I’m Not Mad, Just Fired Up

A couple of days ago, I wrote something on twitter that went something like this.  “I’m over begging people to serve.  The church is important.  Jump in or get out the way.”  A few people asked what made me angry, so I thought I would clarify.  I’m not angry at all…just fired up about our mission and what is ahead.

When we were on staff advance (our entire staff spends a few days together in the summer planning the upcoming year), we talked through the volunteer leaders in each ministry.  We talked about what new people needed to get involved.  It was sad when we identified an amazing leader, gifted to serve, but we knew they wouldn’t get involved because they won’t commit to the church.  Keep in mind that it has nothing to do with them helping us, but everything to do with them making a difference for Christ.  I am fired up about the future of Oak Leaf Church.

I sometimes here statements like, “Jill would be amazing at this, but she’s really committed at the gym and doesn’t have time.”  Or maybe, “John is perfect, but he works so much and then he’s got dirt bikes.”  Please understand that I am not minimizing work or hobbies, but I am saying that we need to move the church ahead of our hobbies.  I’m saying that these things are sad excuses for a life not lived to advance the Gospel.  Church should not be the thing that we “fit in.” Church is not a side-project or a weekend time-filler; it’s God’s plan for spreading the Gospel.  If you’re a Christian, you have a duty and a privilege to get involved.  I’m not going to cajole you into volunteering, or coddle you when you get there.  I’m not the chief babysitter or hand-holder.  We are an army with a mission, and we’ve got a job to do that’s more important than mowing the grass or getting the kids to football camp.

I promise you that 500 years from now it’s not going to matter what kind of motorcycle you had or how much you could bench press or whether you grew beans in your garden.  It’s not going to mattter how much freebird you played on your guitar down at the local pub or how cool your new shoes are.  You don’t have to serve.  Just please leave the lame “too busy” excuses away.  Be honest and tell me that the other stuff is more important.