Gary Millar’s new book Both/And Ministry: Living and Leading Like Jesus has been a joy to read as he addresses a complex and broad principle in a digestible and relatable book. The gospel principle of ‘both/and’ explains how we live all areas of the Christian life (thought and deed) imitating Christ by doing seemingly opposite things simultaneously. Some examples are things like: confidence and humility, urgency and patience, denying ourselves and finding rest. Doing these things one at a time is relatively straightforward, but the ‘both/and’ principle means we are to do these things simultaneously. This is unpacked chapter by chapter beginning with general principles and moving into leadership principles.
Overview
Chapters 1-3 begin with theology, seeing God as a ‘both/and’ and God and salvation as having ‘both/and’ implications for our identity and relationships. Chapters 4-6 move into applying the ‘both/and’ principle to ministry and church leadership warning leaders of the dangers when they lose their ‘both/and’ perspective. Chapter 7 affirms how difficult this principle is and leaves us with many motivations to work hard in this area.
Both/And Ministry: Living and Leading Like Jesus
Gary Millar
Both/And Ministry: Living and Leading Like Jesus
Gary Millar
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Gospel workers are called to be both/and people: both patient and urgent, both confident and humble, both dependent on God and committed to hard work, both theologically driven and practically wise, and more. Often, these requirements feel as though they’re in tension. But this book shows that rather than leaning one way or the other, or seeking to strike a balance, authentic gospel ministry is found in pursuing both/and. To settle for less puts ourselves and our churches in danger.
Tone
Gary challenges readers to grow in their thinking, loving, and leading. Challenges to grow are often painful. He minimises the pain by writing like a dear old friend, standing alongside us as a brother in Christ, showing us his own struggles with sin, and graciously pointing us to the gospel. The reader can see him working out his own principle in real time, which it makes sense and feels attainable.
Both/And in Theology
Our sinful tendencies are under the microscope in each chapter. Sometimes we are not willing to fully submit to God as he has revealed himself, so we easily fall into favouring and meditating on one angle of the gospel at the expense of the other. It can be easy to over emphasise Christ’s humanity at the expense of his divinity. By applying the “both/and” model, we can wrestle with God’s sovereignty and human responsibility or aspects of the Trinity and not be bamboozled because “He’s a both/and God, in all three Persons of the Trinity (p. 19).”
Both/And in Character
Both/and thinking grows our character. Chapter 3, which shows us how we love others in our relationships, is fascinating and helpful. I’ve been wrestling with how I can truly be a slave of Christ without ceasing to be myself, and the both/and principle is the key. Christ is transforming my character to be more Christlike, which is what I’ve been made for and how I will truly flourish. “It’s important to hold onto the glorious positivity that flows from the fact that our God is in the transformation business (p. 57).” Sometimes, we justify sin by using “personality” as an excuse. Miller acknowledges that a lot of our default behaviour (based on our personality, our family of origin, our history and experience) is not sinful, but at times, our default behaviour can be selfish. We shouldn’t operate from our default, what Gary calls ‘freewheeling’ (p. 59), or we will miss the chance to truly love people the way Jesus did. If we are freewheeling, we can be very narrow and miss opportunities to serve beyond our comfort zone. We shouldn’t downplay our unique personality, but we can ask the Holy Spirit to develop character in us that mirrors Jesus’. Are you someone who tends towards truth speaking or active listening? We should all strive for “both/and”. After each chapter there is a helpful tool to assess which areas we default to so that we know what to pray for and what areas of our character we need to work on. Are you someone who sees yourself as complete in Christ, or a work in progress? Gary encourages the reader to address any areas necessary with the gospel.
Both/And in Ministry Leadership
Gary’s heart for Christian leaders really comes out as he applies the gospel to areas of ministry. A lot of current binaries that are discussed in leadership circles are addressed, like using my gifts or being ready to do anything (p. 81) or being theologically driven and practically wise (p. 101). Each time Gary carefully shows us that we want to fight that tendency to prioritise one over the other. Instead, we need to apply truth to the area that we are weak in and develop a clear both/and solution. Applying both/and truth to weakness is difficult but “more than worth it! (p. 149).” In ministry, we face days of guilt and shame. Sometimes we are not being who God has called us to be. Other times we are prideful and self-confident. When we swing between these extremes, ministry suffers. People suffer. Instead, we need to do both. Then we can find joy in the Lord, whatever our ministry looks like or feels like.
Audience
Anyone could enjoy this little book, whether you are in ministry or not, but the second half would really be helpful for students preparing for ministry or those currently in ministry. No doubt all readers will find themselves turning pages, repenting, and believing with humility and joy.
I appreciate Gary’s pastoral approach in this book. He anticipates how spiritually depressing and demotivating exposure of sin is. But he gets in front of this by taking readers back to the gospel. We need to follow the “both/and” principle to see that we do all fall short, and repent. Even though we fall short, God in Christ by His Spirit assures us of our firm and secure identity as his children. I so very much appreciate Gary’s hard work in this book on the Christian life and his deep desire that we mature as Christians and find life to the full following Jesus.
