Diversity in
Union
"The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though
all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with
Christ….If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense
of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would
the sense of smell be?"-Apostle Paul, To the Corinthians
(1.12.12, 16-17)
One of the issues the Corinthian Christians needed straightened
out was exalting one spiritual gift and emphasizing the importance
of those who had it, while discriminating against the other
spiritual gifts and those who had them. In the twelfth chapter
he begins to teach them that the Spirit gives many gifts and
all are important to the health and proper functioning of
the body. Just as a body is made up of many parts so, too,
is the church. Not everyone can or should be doing the same
thing
.
So how many ministries or works should a congregation have?
In Ephesians 4.12, leadership is to equip people for works
of service. Paul doesn't specify how to equip or what to equip
them to do, other than for serving.
There are two main streams of thought when it comes to the
question asked above. One stream believes the congregation
should pick one main thing and focus all our energy on accomplishing
that and accomplishing it really well. There is something
to be said for focusing the energy and attention of the congregation
on one particular work. There are at least two challenges
with this approach: first, can we think of some work of service
big enough to incorporate all our members and their gifts;
and, second, what about our members whose giftedness or passion
leans in other directions?
The options for a BIG work of service which put a lot of members
to work are many. In Memphis, I was involved in a job training
program that took people off welfare, trained them for full-time
employment, and helped them find work. This had an 80%+ success
rate after one year. I also worked as a volunteer at a free
medical clinic in the inner city. Almost all black Churches
of Christ in Memphis provide day care for people. These works
required lots of volunteers, but they were still limited on
how many people could work.
We used to have a few Union Gospel Mission guys pass through
here. We could have a half-way house for the guys once they
leave the mission as well as a landscaping or small home repair
company run by church members to give these guys jobs for
a year. During their year, we could train them for employment
as the Memphis churches train people. That would take a lot
of volunteers, but it would still not need everyone's talents
at Northside.
The other stream of thought treats works of service like cottage
industries. A member has a certain gift and passion to accomplish
a particular work of service. They, then, recruit other members
to help them accomplish that work. Many works of service are
being done, rather than one particular work. There are some
drawbacks here, too, but I'm running out of room. This cottage-industry
approach to ministry will fill a congregation's bulletin with
lots of works.
At Northside, we are pursuing a cottage-industry approach
to works of service. We expect members to make it a point
to be here Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. We expect
you to be involved with small groups. Finally, we expect you
to find one work of service and participate in it. It can
be one you're passionate about and recruit others to help
you. You can also participate in one of the many already taking
place. You don't have to be involved in everything.
Think about it. Pray about it. Get involved in it.
~Shawn
