The Power of Ministry
The Power of Ministry
The power of ministry lies in the depth of its impact, not in the number of those served. What matters is not the number of listeners, but the number of those who repent among them. Yes, the strength of ministry is not measured by the number of disciples, but by the depth of faith within them.
A sermon may be heard by a large crowd, but we do not know how many were truly affected, nor how many transformed that influence into a way of life. The power of a sermon is measured by the number of people it leads into a life with God.
Likewise, the strength of a meeting of servants is not measured by the number of lectures or the number of servants present. Rather, the power of such a meeting lies in the number of consecrated servants it produces.
A church that does not offer consecrated servants—whether for ministry, priesthood, or monastic life—is undoubtedly weak in its service. For strong ministry is fruitful and life-giving. And it should be noted that ministry may not yield immediate results, but it will surely bear fruit in time.
The Apostle Paul, despite his great spiritual stature and powerful ministry, was mocked when he spoke in Athens, the capital of Greece. They scoffed at him, saying, “What does this babbler want to say?” (Acts 17:18). He did not see immediate results except for one person—Dionysius the Areopagite, who later became bishop of Athens. Yet, before long, Athens became entirely Christian.
The Lord Jesus Christ had a public ministry among the crowds and the thousands. He also ministered among seventy disciples. But there was a focused ministry among the twelve, and its great power was revealed in the spread of the faith—those of whom it was said: “There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth” (Psalm 19:3–4). Through their hands the Kingdom of God came with power. With them also was the power by which the Apostle Paul worked, according to the grace given to him, as he said: “I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
I remember when I was a student at the theological seminary, and our class consisted of five students. One of the professors stood at the graduation ceremony and said: “We are not teaching five students in the seminary; we are teaching five cities.” He considered each student a city, meaning that after graduation each would be consecrated as a servant of the Lord to shepherd a city. Sadly, only one student from our class was consecrated.
Returning to the service of the Apostles, we see that their ministry was not measured by the number of listeners, but as Scripture says: “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Yes, those who were being saved—not merely those who were listening. Here lies the power of the word that opens the way to salvation.
When I assumed my present responsibility, I began dividing dioceses so that each bishop would be responsible for a defined area, enabling focused service that would be strong and fruitful—and so it was. In the past, metropolitans were responsible for vast dioceses that they could not fully shepherd. Now, each bishop can visit every city and village in his diocese and care for all.
The same applies to every priest in his church. It was not suitable for ministry that one priest alone shepherd thousands—sometimes fifteen thousand or more across several churches. Thus, it became necessary to ordain new priests so that ministry could be distributed, carried out diligently, with care for every individual, leading them to lives of repentance and purity.
The power of ministry is not in the number of followers, but in the number of people you lead to the knowledge and love of God. Some denominations may have large attendance at their meetings because of material aid they provide, while faith remains unstable in the hearts of attendees. When the aid stops, attendance stops. Can this be called ministry?
There are also churches that focus on activities rather than spirituality—workshops, exhibitions, youth clubs, homes for expatriates, homes for the elderly, and many projects—without due attention to spiritual life. Yet the Lord rightly said: “These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).
Spiritual ministry is the ministry that has true power in its impact. With a single sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter drew three thousand souls to faith (Acts 2). The power of that sermon lay in the fact that its preacher was filled with the Holy Spirit. Scripture does not say they repented because of his sermon, but that they were pierced to the heart, accepted the faith, and were baptized. Meanwhile, many preachers deliver thousands of sermons without a single person coming to faith.
The Apostle Paul—even while imprisoned—“reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come,” and Felix the governor was afraid (Acts 24:25). The Lord Jesus Christ spoke a single word that caused its hearer to leave everything and follow Him. Matthew was sitting at the tax booth when the Lord said to him, “Follow Me,” and he left it and followed Him. The Lord did not give him a lecture on consecration—just one word, but a word powerful in spirit and effect. The same happened when He said to Simon Peter and Andrew his brother: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
What matters is the depth of the word and the power of its impact—not the number of sermons, writings, activities, or institutions. This is the ministry we seek: people filled with the power of the Spirit, preaching with effectiveness, whose word does not return void but bears much fruit.
