okay - so it's been awhile since i've ranted...and it's time! it is beautiful outside and i'm sitting inside my makeshift office at the church. i am lucky enough to have a door that opens to the outside so it is wide open and i'm loving that. but as i'm working here today i feel the need to rant so enjoy....
being in my position i often have to ask people to help out. you know, volunteer to teach or work in the nursery or teach or hang out with the kids, you know - volunteer! i love all the responses i get. i am particularly fond of the "i don't like kids one" - it doesn't go over real well with me when they have 3 of their own. hmm??? but the one that really gets my goat is the "i don't feel called to that." argh...really!?!?!!?!? well, i didn't feel called to wipe my kids bottoms either, but it is a good thing i did it anyways. surprisingly, everyone feels called to the waterpark though!
now, let me back up a minute. i realize i might offend some of you out there, and well, i don't know that i'm sorry. also, i do feel that a pastor must be called to ministry and that most staff in a church is called to the ministry. however, all those little positions...well, they usually aren't callings. they are responsibilities that as part of the body you do. ironically, i think we are called by God to serve. i'm quite sure of it.
okay, so go ahead and throw in the whole spiritual gift thing. go ahead - you are right. we all have different gifts and we should all be using those gifts - every single one of us, but i'm tired of that being an excuse too! sometimes we use it as an excuse to be sure we don't get the gift!
so what is the point i'm trying to make? in my house, i hated taking the trash out. but i had to do it - every wednesday. i didn't particuarly like setting the table either, but i did it because my mom told me to as part of the family. i make my kids do things because they are part of the family. don't you?
you see, we live in a culture that just doesn't want to do things. the "calling" is there. we are called to serve each other. that does include teaching children about God, helping in the nursery, hanging out with a couple of teens over a latte. those are all things that just require our obedience. so why don't we do it? why do we hide behind the calling we don't feel we have? what are we afraid of?
i have classes that need teachers. we have an abundance of toddlers that need loved. we have teens that are lonely and need an older friend. yet, noone feels called to do those things? i don't think God gives us all those young lives and then says, "oh gee, i forgot to call anyone to minister to them. oops? what was i thinking? oh well!"
what i really think is that it requires something out of us - and that we aren't willing to give. it requires us to tell God we are going to obey His call to serve now. when i left for my first summer stint as a camp counselor i was so not called to children or youth ministry. in fact my parents were convinced i'd be home before the summer was over. but over the course of that first summer my life was forever changed. God totally used those precious kids to change my heart. and yes, i finally felt that call - 7 months later.
it isn't just in church - we use that excuse everywhere. we live in a world of chaos. we live in a world where if i don't want to clean my house i won't. if i don't want to mow my grass i won't. but my child is called to the NBA so we will get to 100 games this summer!
so for all of you out there - be honest, please just tell them you don't want to volunteer. don't tell them you aren't called or don't have the gift. you tell them what gift you have and they can find a way for you to use it with kids. the gift of teaching is not a high spiritual gift of mine, but God makes it clear in deutoronomy that i'm called to teach my child about Him. so i've got the calling - and so do you! whether we want it or not!
okay - i feel much better now! but seriously people - stop making excuses and do something!
being in my position i often have to ask people to help out. you know, volunteer to teach or work in the nursery or teach or hang out with the kids, you know - volunteer! i love all the responses i get. i am particularly fond of the "i don't like kids one" - it doesn't go over real well with me when they have 3 of their own. hmm??? but the one that really gets my goat is the "i don't feel called to that." argh...really!?!?!!?!? well, i didn't feel called to wipe my kids bottoms either, but it is a good thing i did it anyways. surprisingly, everyone feels called to the waterpark though!
now, let me back up a minute. i realize i might offend some of you out there, and well, i don't know that i'm sorry. also, i do feel that a pastor must be called to ministry and that most staff in a church is called to the ministry. however, all those little positions...well, they usually aren't callings. they are responsibilities that as part of the body you do. ironically, i think we are called by God to serve. i'm quite sure of it.
okay, so go ahead and throw in the whole spiritual gift thing. go ahead - you are right. we all have different gifts and we should all be using those gifts - every single one of us, but i'm tired of that being an excuse too! sometimes we use it as an excuse to be sure we don't get the gift!
so what is the point i'm trying to make? in my house, i hated taking the trash out. but i had to do it - every wednesday. i didn't particuarly like setting the table either, but i did it because my mom told me to as part of the family. i make my kids do things because they are part of the family. don't you?
you see, we live in a culture that just doesn't want to do things. the "calling" is there. we are called to serve each other. that does include teaching children about God, helping in the nursery, hanging out with a couple of teens over a latte. those are all things that just require our obedience. so why don't we do it? why do we hide behind the calling we don't feel we have? what are we afraid of?
i have classes that need teachers. we have an abundance of toddlers that need loved. we have teens that are lonely and need an older friend. yet, noone feels called to do those things? i don't think God gives us all those young lives and then says, "oh gee, i forgot to call anyone to minister to them. oops? what was i thinking? oh well!"
what i really think is that it requires something out of us - and that we aren't willing to give. it requires us to tell God we are going to obey His call to serve now. when i left for my first summer stint as a camp counselor i was so not called to children or youth ministry. in fact my parents were convinced i'd be home before the summer was over. but over the course of that first summer my life was forever changed. God totally used those precious kids to change my heart. and yes, i finally felt that call - 7 months later.
it isn't just in church - we use that excuse everywhere. we live in a world of chaos. we live in a world where if i don't want to clean my house i won't. if i don't want to mow my grass i won't. but my child is called to the NBA so we will get to 100 games this summer!
so for all of you out there - be honest, please just tell them you don't want to volunteer. don't tell them you aren't called or don't have the gift. you tell them what gift you have and they can find a way for you to use it with kids. the gift of teaching is not a high spiritual gift of mine, but God makes it clear in deutoronomy that i'm called to teach my child about Him. so i've got the calling - and so do you! whether we want it or not!
okay - i feel much better now! but seriously people - stop making excuses and do something!
Comments
Could the issue actually be the church in addition to the person...meaning..is the church trying to do too much with too few people?
but i guess, you can say there are limitations. however, do i now say to families, i'm sorry i can't have your child stay for class today. i don't have enough people that feel called to teach? we as parents complain that class sizes are too big in the public school system, yet i have a class that is going to be 24-25 kids next year and noone cares. now, also add in that 3 of them have special needs at different levels.
my bigger thing is the same people that want these programs are the same ones that when i look for help noone is called to do it. when i cancel a program, i'm the one blamed for not doing it.
what really bothers me is when i struggle to find teachers for our children on sunday morning and walk through the comfy adult classes and see people smiling with their coffee. and those the people that tell me they aren't called or don't like kids. well, maybe they should give it a try.....
i think we are too soft in many churches today with what it means to live for God. we assume that means attending Bible studies and we go to church to get. if we preached actively living for God instead of just gaining more knowledge would people start to feel called to more?????
just some thoughts from someone that is really struggling with the american church culture these days......
maybe, wee little man, if more people did something, your role would be easier too??!? you asked if the church was doing too much with too little people, well if we look at just ours, we have enough people to do what we do - just not enough who feel called to do anything! and i still think we do too much:)
and to confirm this - i did this post off the clock:)