Ministry is No Spectator Sport: Why Every Believer is Called to Serve

When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he spent fifteen chapters unpacking profound theological truths about the gospel. But when we reach chapter 16, something shifts. Gone are the weighty doctrinal explanations; instead, we encounter a lengthy list of personal greetings. At first glance, these closing remarks might seem anticlimactic—like film credits rolling after the main feature. But just as those credits reveal the countless people necessary to create a film, Romans 16 unveils a crucial truth: Ministry is fundamentally about people.

While theology remains essential to the health and growth of a local church, the essence of ministry is not doctrine alone—it is people. Paul’s greetings reveal that gospel ministry was never the work of one person. He mentions Phoebe, described as a servant (or deacon) of the church, likely the letter’s courier. He acknowledges Prisca and Aquila as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (v. 3). The list continues with Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Ampliatus, Urbanus—all called fellow workers of Christ.

This pattern teaches us something vital: Ministry is not reserved for a select few. The work of God is not the exclusive domain of pastors or elders. Rather, all believers, in whatever capacity and whatever area of life, are called to be involved in God’s work. While there are certainly differing responsibilities, gifts, and callings, no Christian is called to be a mere spectator and bystander in local church ministry.

We live in a culture obsessed with consumption. Our homes are filled with screens, inviting us to passively consume content. After exhausting days, we are tempted to sit back and take in rather than give out. This consumerist mindset can subtly infiltrate our view of church. We risk treating Christianity as mere content consumption—arriving on Sunday morning, sitting in the pews, taking in, but never giving.

But church was never meant to be a spectator sport. As Paul explained, teachers, apostles, and evangelists are called to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). Ministry isn’t reserved for paid staff. God’s people are built up not only through pulpit ministry—though that remains primary—but also through the encouragement, service, discipleship, instruction, love, and support of fellow Christians.

The question confronts each of us: Do you see yourself merely as a consumer? Or do you see yourself as part of the body of Christ, equipped by God to serve in a particular role and capacity?

Romans 16 reveals another encouraging truth: God uses all types of people. The predominant names Paul mentions are women—Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa—all serving in different capacities, demonstrating their value in God’s work. While the teaching ministry of elder and pastor is reserved for called and qualified men (as taught in 1 Timothy 2–3), this doesn’t mean women lack a significant role. Women can teach other women and children, disciple younger believers, and serve in countless other ways. There is a place for everyone.

Paul explains this diversity in 1 Corinthians 12:4–7: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” The person greeting at the door doesn’t have a different Spirit than the person preaching from the pulpit. They’re all gifted by the same Spirit of God, and therefore whatever they’re doing has equal value—all for the common good, the building up of God’s people.

Taking on responsibility evidences maturity. Just as children eventually must assume adult responsibilities—employment, marriage, parenthood—so Christians demonstrate spiritual maturity through service, commitment to Christ’s body, and willingness to serve. Running away from responsibility and accountability reveals we are still in need of growth.

Paul makes this connection explicit in 2 Corinthians 5:14–15: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

How we live our lives—whether for self or others—reveals how we’ve understood and received the gospel. Christ died so that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for him. We evidence a life in Christ by living a life of service to his agenda, his kingdom. In our context, that means serving the church, serving the people, serving the gospel.

This service extends beyond Sunday morning. You can serve God through faithful, diligent work in your employment. You can serve through street evangelism, sharing the gospel with neighbours, or countless other ways. The call is not to hide away in our own cocoon, doing our own thing. The call is to live for God, to serve God, by serving his people.

Consider this truth: Without God’s people serving faithfully and praying diligently, it becomes difficult for the gospel to thrive. How will our neighbours hear of Christ if none of us share the gospel with them? How will our community experience God’s love if there are no church members to demonstrate it?

God, in his great mercy and love, has invited us to be coworkers with him in the grand mission of restoring fallen sinners to himself. What a privilege—that God would say that you, in your limited strength and intelligence, can be part of his mission to save the world and restore humanity to himself.

God isn’t asking us to do what we cannot do. He calls us to serve where we are, with the capabilities we have, with the resources we possess. Not all of us must become pastors or attend seminary or leave our jobs for fulltime ministry. But wherever you are, however he has gifted you, with the resources he’s given you, the work you do for him is valuable.

You can do something. You don’t have to learn Greek and Hebrew or preach long sermons. You can provide refreshments after the service. You can arrange chairs. Wherever you are, however you are, you can participate in God’s mission to restore people to himself.

The text calls us to take on the responsibility of being fully participatory, fully engaged in the life of the church—giving of ourselves and our time, becoming coworkers and ministers of God for the benefit of the gospel and the kingdom. God will strengthen you, give you grace, and empower you by his Spirit to ensure you’re fully participating in church life, serving others and the gospel itself.

Ministry is no spectator sport. The question remains: Where do you stand?