So what are the elements of power in ministry? They are the depth it contains, the love and self-giving within it, its influence, and its ability to transform souls for the better.
Consider the example of our father Abraham, who went to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering in obedience to the Lord. Abraham offered countless sacrifices throughout his life, but this one—though only in intention and never completed—stands above them all. It was greater than all the sacrifices actually offered, even greater than all sacrifices throughout history, because of the depth of love, sacrifice, obedience, faith, and self-control it embodied.
Another powerful act is the widow’s offering of two small coins. Though insignificant in amount, it was given from her poverty, so the Lord praised her and considered her gift greater than all others. The power lies in the quality of the act, not its quantity.
There are many such examples in ministry: the servant who does not excuse himself from service during exam season, though he needs every minute to study, yet still serves—God never forgets this. Or the servant who serves while ill, giving from the rest he desperately needs. Or the poor employee who offers tithes even when his salary barely suffices and he may be in debt.
Giving from one’s need reveals love and faith—love for those who receive and for God who commanded, and faith that God will compensate and bless the little. It also reflects self-denial and care for others, as did the widow of Zarephath when she offered her last bit of flour and oil to the prophet Elijah during famine.
The power of action is also seen in the story of David and Goliath. History records many wars, but none compares to this encounter. David was but a youth compared to the giant—without his strength, weapons, or experience—yet David’s power lay in his zeal and faith. His zeal was seen in his words: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26), and his faith in saying: “Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand… You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Samuel 17:45–46).
Because of this power—his zeal and faith—the women sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). Those “ten thousands” were embodied in that single smooth stone, driven by faith into Goliath’s head. It was a moment of profound depth and courage—true power indeed.
The power of ministry can also appear in its results, as seen in the strength of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in defending the faith, turning the tide of history. Saint Jerome said of him: “There was a time when the whole world was on the verge of becoming Arian—were it not for Athanasius.” Similarly, the power of the life of Saint Anthony the Great drew many, spreading that angelic life throughout the world.
There is also powerful ministry that goes unnoticed because it works in secret. A successful meeting with a deeply impactful sermon may owe its success to a hidden prayer meeting—bent knees praying for the word and the listeners’ response. These intercessors are unseen, yet they are the hidden power.
People admire the shining chandelier but do not see the generator that produces the electricity. They praise the visible light and forget the hidden source of power. Many powerful ministries work quietly: restoring a lapsed believer, guiding a wayward girl, reconciling a divided family. These are hidden yet powerful works, often supported by another hidden power—a lifted liturgy or prayer.
Another kind of powerful yet unseen ministry is personal ministry. People praise large public gatherings, but rarely notice individual ministry, which can be deeper and more effective in leading souls to the Kingdom—such as pastoral visits and spiritual conversations between a priest and a family. If you had to choose between preaching to hundreds or personally guiding one lost young person, which would you choose?
Eliezer of Damascus traveled on a vital mission to find a wife for Isaac—the grandmother of Christ—and God prospered his way. Undoubtedly, Abraham was praying fervently for this. Was the success due to Abraham’s prayer or Eliezer’s faithfulness? Certainly both—visible faithful work and hidden prayer, above all by the grace of God who “made his journey successful.” Thus, powerful ministry unites action and prayer.
There is also the ministry of example and blessing. Ministry by example is silent, yet more powerful than words, because it offers a living model of spiritual life. As for the ministry of blessing, it is seen in those whose very presence was a blessing to their generations. God said during Abraham’s intercession for Sodom: “If I find ten righteous… I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten” (Genesis 18:32). He did not say if they prayed, but if they existed. Their mere presence was a great service.
Elijah was a blessing in the house of the widow of Zarephath; Elisha was a blessing in the house of the Shunammite woman; Joseph the righteous was a blessing in the land of Egypt. Indeed, our father Noah was a blessing to the whole world—through him God preserved life on earth.
