Bridges, The Christian Ministry
Thoughts from pages x-xii, 1-67
I wanted to share some treasures I’ve learned so far from Charles Bridges. My goal for this article is to reflect on two elements of ministry: (1) Study and (2) Prayer.
(1) Study. Three points of study: (i) Active, (ii) Time Stewardship, and (iii) Learning.
(i) Active. Bridges, inferring principles from 1 Tim. 4:13, instructs ministers to read (33). Reading, by nature, is active, so it requires discipline and self-denial (35). Personally, I did not read much in my younger years. I was active, but mostly outdoors, and it usually involved sweat, competition, and sometimes blood and band-aids. It wasn’t until young adulthood that I truly understood the importance of reading and began using it in my everyday life.
(ii) Time Stewardship. From childhood, I have felt an urgency and, as Bridges pointed out from Mr. Alleine, a view of time as “more precious than gold” (44). My perspective shifted when I came to faith as a child. I wanted to read God’s Word, share the good news of Jesus Christ, and I just plain felt like I did not have much time to live on earth. What also gripped me about time, because I relate to it, was what Bridges pointed out from Melanchthon: he expected “not only the hour, but the minute to be fixed” (44).
(iii) Learning. Bridges’ piece on quality and use of reading was punchy, wise, and comprehensive (47). Not surprisingly, he argues that reading quality matters more than quantity, which makes sense (though not always followed). However, the use bit got me the most. Here, he offers a brilliant learning framework. Essentially, he says that useful reading must include: (a) reflection, (b) conversation, and (c) composition (47). But he adds more insight, and it’s worth quoting in full: “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man: a writing man an exact man: and therefore if a man write little, he had need have a good memory; if he confer little, he had need of much cunning, to appear to know what he doth not” (47). I would add defending as a fourth mark for effective learning.
(2) Prayer. Two points on prayer: (i) Sufficiency of God and (ii) Waiting on God.
(i) Sufficiency of God. At its core, praying expresses trust. It bends the iron neck of pride, lifting a broken and humble heart to God for aid to accomplish supernatural ends through temporal means. Practically, and by guiding the minister weighed down by a plethora of responsibilities, Bridges describes prayer as looking nowhere but to the all-sufficient God (60). I have found this true in my life and ministry. Prayer has sustained me in ordinary life, and also in abnormal seasons of difficulty. One time, during a particularly heavy ministry season, combined with a full Hebrew course load, I found myself praying to God, “Like Ruth, of old, I am under Your wings; help me.” Other times, I have simply prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You.”
(ii) Waiting on God. One of the hardest things in life is waiting. We wait in traffic, for an important call, for a loved one’s health diagnosis, or for a friend or family member to come to faith. Waiting requires the inner man to do the heavy lifting, and that’s hard for those who like to do or accomplish. Yet, it’s here that Bridges convictingly states, “The greatest and hardest preparation is within” (62). That’s just it: the “within” part is where trust meets anticipation. Indeed, a dear friend wisely described waiting in this way: W. A. I. T.: With Anticipation I Trust. Yet, this is not the kind of Pollyanna trust of Gedaliah (Jer. 40-41), not respecting a threat, but the kind that moves in prudent faith, entrusting oneself to God.
Conclusion. Bridges synthesizes this section with a remarkable insight: “Study furnishes the materials—Prayer sanctifies them—Exercise makes a suitable distributive application of them…” (67). This triad demonstrates the holistic nature of ministry, engaging the mind, heart, and life. This matters much because, as holistic image-bearers of God, we ought to learn holistically. It reminds me of Ezra: study, practice, teach (Ez. 7:10).
— September 2, 2026