The rise in the number of paid Word ministers is a great step forward in growing Christ's church. He has given his church gifts of word speakers, to equip the saints for works of service, for this very reason.

However, a threat to growing the army of gospel workers is the professionalisation of ministry.

I remember hearing about a church that had existed for many years under the single-minister model. This church had one rector overseeing all the ministry. Yet, the team of parish councillors were not only involved in governance. They were also the ones executing the ministry.

Instead of having a children's minister, they had a volunteer 'Sunday School Superintendent' who recruited and oversaw every aspect of ministry to young people.

The dads ran the boys' club, the mums ran the girls' club, and everyone else seemed to run everything else.

Then, when the new minister arrived, the team of volunteers were gradually replaced by 'professional' ministers.

The staff of one (or was it one hundred?) grew (or shrunk?) into a staff of six.

Now there was a youth minister, a women's minister, a children's minister, a secretary, and a seniors' minister. Offertories grew to cover the new staff team. The church moved forward.

But, now that the parents were paying extra for the children's minister, they felt less inclined to volunteer to be involved with the children's ministry. After all, they were entitled to have their kids ministered to by a professional, since they were paying extra in 'the plate' to cover the fees.

This is the unfortunate side of the professionalism of our ministry. Yet, the very opposite can be true when your church's staff team grows.

I have witnessed the growth of churches that have followed the same journey with much better results. The youth minister, instead of replacing the current volunteers, has strengthened the existing team, and worked to train and recruit others. By hiring an additional Word ministry 'expert', the number of volunteers grew.

Growing the number of paid Word ministers has the risk of disenfranchising our volunteers. Or, it can have the result of mobilising and strengthening the volunteer army to see an exponential growth in the quantity and quality of ministry.

The key is for the minister to realise that we're all in the ministry. But, we must also recognise the importance of recruiting, training and equipping all the saints for the works of service so that Christ's body might be built.