Do Church

There is a misconception that we have become accustomed to within our culture. In Church World, “service” has become centered around Sunday morning gatherings. The cooperate worship setting has become the pivot point of our Christian lives. Church service does not take place within the sanctuary or auditorium. Church service is what we do, not where we go.

Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that attending church is not important. Hebrews 10:25 encourages us to gather together. Depending upon your translation, we are told “not to forsake the assembly, or gathering together” in order to support and encourage one another (my paraphrase). Sunday mornings, or whenever your congregation meets is necessary. It is during this time that we are energized, charged up, and challenged. We are able to meet with people we miss throughout the week. We are able to plug into the church and become engaged on a level that cannot be obtained in small group settings. This is also a time to listen to the pastor’s words as a whole. It’s a time to fellowship. It’s a time to sing together and worship God as a church body.

Not to get off topic, but as a pastor, preaching is something that I do on a continual basis. I enjoy what I do. I have fun on stage. However, I can’t connect with everyone. I can try, but it’s not possible to generalize everything to fit into the lives of everyone. I see my job on Sunday mornings as a motivational speaker of sorts. I want to encourage you and bring to light where you may be messing up. I want to do what I can to inspire you to make the changes needed in your life to become successful. I want you to understand Jesus and learn how to grow in a relationship with Him.

Guess what, I cannot change your life with a twenty minute, thirty minute, or forty-five minute message. No matter how much I try, it just won’t happen. For you to change requires a personal decision that requires committed action. That brings me back to Sunday mornings. I see a need to decentralize Sunday mornings as our weekly “service”. Attendance to church isn’t service. To be “in service” one must be engaged in an action of some sort that assists others. Service means work and effort.

When you become engaged in the action of service, you take your relationship with God to a new level. You are no longer just sitting idle, you are getting plugged in. When you act, you are able to put your faith, beliefs, and talents to work rather than just soak up the lessons taught. James 2:15-17 says, “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself”. If you do not put what you know to work, it’s useless.

If you want to see growth take place in your spiritual life, you must become active in service. You will learn a lot from reading and studying, but you will learn so much more in the real world. That is one of the reasons employers place a greater emphasis on finding experienced people rather than those that only have a great education. Recently I returned to school (Luther Rice University) to increase my knowledge. I can tell you from experience that my education in Theology is extremely useful, but all of the Theological education in the world cannot teach me to be a pastor. Being a pastor is something I had to learn by experience alone, and I learn more and more each day.

I have a pastor friend that said something one Sunday that completely rocked my world. His church (a rapidly growing church that impacts thousands weekly) only holds services (there’s that word "services" again) on Sunday mornings. There are other things that take place throughout the week, but for the most part there is one time of gathering. I had always wondered why this was, but never thought to ask. Then in a message one Sunday I got the answer. He said that we need “do church” not just “come to church” so that we can “be the church”. My eyes were opened and I began seeing things much differently than I previously had. His church has a Sunday morning “service” only in order to allow people more time to engage in “serving”. Sunday evenings at my friend’s church are filled with people gathering together for small / home groups, ministry prep, brainstorming, and serving and giving within the community. These people don’t attend church, the do church. They connect with their church, and ultimately Jesus through what they do, not where they go.

Rick Warren says it best when he claims that “a church is known best for its sending capacity, not its seating capacity”. The Church is called The Body of Christ. As members of a body we have a job to do. We were designed to perform a function. We have a service to provide. It’s not just the pastor’s job, or other staff, to do the work of the Church. We are called “The Body of Christ” as Christians. God has a purpose for you.

Getting involved is something that the people within your church want to do. It feels good to be involved. It feels good to play a part and not sit on the bench. It feels good to know that you are making a difference. Serving also gives church members a feeling of ownership. Not a bossy, selfish attitude of worship, but have a humble sense of belonging that drives them to bring others in so they can impact their life as well. There needs to be a sense of belonging that gets them excited when the time comes to gather on Sunday morning. Belonging also drives people to do their best rather than just getting the job done. God doesn’t want you to just give, He expects your best. We are commanded to offer up our first-fruits, our very best. If many of us were to do our job at work like we serve at church, we would get fired.

I would rather see 400 people working behind the scenes and 25 people in the seats than have 25 serving while having a full house. I am certain that every person has a talent. Every person has a job to do and a way to use their talents and interests. In today's church there is a need for multi-media personnel, sound crews, lighting directors, and many other production workers. There is a need for drama teams, musicians, and prop designers. Youth leaders need assistants. Children's church programs need volunteers. The office staff needs volunteers. There is a need for photographers and graphic artists. Web designers are also needed. The amount of work and workers needed grows daily in a growing church.

Volunteering for your church can provide many more benefits than what you are a part of at church. You gain experience that can launch you into something exciting later in life. For College and High School students volunteering can be added to resumes to show community service and experience within certain fields. You also gain contacts and build relationships that have the ability to connect you to a greater field of people. The benefits are endless.

Let's get involved people. Don't give excuses, remove the obstacles and let's see amazing things happen that will not happen without you.

Where God guides, He provides!