John Stanko

For your convenience, I list all eight ministry standards with their supporting biblical passage for your review and study.Each one is linked to the actual post that expands on each one.

1. APPROACHABLE — "Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:13-14).

2. RESPONSIVE – "When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him" (Mark 5:21-24).

3. EMPATHETIC – “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20), and "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position" (Romans 12:15-16).

4. HUMBLE – "Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves'" (Luke 22:24-27).

5. INTEGRITY – "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:25-32).

6. UNITY – "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5-6) and "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:3-6).

7. COMPETENT – "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Colossians 1:9-12, emphasis added).

8. ORGANIZED – Genesis 41:39-40 states, “Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, ‘Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.’”

This is the last of my list of ministry standards to which I aspire and hold myself accountable. Making them public also means that others can hold me accountable as well.

8. ORGANIZED – In Genesis 41:39-40, we read, “Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, ‘Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.’”

God is a God of order and we seek His help in organizing our ministry sphere of influence to touch as many people as possible. We are diligent to organize our work so we can involve people with the heart, gifts ,and purpose to do the work of ministry, just as Pharaoh did with Joseph. This involves being punctual, answering emails and phone calls, and managing our time with skill and grace.

I once read a quote, "There are people who want to change the world but can't return their emails." I don't organize for organization's sake just because I enjoy a neat desk or tidy to-do list. I organize so I can handle the more that Jesus seemed to indicate was the Father's expectation as was the lesson in this parable: "Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest" (Matthew 25:27). This 'more' was also alluded to in Proverbs 14:28: "A growing population is a king’s glory; a prince without subjects has nothing" (NLT). The 'more' isn't about things and structures but about people and their well-being now and for eternity.

In the next post, I will summarize all eight standards so you can have then in one place—just in case you want to use them as guidelines to develop your own ministry standards for performance and behavior.

We are almost done with my list of ministry standards with just one more after this entry, which describes our need in ministry to grow in knowledge and expertise so as not to rely on our call or anointing.

7. COMPETENT – For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:9-12, emphasis added).

We constantly strive to improve our skills so the Holy Spirit can maximize our effectiveness and work through us. This requires that we attend seminars, classes and workshops, and also follow a reading/learning program that includes Word studies and other relevant resources. We also regularly teach and train to impart what we know, while also learning from those we teach. 

If we know more, God has more to use and can quicken it in us when He desires us to express it. If, however, we are ignorant and God anoints us, all we have is anointed ignorance!

As we continue to look at the ministry standards I had established at my last church position, let's examine the importance of not betraying the confidence of those who trust us, including members of our ministry team.

6. UNITY – May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6).

We stand together to support one another as we first seek to carry out the goals of the church and our own ministries after that.  We work to understand each other’s ministry strengths and assist one another wherever and whenever possible. We are also accountable to one another for not only our results but also our attitudes and behaviors (See also John 17:23 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).  We do not share our problems or disagreements with those who report to us, with members, or those who attend the church. If we have a problem with someone, we go directly to that person, involving others only if the matter cannot be resolved by those directly involved.

Unity is more than doctrinal agreement. It is the bond that causes teammates to be loyal to one another and to be focused on the same corporate goals as agreed upon by leadership and the team itself.

Let's continue going through my list of ministry standards to which people, readers, listeners, clients, friends, and family can hold me accountable. Keep in mind I wrote these when I was on church staff and thus put them in first person plural because I wanted them to apply to all of us, not just me.

5. INTEGRITY – Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:25-32).

The Bible is our guide for all business, ministry and interpersonal transactions. The above passage deals with life issues like speaking truth to one another, anger, stealing, working hard, speech, bitterness, compassion, and forgiveness. Just focusing on the speaking aspects of this list, we keep short accounts with people and deal with confusion or offense quickly and directly, whether staff, leaders, volunteers or members. We endeavor to speak to them honestly but with compassion. While we seek forgiveness and reconciliation, we do not do so at the expense of honest dialogue, even if it is painful in the short-term to have those conversations.  

There are many ways to interpret and express integrity. For me, it is being forthright and honest with others, not saying one thing in private but another when we are with them. That means we must enter into difficult conversations with others to resolve hurt feelings and misunderstandings, and confront those things we would rather avoid in order to maintain the strength of our relationships in the unity of Christ.

We have looked at the practice of being approachable, responsible, and empathetic. Let's look at the fourth standard:

4. HUMBLE – Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:24-27).

As leaders, we serve with humility in every situation as the Lord directs. We do not focus on titles or hierarchy, and we submit to authority and one another in the will and purpose of God.  We are careful to prefer one another in love and to make our gifts, experience, and time available to others whenever they are needed.

Service is a means through which leaders stay grounded even though they sometimes are public figures through teaching the pulpit ministry. The kind of service we exhibit must meet practical needs and equips the saints for the work of their ministry:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Let's take a look at the third ministry standard of value that I used to guide my efforts when I was on a church staff and today as I coach, mentor, and write:

3. EMPATHETIC – We seek first to understand and then to be understood. That requires that we are good and effective listeners, as the Bible commands: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20). 

Sympathy is the act of having compassion for someone when we are confronted with the reality of their situation. Empathy is identifying with how they feel before they tell us! This is represented in the story of the woman who touched Jesus and was healed:

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it (Mark 5:30-32).

Jesus sensed someone's need even though there were many others around Him. We want to have that kind of sensitivity to the people God has assigned to our care.

We also take the time to ask good questions that draw people out and then give accurate summaries of what we heard so they know they have been heard when they have an encounter or meeting with us. We are always, however, seeking to direct them to the Lord and His purpose for their lives and/or current situation.

In other words, I want to feel what people are feeling before they tell me so I can initiate ministry even if they are hesitant to ask for it. Let it be, Lord Jesus.

During my last position on a church staff (2009-2014), I spelled out what people, staff, and members, could expect from me and my team. I thought it important that I put forth some standards by which I and we could be evaluated by those who were the recipients of our care and service. I came up with eight standards and I thought I would share them now in the hopes that others in ministry will see them and adopt the practice—although the standards should and will vary from individual to individual and team to team. Here is my first standard which are presented and ranked in their order of priority for me:

1. APPROACHABLE —"Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:13-14).

The disciples tried to prevent the children from coming to Jesus. Jesus, however, said in so many words, “Hey, this is why I’m here. For people to touch me.” At times, working in an office, talking on the phone, or other day-to-day tasks become more urgent than the people Jesus sent us to serve. We need to be like Jesus and communicate, “I’m here for you” no matter how busy or tired we are.

Perhaps another word I could have used here is "accessible." I never wanted a secretary, usher, or "armor-bearer" to stand between me and the people I was sent to serve. Therefore, my door was always open, I shook a lot of hands when the church doors were open for services, and I had many one-on-one appointments with those who wanted to see me and "touch" a pastor. This value or ministry standard is also the reason I am on social media all day every day. There I can stay in "touch" with my flock, and I use the term loosely, all over the world. In the next post, we will look at the second standard which is "responsive," but ministry effectiveness starts for me by being available or accessible to the people.