history and traditions that hamper the introduction of new ideas. A key problem is the mindset of running church with paid professionals. Another problem is with the wrong expectations placed upon the functions of church. This is followed closely by the problem of "applause" where leaders serve on the basis of pleasing people. Naturally, these three erroneous barriers create a poor measurement scorecard. The authors propose a better one: 1) Deliver the Word; 2) Disciple the Believer; 3) Deploy the Church.


This calls for "leveling" the Church, which is essentially about tearing down the old erroneous structures in order to start afresh with the new. This requires a bold stare down against the four dangers surrounding church practices. The first danger is that of "professionalism." It is essentially the way of the world to deliver the services to the needs as 'professionally' as possible. Even theological schools can be perceived as spiritual production lines to export ready-made pastors. These professionals are then expected to deliver the goods to the consumers. Once this cloud of professionalism seeps into the expectations of church leaders, those without theological education would be disqualified from ministry, in particular pulpit ministry. They offer some good push backs against this. The second danger is "materialism" which is linked to the first danger of professionalism. This is essentially about glorifying the needs of people. Instead, churches need to teach the meaning of sacrifice to become the Church they are called to build, instead of the luxury of shopping for the church they want. See individual members as parts of the church instead of patrons whose needs reign supreme. Fries and Maxfield then add a third danger to the mix: Independence, or self-sufficiency. This desire to separate and be independent is taboo to the meaning of Church. They link this thinking to the age of heresy of gnosticism. They criticize the use of daily Bible reading as a measurement for individual health; the use of discipleship as mere Bible memory; and the use of qualifications as a factor for leadership. While good, these things are incomplete and inadequate. Most importantly, we need to avoid these because they tend to project personal preferences into the gospel. True freedom is not independence but interdependence. If we don't learn to live together, then we won't learn at all what it means to be in Christ. The fourth danger is the perception of the need for a super pastor. When people see the pastor as the one to do only what Jesus could do, they are creating a the image of a super pastor. Always on call, always available, and always able to meet the needs of the parishioners. Thankfully, Ephesians 4 dispel all of these errors. It is a many to many relationship, which the many in the Church will minister to the many, instead of depending on one or two super pastors to do everything. The task of leadership is to facilitate the training and equipping of the many.

The final part of the book helps us learn from the examples of Jesus, Moses, Paul, and Timothy. From Jesus, we learn about how he focuses on the few for the sake of the rest. Moses's example is about delegation. Paul is the model and mentor of many. Timothy is the one being trained and deployed.

My Thoughts
Three thoughts. First, the authors hit the ground hard by acknowledging their failures. This is something we as leaders need to do as well. For the first act of change is to recognize the need for change. For those of us who resist corrections, remember that everyone have blind spots, some more, some less. It is no secret that churches all over the world are constantly bombarded by the philosophies, practices, and principles of the world. This should not come as any surprise, as people are out in the world six days a week. Invariably, their interactions with the world would impact our worldview. Thus, we need to be humble and to learn to start afresh as often as possible.

Second, I agree with the authors about the need to redefine and rethink the nature of Christian leadership. If there is one word to describe the purpose of Christian leadership, it is to make disciples. For that reason, I think I could re-phrase the three key objectives as the 3Ds strategy: Disciple, Discipler, Discipled. The process of discipleship is to make disciples. The process of Discipler is to equip more to do the same. The product of Discipled is to unleash people to lead according to God's calling. I appreciate the way the authors remind us not to be stuck in maintenance mode but to move forward in multiplication. For all the criticisms about numerical growth, I feel that the authors are also guilty of using numbers in their revamped scorecard. They may not measure Church growth in terms of numbers of people sitting on the pews each Sunday but they still use numbers to determine the baptisms, life groups, and whatever new categories of growth.

Finally, I like to look at the driving force of Church ministry. Books like this one may try to do ministry differently, but they still are driven about something. Whether it is the wrongful perception of a super pastor or the erroneous practices of making the church a professional or consumeristic model, we are all susceptible to seeing ministry work as some kind of goals to be achieved. Looking at the life of Jesus, we may say that he was the most purposeful person on earth. We can also say that he was most sacrificial of them all. Yet, the purpose of Jesus's life on earth is to do God's will. The mulitiplication and the fruit of service are never predetermined in any way. We can only do our best and to let God do the rest. Put it another way, the opposite of poverty is not riches. It is contentment. Church ministry is to equip the members of the Church to pursue God for God's sake.

This is a good book to help us reset our measurement scorecard.

