Dynamic Philosophy of Ministry – Joseph

Although some things remain the same forever, change is inevitable and affects leadership.

Effective leaders recognize those changes and adjust their leadership accordingly. This is apparent in the Bible and in the wider world as well. 

The presidential election of 1960 was paradigm shifting as it was the first political contest to feature television. In the first-ever televised debate, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in front of the cameras and the television feed took that debate into the homes of millions of Americans.

Famously, Richard Nixon had a five o’clock shadow, likely having shaved earlier in the day and not wearing any make-up. Kennedy on the other hand came across as the dapper young, handsome vigorous leader.

From that event forward, campaigning for political office included an entirely new cosmetic element. How you looked mattered! “How” you ran for office changed forever. This dynamic is found in Christian leadership. 

I had the fortune of being part of a group of young ministry leaders being mentored and coached by some gifted experienced Christian leaders.

During one of our meetings our group of fifteen or so ministry leaders heard a presentation regarding “electronic” giving. The just of the presentation was that fundraising, donor receipting, and accounting were about to change due to the internet and people’s ability to give electronically.

After the presentation, the entire group concluded that people were not going to risk sending money electronically via the Internet. Oops! 

Years later, we were exploring the use of Internet video technology and I “futuristically” announced that video connections could never replace relational ministry. I boldly stated that “leadership development cannot be done by video calls! Oops!

Today, our ministry organization is using that technology to save thousands of dollars in travel expenses, train and develop children’s workers, and overcome the restrictions of a worldwide pandemic.

Granted, you cannot ever completely replace face-to-face ministry, but I did not have the vision for video technologies' impact on ministry at that time in my life. 

These are just two examples of how “doing ministry changes.” In this blog, we are going to explore three factors that affect a leader’s way of doing ministry: their philosophy of ministry.

These three factors, biblical principles, giftedness and ministry context are like a three-legged stool. Each leg is crucial, and things can change over time, causing the leader to change the way they do ministry. 

Our study will focus on two of our favorites, Joseph and Paul. This week will look at Joseph.

Joseph's Dynamic Philosophy of Ministry

Martin Luther was a great admirer of Joseph and viewed Joseph as a kind of precursor to Jesus Christ.

Luther himself stands as an example of how a leader’s philosophy of ministry can change. In Luther’s case the epiphany came in understanding the primacy of God’s Word (Sola Scripture) and the transformational and unique nature of God’s grace believed by faith (Sola Fidelis).

This in turn led to a rethinking of his ordination, celibacy, sacramental theology, and church life. His fresh approach to Scripture led to his admiration for Joseph.

The life of Joseph stands as a testimony to godly leadership as we have seen in earlier blogs. In this blog, we will examine the principles that guided his life, his giftedness, and the changing context of ministry. Through that, we will see his dynamic philosophy of ministry.

Entire books have been written on Joseph’s life found in Genesis 38-50, thus compromising one-fourth of the entire Genesis account. Our focus is on Joseph as a leader and as such can identify the principles that seem to guide his philosophy of ministry. 

#1 - Principles

Faithfulness – When we are first introduced to Joseph it is through his dreams. In both cases, he does not hide the dreams despite the obvious consequences. When his brothers plotted to murder him and then sell him into slavery his reaction appeared to be that of meekness. There is no trace of bitterness in the account (Genesis 37). He served Potiphar faithfully and then was wrongly accused and jailed (Genesis 39). Again, no sense of frustration and bitterness. He served faithfully in jail, interpreting dreams, and is forgotten (Genesis 40), once again no hint of frustration. All that to say, that Joseph was committed to being a loyal and trustworthy servant of God. At each turn of the road in his life, he served with faithfulness.

Personal Godliness – Joseph’s life was characterized by personal godliness; personal godliness is understood as living in a manner that is pleasing to God. This is evident in his early relations with his jealous brothers where his response to their envy and subsequent violence against him was meekness. In Potiphar’s house, the jail, and as Egypt’s regent, he worked hard and when mistreated responded with grace. In the case of Potiphar’s wife, the writer makes it clear that Joseph acted with high-level integrity in the face of sexual temptation. And as the account reaches its climax Joseph showed respect for his father, honoring him in many ways. Finally, Joseph acted with forgiveness and mercy to his fearful brothers.

