Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries and the National Director of the U.S. ministry office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Alongside his father, he has actively participated in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry since his youth. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.
The Business of Ministry
by Joel Renner
We’re in the business of ministry, not real estate. — Joel Renner
RENNER Ministries was started in 1977, and since then, we have been busy doing just one thing: “Taking the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of the earth.” We know what our job is. It is found in Matthew 28:18-20, which says:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)
I think it is important to know what your assignment is. Many times, as people become successful, they forget what they started their business or ministry for. Often a business or ministry will buy a beautiful building, and instead of doing the work of the business or the ministry, they take care of only the building. Although buildings are necessary, the goal of any ministry is not to accumulate stuff — it is to do the Great Commission that is found in Matthew 28:18-20.
If you have forgotten why you started something, it is important that you remember what your assignment is and, if you’ve erred from that assignment, quickly get back to it. Our assignment at RENNER Ministries is to take the Gospel to as many people as possible, and if that requires plane tickets, buildings, train tickets, TV equipment, or other things that are needed to share the Gospel, we will purchase them in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
If you are a partner, we want to say THANK YOU for helping us buy those train tickets, plane tickets, cameras, and buildings that have helped us reach people around the world. The church building that was built in Riga in 1998 has been used as a spiritual home for countless people over the years. The train tickets you helped us purchase took the Gospel to places that are difficult to get to, and the plane tickets you helped us buy have enabled us to travel to countries that are hungry for Bible teaching that sets people free. I could give many more examples, but the point is, knowing your assignment and remaining focused on that is the most important thing.
If you are not a partner yet, please pray about becoming a financial partner so we can keep taking the Gospel to more people who need it.
God bless,
Joel Renner