“How can I get the deacons to come to church?”
Wait-what?
Yes, that was a question I heard from a fellow pastor many years ago. I was flabbergasted! You have deacons who don’t come to church!?
Turns out this is a more common problem than should be the case. And it is among the reasons why the American church today is, in many ways, in decline.
Fortunately, I’ve not really had this issue with deacons, but I have dealt with professing Christians over the years who, while “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” nevertheless believed they can serve in leadership positions and were entitled to speak into the ministries, policies, and direction of the church.
What makes rational people think they can be in church leadership but not in church fellowship?
This is such a no-brainer concept that I continually shake my head at those who don’t seem to get it.
Of course, I just heard yesterday about a former mega-church pastor who would be absent from the church he was supposed to be pastoring “for months at a time.” So, I guess these are the times in which we live. 🙁
And let’s be honest… in the last several decades (especially with the advent of the Internet and social media), Christians in America have become habituated to consumerism. This latest pandemic has only made that worse.
But it’s time to reset the table (so to speak). It’s time to get back to basics.
If you want to volunteer in church, especially in leadership, then please reflect on these important points:
- The church is Jesus’ church (see Matthew 16:18) and it’s the “household of God” (see I Timothy 3:15). It’s not your church, the pastor’s church, your committee’s church, your ministry’s church. It’s the Lord’s church. And that means its purpose is to glorify, please, and lift up the Lord — and advance His kingdom.
- The church is a family and a fellowship. And we are to walk with and support one another (Galatians 6:1-6, Ephesians 4) and “provoke” each other “to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). You can’t be in that kind of effective, mutually-affirming fellowship with your family unless you assemble together with them.
- Everyone in the church needs to be invested in and engaged in the church. And that leads to…
- You need to be fed. You need to be sitting under (and actively listening to) the preaching and teaching of God’s word! (See I Thessalonians 5:12-13, 20). Don’t even think of serving and not listening.
- You need to be giving to Lord’s work through your local church (see II Corinthians 9:7).
- You need to serve with the right attitude. The Bible says “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2).
- You need to contribute to the UNITY of the church and not be stirring up trouble. (See Psalm 133:1, Proverbs 6:16-19, Romans 16:7, I Thessalonians 5:12-14).
- You need to serve in respect and cooperation with pastoral leadership (see I Thessalonians 5:12-13, Hebrews 13:17).
The above list does not pretend to be all-inclusive, but it’s certainly foundational to being an effective church volunteer and leader that glorifies God and helps move the church forward in His will.
And none of the above is really possible if you’re not actively engaged in the fellowship of the church.
A Note About COVID: I understand that many people, for health and safety reasons, are choosing to attend online rather than in-person. I’m not targeting anyone who, for medical reasons, is being cautious when it comes to larger gatherings. Indeed…
Even before COVID, there have been people unable to attend in-person due to health reasons or because they are essentially full-time caregivers for family members who are home-bound. And this will continue to be the case with many families even after COVID.
My mother (before she went home to be with the Lord in 2005) was unable to physically attend church for the last several years of her life. But she nonetheless participated as best she could. She would listen over the phone to church services (before YouTube became a “thing”), listen to cassette recordings of the sermons, and would stay in touch (via email and phone) with fellow church members. She would actively reach out to her Christian friends to pray with them, encourage them, and show her love for them.
She was engaged.
Of course, it should be said that my mom didn’t attempt to serve in any leadership capacity in the last few years of her life. But she did engage in an active (albeit informal) prayer-and-encouragement ministry.
If participating online is all you can do right now, that’s fine, but be sure to participate.
Don’t be a passive, consumerist Christian. Be an active, serving Christian.
And this is especially true if you want to be in leadership!
If you believe your church is not following God’s will or simply isn’t a good fit for you any longer, pray about that. If God is leading you to a different fellowship, then prayerfully look for a Bible-believing church family you can call your own. But…
While you’re at the church God currently has you at, remember this…
If you’re going to be in leadership, you need to be in fellowship.
But… I don’t want to be in leadership. I don’t want to volunteer right now. I just want to attend or watch. Okay, I’ll talk to you in my next article. 🙂
But for those of you who have a desire to help shape the direction of your church, then you need to be walking with that church.
To do anything less or otherwise is illogical, unfair, and just plain wrong.
Food for thought.
God bless you.