Sovereignty of God – Joseph’s response in each season of his life (jealous brothers, Potiphar’s house, jail, and as Regent of Egypt) is characterized by a sense of God’s controlling hand and sovereign power. While the situation may have been bleak in so many moments of Joseph’s life, he never seems to lose heart or despair. He makes this clear at the end of Genesis in the climactic statement:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

This statement summarizes Joseph’s understanding of God and was a foundational principle for his life as a leader. 

#2 - Giftedness

Joseph was a leader characterized by some unique gifts. Most prominent was his giftedness around dreams and their interpretation. However, Joseph also had other gifts that served him well in leadership.

Dreams/Interpreting – One of the unique features of Joseph’s early life was dreams. In Genesis 38 he receives two dreams regarding his brothers and father. Joseph shares the dreams with his brothers and father without interpretation, leading to jealousy among the siblings. This gift of interpretation serves him well again in jail where he interprets the dreams of the chief baker and cupbearer (Genesis 40). This gift of interpretation becomes a hallmark characteristic of Joseph’s leadership. 

Administration – When Joseph was sold into slavery, he found himself in Potiphar’s household and he excelled among the slaves/servants and was given charge over Potiphar’s household (Genesis 39:4). Potiphar left everything in Joseph’s care both in his home and holdings (Genesis 39:5). Similarly, when incarcerated unjustly, Joseph exhibits administrative giftedness when the warden places Joseph in charge of everything done in the prison (Genesis 39:22). This gift of administration became a crucial element in Joseph’s way of doing ministry as he rose to prominence in Egypt. 

Word – In the period leading to his emergence as a leader, we find Joseph exercising the Word gift. Specifically, he has the giftedness to discern God’s Word and speak that Word on behalf of God. He is aware that God is giving him the words to speak, and he identifies that giftedness. The incident with the cupbearer and chief baker features this gift. When confounded by their inability to interpret their dreams they turn to Joseph. Joseph identifies his giftedness in his response, “Do not interpretations belong to God.” This ability to speak on God’s behalf becomes a feature of his ministry going forward and extends beyond the interpretation of dreams. 

#3 - Context

Brothers – Joseph’s story unfolds alongside that of his brothers. Beginning in Genesis 37, Joseph receives two dreams that are shared with his brothers and along with preferred treatment by Jacob, creates jealousy with the brothers. This in turn leads to the brothers selling him into slavery. Even the incident in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39) is contrasted with the ungodly behavior of Judah in Genesis 38. The brothers return to the story in Genesis 42 and are an integral part of the narrative until its conclusion in Genesis 50. 

Catastrophes – Joseph’s life is littered with catastrophic events, both natural and manufactured. They include his being sold into slavery by his own family, being imprisoned in Egypt, and dealing with a severe drought in Egypt. Together, these formed a unique backdrop to Joseph’s leadership. 

Egypt – From Genesis 39 onward, the great nation of Egypt is the stage on which Joseph’s leadership unfolds. Joseph’s emergence as a leader takes place among Egyptian officials, namely Potiphar, the jail warden, the chief baker, and the cupbearer. His leadership comes to full power in Egypt when Pharaoh recognizes his giftedness and makes him the effective leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. And finally, the drama with his family plays out in Egypt. 

Closing Thoughts

When evaluating Joseph’s leadership, it is clear that the combination of spiritual principles, giftedness, and context formed his philosophy of ministry. As each of those elements evolved, Joseph’s way of leading emerged and adjusted.

Joseph found himself in a cross-cultural situation having been raised in a Jewish family in Cannan. He had to acclimate to the Egyptian language and culture.

This combined with his giftedness and spiritual principles to form his philosophy of ministry. Anyone who has led in different cultures understands this idea.

One of my favorite Polish anecdotes was “where there are four Poles, there are five opinions”. This was a humorous way of saying that Polish people value the process as much as the conclusion. How you reach a decision is just as important as the decision itself.

Traveling In Russia, I heard a Russian say, “ we don’t go to the restroom without a plan”. Another way of saying is that planning, looking ahead and setting goals and working towards them is important for leaders. If you want to lead in the culture, you better have a plan.

In my early years traveling in East Africa I heard an African leader say, “Americans have all the watches, but we have all the time”. Many African leaders value people more than material possessions and many do not view time as a commodity to be spent, kept or run out of.

An effective philosophy of ministry has to consider these factors if you are seeking to influence Africans towards God’s purposes.

There are countless other examples, but the point is clear. Effective leaders develop a dynamic philosophy of ministry based on biblical principles, their giftedness and the ministry context.

Next week we will look at the Apostle Paul and his VERY dynamic philosophy of ministry.