Skip to main content

Church, para-church and christian ministry

By
The Bible teaches that all believers in Jesus Christ are members of the Church. Church is thus comprised of members from all regions across many generations. But believers do gather for worship and fellowship at many local settings. This local congregation is what is known as visible church. In local church membership is open to all followers of Jesus Christ, so to speak.

Para-church organisations are set up by members of the Church to achieve specific objective. Bible society prints Bible; OM & ISPCK etc promote commentary and other literatures; Leprosy Mission & EHA etc are into healthcare; World Vision & EFICOR etc are into social service; YWAM & YFC etc are into youth ministry; IEM is into church planting ministry; RZIM & SAKSHI are into apologetics; CEF is into Children's ministry; and UESI is into university mission. All these kinds of para-church organisation exist to serve the church. But in para-church organisation "membership" is not open to all. For example, if someone wants to work with slum dwellers, OM or UESI is not the right platform for the person. Similarly, if the person wants to work with the students EFICOR or IEM is not really the right organisation. Instead of forcing the organisation to change vision, it's best that the individual joins some other appropriate organisation.

Do you think there is a need for para-church organisation at all? What do you think could be the distinctive contribution of para-church like UESI to the church in India? What is the difference between Youth ministry and student/university ministry?
Labels:

Comments

Panamberil Joseph said…
I believe there is the need for para-church organizations for connecting to build the kingdom of God. Note that Paul came across Aquila and Priscilla because they were in the same profession - tent making. Though there may not have been any formal network, I believe we can use it to build the kingdom of God. But para-church organizations cannot replace the local body of believers who have fellowship and work fo rthe Lord.
May 21, 2011 at 2:24 PM
Jeremiah A V Dumai said…
In Acts 6 we read of seven men being selected for 'daily distribution of food'. I think it is fair to read this as a beginning of para-church organisations.

I think ministry like UESI is supposed to help students see their academic learning through the lens of the Bible/theology.
May 21, 2011 at 8:56 PM
IlonaS said…
I agree to both comments! Student group is important
For Christian Students to
1. strengthen each other to live God honoring lives in University environment
2. pray for each other and universities, lectors, students..
3. cooperate together to influence universities for Christ - Christians form outside do not have such a big access to Universities to do so.

Universities bring education in practical skills and in worldly matters, it is so important to bring Christ into Universities!

Only, when students are in the fellowship, it is still becoming a pastoring job. Church is still needed.
October 26, 2011 at 2:58 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to Delhi-UESI

By
UESI seeks to evangelise post-matric students in India, nurture them as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may serve the Church and Society. UESI's doctrinal basis shall be the fundamental, historic truths of Christianity including: 1. The unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead. 2. The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgment. 3. The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 4. The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the Fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation. 5. Redemption from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin only through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. 6. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 7. The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Christ effective to the individual sinner, granting him repentance toward G...
10 comments
Read more
By
A common need posted on: 5 November 2012 by: Daniel Bourdanné This post was originally posted on the  Ichtus Belgium blog  leading up to their week of prayer. What is it like to be a student today in Belgium? In Brazil? In Burkina Faso? In Britain? At the start of a new academic year here in the UK, universities and student life feature more prominently in the press. Alongside news that students at Cambridge University can now get up to 60 free condoms a week, there is debate whether the fall in demand for university places is related to the rise in tuition fees, and also discussion about what changes in university rankings might mean for the future of higher education. The headlines may well be different in another country, yet, as I travel and meet students around the world, I encounter common themes. Friendships and relationships matter. Community is important. More and more people feel the need to be living in community, to belon...
1 comment
Read more

Engaging the University-An Orientation for Newcomers

By
Dear friends, Some of you in our Facebook group on Engaging the University were not at the IFES World Assembly, but have been in conversation with me for some time about the topic. Others who were at the World Assembly seem to have discovered these issues for the first time. Still others are excited, but also somewhat confused as to what it does and does not entail for IFES ministries. So, I thought I should lead with a brief historical preamble by way of orientation. My wife and I first met Prof. Terry Halliday at an IVCF-USA Following Christ conference in Atlanta, in the last week of 2002. This was a conference for graduate students and faculty (called postgraduates and lecturers in the British-influenced universities!). I was a plenary Bible expositor and Terry led a track for social scientists. It was a fruitful encounter and we have remained friends with a shared concern for the intellectual credibility of our IFES movements in the world of the university. ...
Post a Comment
Read more