Kevin Risner: Philosophy of Ministry

1. Its all about Jesus:

Jesus Christ must be at the center of all we do. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ and
to demonstrate his character in everything we do. We know that if we lift up Jesus Christ, all
people will be drawn to Him. Our mission should not be to promote a local church or a
local personality, but to present and promote Jesus Christ.
2. Relationships are critical:
Three basic relationships are fundamental to Christianity. First, each of us is to establish and
grow in our personal relationship with God through salvation provided by Jesus Christ.
Secondly, each of us is to develop healthy relationships with other believers with Jesus Christ
at the center of those relationships. Finally, each of us is called to develop healthy
relationships with unsaved individuals who can come to know and accept Jesus Christ as
they experience Him through each of us. Virtually every lesson in the Bible can be
understood as providing guidance for building and strengthening one or more of these three
relationships.
Fellowship should be more than just sitting shoulder to shoulder with others in church
meetings. Opportunities should be created to promote relationship building among
Christians and with people outside the Church.
3. Reach the children:
Research shows clearly that efforts at evangelism are most effective when directed at young
children (under the age of 13). When presented with the Gospel, children under the age of 13
are far more likely to accept Jesus than teenagers or adults, according to research conducted
by George Barna.
As children approach the age of 13, they are already deciding their life code. Their life
code determines what they believe about the basic issues of life, such as alcohol and drug
use, human sexuality, honesty, politics and other major issues. By the age of 13 unless they
have been converted to Christianity many children have already experimented with alcohol
or drugs, smoked a first cigarette or had their first sexual encounter. Those children have
likely decided whether they believe homosexuality is acceptable, whether abortion is
acceptable, whether it is alright to steal or whether it is acceptable to harm other
individuals. By evangelizing children at a very young age we can help prevent destructive
amoral and immoral life decisions and set children on a healthy path of relationship with
Jesus Christ.
4. Do it with love:
We are called to demonstrate the character of Jesus Christ. We are not called to be heavyhanded taskmasters or to be authoritarian dictators. We are called to serve and love. Love is
a key ingredient within the three main Christian relationships. We should love God, love
other Christians and love unsaved persons. We do not accept sin, but our response to sin
should be cloaked in the love of God. With Gods love flowing through us, we can draw
people to Jesus Christ.