Paul Planted, Apollos Watered, but God: Vulnerable Weakness in Ministry and Mission
Ebook
The contrast could not be greater. Paul said, "Let no one boast in men" (1 Cor 3:21), because it is only "God who causes the growth" (1 Cor 3:7). But today's ministry is often platform-centered and program-bound. Jesus sent out the disciples "like sheep among wolves," but today this "weak" approach is replaced with powerful techniques emphasizing attraction. The result is that ministry/mission thought and praxis are subverted in a way that makes the ordinary individual believer wonder if and how they are to be involved in God's wonderful work. For Jesus, ministry was close and personal. He ate with friends, helped the hurting, and spoke the truth in love to any who would listen. Jesus embodied proclamation and ministry by depending on people (local resources), by being approachable and comprehensible (local tongues), and by spiritual gifts (the power of God). As weak and vulnerable as Jesus finds us, so does he desire to use us. Explore in this book the thought and practice of ministry and mission from the God-ordained and God-honoring perspective of vulnerable weakness.
“As the world vies for success, fame, and power, often at the expense of those who cannot compete, Christ calls his followers to a different outlook and way of life. In this important book, the authors expose the hidden agendas of much of what passes as Christian ministry today and call for a return to the classic Christian virtues of humility and weakness. This is a must-read for anyone involved in ministry and mission.”
—James A. Blumenstock, dean, Asia Biblical Theological Seminary
“Readers of Paul Planted, Apollos Watered, but God cannot help but feel the authors’ humble and self-critical—‘vulnerable’—posture. The book is not a guilt-inducing diatribe against an all-too-common, self-reliant, cross-cultural mission approach from which vulnerable mission distances itself. Rather, this readable set of essays mines the Bible, the authors’ wide-reaching mission experience, and other missiologists’ insights to invite readers to humble themselves, learn from others, and serve. This volume is both scholarly and practical, a helpful addition to today’s landscape of mission thinking.”
—J. Nelson Jennings, editor, Global Missiology
- Title: Paul Planted, Apollos Watered, but God: Vulnerable Weakness in Ministry and Mission
- Authors: Jim Harries, Kenneth Nehrbass, Christopher Sadowitz
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666764291, 9781666764277, 1666764272, 9781666764284, 1666764280, 1666764299
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666764291
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-12T21:50:44Z
Christopher Sadowitz is a missionary pastor in Japan serving with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, and adjunct professor at the Asia Biblical Theological Seminary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Jim Harries is a missionary in East Africa, chair of the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission, and adjunct faculty with William Carey International University. He is the author of several books, including African Heartbeat: And a Vulnerable Fool, and Vulnerable Mission: Listening to God and Man in Africa.