Micah Fries is Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prior to serving at Brainerd, he served at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee and as a frequent speaker in churches and conferences. Micah previously served as the President of the Missouri Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference and as Second Vice President of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Jeremy Maxfield is a writer and consultant living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his wife, three daughters, and chocolate lab. He has previously worked as a publisher with Lifeway, NavPress, and Student Life.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Moody Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Greg Reimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent quick read on why leaders in the church should share power and encourage the whole church to use their giftings. In my house church context, this book gave me so many great ideas, even though they are speaking to leaders in a more "normal" church environment. I highly recommend this one to all Christian leaders.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful. Some foundational stuff about church ministry and leadership. I love books like this that really just work to reestablish the clear, simple, God-glorifying way of doing something.

[Trevor Atwood]

The main idea is good- move away from a top-heavy ecclesiology with a super-pastor at the head. But the way that idea is worked out turns out to be too general and among most of the audience for their book, already present. Mentor younger folks, teach theology classes, and delegate ministry just didn’t really get to anything new for me.

I’m sure it could be helpful to some pastors depending on what ideas you have or have not already engaged. Overall, a quick standard read I’ll likely never come back to.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those "right books at the right time". It's basically an exploration of the Bible's vision for church in Ephesians 4, where leaders are given by Christ to equip people for ministry, so the whole body grows in maturity. We are not just a "professional dispenser of religious goods" (17), and we are not called to do everything ourselves. "God's vocational design for church leaders is to equip the saints for works of ministry, not to do ministry for the saints" (104). The book challenges the idol of being a super pastor, and draws some specific lessons from the example of Jesus, Moses, Paul and Timothy. Written by Americans, but not overly American, so applicable to a British smaller-church context (with some reflection).

[gotta read more · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 6 chapters are a bit repetitive as the authors sell you on the premise of the book. I wholeheartedly agree with the premise and I think they are spot on. They just use about 30 pages more than necessary to sell it.

Chapters 7-11 are, in my opinion, very practical and so true. I believe that the biblical examples that they use are also accurate. If you are struggling getting volunteers enlisted and convicted of their need to take ownership (and who isn’t), then this book will be a big help.

[Tim Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good call to sharing the burden of ministry with those in your church. Being the super pastor doesn't work. We are called in Ephesians 4 to empower others into ministry and this book reminds us of that very real possibility and one we should be working toward.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and insightful book about multiplying leaders.

[Brent Lenentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have listened to about equipping God’s people and entrusting them with ministry. Ministry was intended by God to be given away.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are like me, and are in ministry, you probably have at least five new emails just today on how to change your church. The newest, the latest and the greatest techniques that are “guaranteed” to increase the attendance, giving, and likeability of your social media pages. Yet, none of them truly teach me how to be a better pastor and preach solid sermons that compel people to want to grow. They don’t teach me how to be a better shepherd and love the people I serve (including the one who complain every week). They don’t teach me how to be a better leader, equipping people to do ministry that impacts the kingdom not just the numeric (read TRANSFER) growth of my church.
I received Leveling the Church by Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield to review. While the book was provided to me free, I was not asked or coerced to give any specific positive feedback, just honest feedback.
I was very intrigued by this book teaching the danger of professionalism, materialism, independence and of the “super pastor”. Then teaching concepts on how to lead like Jesus, Moses, Paul, and Timothy.

Here is what the publisher has to say about this book:
What if the secret to pastoral success is to do less ministry?
Or maybe it’s more like a two-part secret: do less ministry, develop more people. The typical pastor takes on far too much. Who visits the hospital? Who counsels couples? Who teaches and preaches and disciples? Usually, the pastor. But according to Ephesians 4, a pastor’s true goal should be to equip the so-called ordinary members of their church to take on these pastoral tasks. Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield will show you how by:
• exposing the dangerous undercurrents that may be holding back your church culture
• teaching you how to narrow your focus in order to multiply your ministry
• walking you through how to delegate, develop leaders, and deploy your members.
Yes, the people in those pews expect a lot from you, but learn how you can manage expectations, lead well, and pastor biblically. Not only does this approach drastically reduce the pressure on you, the pastor, it multiplies the effectiveness of your ministry 10, 20, even 100-fold!

The problem with any book that acts like they have figured it all out, is that they have yet to figure it all out. This book does well to seek to point to defining issues within the church. One such example is the difference between “success” and “fruitfulness”. There is a solid reminder in this chapter that what we measure will determine our churches focus. Another was the look between consumer and professional.
I was captured by the chapter on the dangers of a Super Pastor. I’ve seen this personality where the individual had to be and do everything. If they didn’t, no one else would. They didn’t lead and train, they just managed. So worried to try to meet everyone’s needs they ignore their own and their family’s needs.
In reading this book I felt like I was reading something from Exponential conference. The focus on multiplication and developing leaders under you, was a key focus through the entire book. I would recommend this book to you if you are a church pastor, board, leader, who are seeking to help guide your church. Learn to lead better, like Jesus or Timothy!