Last night, I was at church, watching someone perform a service for God’s people, and I thought to myself, “I’d really like to be in charge of this. I could do a lot of cool stuff with this.” That’s when red lights flashed and this message boomed through my head:
Danger, Phil Schneider! Danger!
Have you ever struggled with being greedy for God’s work? Have you ever thought that to yourself, that subtly arrogant thought that if only you could have this job or this ministry you’d take it to the extreme? Oh…it’s just me? Oh.
Well, let’s assume that it will happen to you too at some point and keep going.
Share the Load
I grew up in a church when the majority of the people didn’t want to do much of the worked needed to keep the church moving. That meant that most of the work fell to the pastor’s family (mine) and some very committed lay-people. It wasn’t always easy or fun, but it was necessary. And of course, eventually, that effort paid off: the church grew!
Now, there are a lot of people who can join in the ministry. The problem, however, was that many of us who have been doing so much for so long don’t know how to let go. Many people had a hard time making room for others to serve, when in reality, these “old soldiers” had probably been complaining about their heavy work load only a few months prior.
Personally, I struggled with letting go of the sound booth when I moved on to youth ministry, and in the past few months, I’ve struggled a bit with letting go of youth ministry now that I’m a discipleship pastor. It’s hard to let go of something you’ve invested it, and I think that most people are aware of that trap. However, I’m experiencing a new problem, now that my workload has been reduced: wanting to take on more jobs.
Share the Blessing
I’ve become greedy for God’s work, wanting to do more and more and more, even if someone else is already doing what I’ve set my eyes on. Part of the issue here is a strong streak of arrogance, assuming that I can do it better. Whether I have a talent for something or not doesn’t matter. What matters is how God uses those who serve Him, and it is a powerful blessing to be used by God, both for the honor it brings but also the growth that occurs within the servant.
Are you the church sound guy? Do you secretly want to be the computer guy, too? Are you the church’s website guy? Are you quietly plotting to take over the graphic design as well? If you have an area of service, be content and be excellent in that area. If you feel like God’s calling you to do something else, then begin to have some conversations with the leaders/pastors directly in charge of those areas. And also, pray. Obvious, right? Maybe. Sometimes, I feel like we technical people are so logical about issues like this that we forget the easiest and best thing of all: letting God weigh in on the situation.
The healthiest churches, the churches that do a great work for the kingdom, are the churches that have shared the load of ministry across the body, so that more of the members can be blessed by the work. Don’t be arrogant, assuming that every ministry in the church is just waiting for you to arrive. You’re not God’s gift to the sound booth—that designation was already taken by the PFL button—but you just might be God’s chosen servant for a new ministry. Just make sure you seek out some clarification and confirmation through prayer and pastoral counsel.
Have you struggled with letting go of a ministry?
Do you still struggle with being greedy for God’s work?
[Share image via opensourceway via Compfight cc, stone soup image via Theresa Thompson via Compfight cc and Monopoly guy image via Toban B. via Compfight cc]
Eric Dye says
#HEART this Phil.
Phil Schneider says
That’s where it came from, boss.