Recently I had the opportunity to chat with an associate. We attended the same church several years ago, so we began discussing our varied church experiences. She made a statement that made me think, and I paraphrase: “Sometimes our season is over at a certain place and we need to be open to when God says it’s time to move on. Instead of moving on we may drag our feet or try to get comfortable, but the main reason that we should be involved in ministry is to serve.”
She is CORRECT! She elaborated some more by stating that we sometimes want to stay at a certain church because we are loyal to the leader there, but for various reasons it may be time to let go.
Please understand that this post is not intended to encourage anyone to move from church to church for no clear reason. What we discussed was the ministry needs of our families. Where we had attended was not ministering to our children effectively so they did not want to be there. They were not treated as priority, which saddened my heart. God has a special place in His heart for children, so why shouldn’t we?
We were also seeking ministries where our leaders were servant-leaders. A strong ministry has servants at their helm. When we have leaders who are self-serving and demand to be served, then we have an issue. Honor should be given where honor is due, but honor should be earned and not demanded. Respect and honor are automatically given to anyone who is humble and seeks to give, not take.
I am thankful for the ministry in which I serve now. My highest respect goes out to my Bishop who takes the time to invest in our youth. Our church is now too large for him to do it all by himself, but I know in his heart he wishes he could.
May God BLESS our ministries’ servant-leaders! You are indeed examples on how Jesus ministered to people as He walked this earth many years ago. Walking in His steps means serving “the least of these.”
Life, Love and Other Topics: My Commentary 