DEACON - CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACKET - Ryan Fields

that will build up the whole Body of Christ. I particularly hope that I could invest in the next generation of pastors by teaching them (in the local church and perhaps also occasionally in a seminary context) about the joys and challenges of pastoral ministry and sharing with them a theological vision for ministry. I do hope in the future to be involved with groups like the Center for Pastor Theologians (they have cohorts of pastor-theologians that meet annually), and perhaps also to serve the EFCA in a more specific way. But I do not have any current commitments to speak of (beyond completing my PhD dissertation), and I would always put my own local church first, consulting with the elders and gaining their approval before taking on any additional ministry opportunities. Describe the place that worship should have in the church service? Worship is one way to summarize the entire purpose of the entire Christian life and even the cosmos (Psalm 19:1-6, Matt. 4:10, Rom. 11:33-36, 1 Cor. 15:28, Phil 2:9-11, 1 Tim. 1:17, Rev. 4:11). Worship is the proper response to the glory of God exhibited most clearly in the gospel of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 4:23-24, Rom. 1:16-17, 2 Cor. 4:6, Heb. 12:28). A Christian’s life of worship should consist of both individual and corporate expressions, exhibiting a constant tandem of worship “gathered” (Acts 2:42-47, 1 Cor. 11:33, Heb. 10:19-25) and “scattered” (Rom. 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 10:31, Rev. 1:6). In corporate worship settings we must not equate singing with worship; every activity of the worship service should be done as an act of worship unto God, including corporate singing (Col. 3:12-17, Eph. 5:15- 20, James 5:13-16). In this sense the entire church service is an act of worship, and the pastor plays a vitally important role in planning and overseeing this service for the glory of God, the building up of the body, and the furthering of the church's mission. What are your spiritual gifts? I believe that I am particularly gifted in areas pertinent to pastoral ministry, especially preaching/teaching (2 Tim. 4:2, Rom. 12:7), leadership (Rom. 12:8), administration (1 Cor. 12:28), encouragement (Rom 12:7) and hospitality (1 Peter 4:9). For me, all of these come under the larger banner of a shepherding gift, and indeed I believe that the Spirit has given these gifts to me primarily for the purpose of serving as a pastor-teacher (Eph. 4:11). What role do contemporary theological and ethical issues play in your ministry? Effective pastoral ministry doesn't just need to engage in biblical hermeneutics (proper interpretation of the Bible); it also has to engage in cultural hermeneutics (proper interpretation of our own cultural moment). God's people do not live in a vacuum; they live in a particular time and place and cultural context that is facing particularly pressing issues which the church is called to engage and speak biblical truth into. In this sense contemporary theological and ethical issues play an important role in my ministry. Theological issues are important because the church is called to articulate what doctrine is in keeping with the gospel (and what is not); ethical issues are important because the church is called to demonstrate what practices are in keeping with the gospel (and which are not). The pastor is someone the church rightly looks to for guidance on both of these fronts.

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