I’m a movin on up! — Or would that be just, ‘movin on?’
One of the things pastors of growing churches hear a lot goes something like this, ‘I used to feel so appreciated around here, but then a bunch of new people came and the pastor dropped me like a hot potato!’
I hear this from time to time, though, as the vision becomes more clear to folks and they gain an understanding of what God has called us to do—I hear it a lot less.
I’m sure it looks that way at times to some folks, but I thought it might help to give a peek into the pastor’s perspective. So, without further adieu, the pastor’s perspective;
Gang, I feed off fired up believers and genuinely curious seekers more than just about anything else. At the same time, there is little else I find more draining than a ‘Christian’ who drops out of the Lord’s service for petty reasons. It reveals a motive that guarantees a huge disappointment is right around the corner for them.
You see, we all need to serve because we were made for ministry. We all need to serve because every member is a minister. We all need to serve because there is 1,000 times more joy in giving than there will ever be in receiving. It’s just one of those non-negotiable ingredients in an ‘Abundant Life Soufflé’ — There’s just no getting around it.
And why would you ever want to (get ‘around’ it) after all the Lord has done for you?
That’s why we need to serve and volunteer; on the other hand, we don’t serve in order to get noticed or appreciated. We don’t serve in order to gain power in our own personal ministry fiefdom. We don’t serve to bolster our self-esteem.
Why not?
Because it leads in the opposite direction from an abundant life. It leads straight to misery.
That’s why, whenever I see a volunteer serving with a smile and obvious joy I try to encourage them. I want them to know what an encouragement they are to me. I’m flat out DRAWN to people like that. They are just fun to be around.
On the other hand, I’m drained by the people who constantly want to justify entering into a sort of ‘early spiritual retirement.’ Don’t get me wrong, burn out is a real and present danger whenever we ‘over do it.’ That’s why we encourage people to get involved to the tune of ‘Worship + 2″ which equals gathering with others for corporate worship when the doors are open and serving in one ministry while being a part of ONE small group. It’s simple really. Any more than that and burn out is right around the corner. Any less and you run the risk of disengaging completely.
So, I’m sorry (not really), friends. I love all of my brothers and sisters at SCC! It’s just that God put this sense of urgency on my heart and I know my window of time to serve Him will not last forever on this earth.
For that reason I can love everyone but tend to move with the movers.