12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
(1 Timothy 1:12-14 – NASB95)
Like the Apostle Paul, I am overwhelmed by the grace of God in my life. The fact that He loved a sinner like me, called me to Himself in salvation, and then gave me the privilege of serving as a pastor blows my mind. I am thankful to Him and to all of you. Thank you for the privilege of serving as one of your pastors.
I read a statistic this week that 47% of evangelical pastors in the U.S. are bi-vocational. That doesn’t include pastors who serve in multiple churches at the same time, but pastors who need to work outside of the church because their church can’t pay them enough. Thank you for your generosity, making it possible for me and all of our other staff to devote ourselves to full-time service (1 Tim. 5:17-18).
That leads to a concern of mine for the American version of “church.” It has been the observation of many that churches across America are turning into more and more of a “spectator sport.” Some have called it the “80-20 Rule” that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the church members. The others are content to come, receive, and go home (or watch online because that is easier). This is not only a problem because of the exhausting workload it requires of the few, but because it is blatantly unbiblical.
The Bible uses a lot of metaphors to describe the church (building/temple, sheep, bride/wife, etc.), but the one that stands out in this regard is that we are a BODY. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that every part of the body is needed for the body to be healthy and accomplish what God wants it to do. Every person in the body has a unique giftedness (1 Pet 4:10-11), and they are to employ it to build up the other members of the body. If members are not present, or they are not employing their gifts to edify the body, the whole body suffers and/or is limited in its capacity to accomplish things.
How does that connect to my role as an equipping pastor? How can we truly be one body where everyone is intimately involved in the growth of others? Many things come to mind but here are two:
- Be together more often. Come to worship services faithfully and ready to positively impact others (Heb. 10:23-25). Actively participate in our adult fellowship groups after the worship service (Equipping Hour). Get to know others, spend time with them, and find out how you can help them grow. One opportunity is this Sunday, June 29th, 12:45 pm, when we have an All-Church Family Picnic. Bring your own lunch, blanket, and chairs. There will be fun things for all ages and a great opportunity to develop deeper relationships with others in the church family.
- Be equipped and serve. Ephesians 4:7-16 says that God gives grace gifts to us, and some have the gift of being an evangelist or a pastor-teacher. Their role is the “equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Note that it isn’t their role to DO all the work but to EQUIP THE SAINTS to do the work. When everyone is doing the work that they have been equipped and gifted to accomplish, the whole body can grow to Christlike maturity (see also 2 Cor. 13:9, 11; Col. 1:28-29).
One of the best ways to grow to maturity is to serve. It gives us the opportunity to apply what we have been taught, find out areas of weakness in our Bible knowledge, doctrine, and application, and it motivates us to learn more. When we experience the exhilaration of the Spirit of God working through us to bless others, it motivates us to say no to worldly things and say yes to having a greater impact for the kingdom of God. Undoubtedly, it is hard work, at times frustrating, and often feeling unappreciated, but ultimately, if lives are impacted for eternity, it is worth it all!
You might be thinking, “But where specifically could I help? What needs do they have that I could help meet? Thank you for asking! Let me list several ministry areas in our church that need more workers. Some have specific requirements and/or require training that we offer. Please check out the church app, “How Can You Get Involved?” It lists PRIORITY MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES and then OTHER MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES. For even more details, contact the leaders of these ministries and tell them you want to serve.
- PRIORITY MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES: Children’s Ministry teachers and helpers (rotating basis); Bridge Café Coordinator; Ushers; