I question how well I am able to convey the happy dance without really looking silly. But… I don’t care. I am over the moon with excitement! Our church lost a rock-solid pastor a year ago. Choosing a new leader for our church family wasn’t easy. Frankly, it put us all well outside our comfort zone. In retrospect, that was a good thing.
Our church had been supporting a family in the mission field for better than a decade. Togo, Africa, was their location. This family had decided to head stateside to enroll kids in college and stay close to medical care for an ailment. It turns out we were in need of a pastor, and they were ready to embrace leading a church locally. We held a meeting after much work and vetting, and the vote by the membership was unanimous to accept our new pastor! What a feeling…
I was tickled with the content of the Pastor’s family, their character, and their mannerisms. We all seemed to just “fit” together like weathered hands and a familiar pair of chore gloves. Very comforting, all while being exciting, new, and fresh is another way to describe my feelings.
The other thing I noticed during our annual business meeting was how many people are pitching into our church on so many different levels. To give you an idea of topography, there were 24 members there to vote. We have about 34 members or so total, and that again in regular attendees. Suffice it to say we’re pretty small compared to many. However, as I listened to people being thanked for what they did for the church throughout the year, I hadn’t dawned upon me that 80% of our tiny church family is doing something at any given time on behalf of the church.
We’ve got 5 Deacons, 2 Elders, 1 secretary, and 1 janitor. None of those positions cross over. That’s nine folks doing various jobs. Now add the person that decorates the church for each season with Christmas, Easter, etc., along with the person who schedules the weekly greeters for service, and you have two more. If you begin adding ministries within the church, such as the Men’s ministry and Praise Team, you’ve picked up more. What about Sunday School, Wednesday night Bible study, and so on? There are a lot of people giving time, and some double duty on behalf of others.
I hadn’t considered that before. Our message this Sunday from the pulpit was one of, “What can I do?” in terms of rolling up our sleeves and pitching into church. It was probably one of the best I’d heard from Travis. He’s a fine man and I admire him greatly. He’s not afraid, as too many of us have become, to be open and honest about the Bible, the content, the context, and the earnest application thereof. He’s unabashedly open, and I love that. Travis brought that through with aces this weekend, and when I coupled his sermon and the reflection of the altruism present in our church family, it forced me to ask, “What more can I do?”
The fact is, there is plenty I can do. My wife too. While Ron Swanson is doing what he wants, so will we for the church. I’m going to visit with my wife and discuss the ways we intend on offering support and help to the church and asking our leadership where we may best serve the body and glorify Him.
Pastor Josh, to be known henceforth as “PJ” is going to help us all, but we need to help him and ourselves. If we’re silly enough to rest now that we have a leader, we’re forgetting our errand He placed upon us all.
I’m wondering as well… What can you offer to your body of believers?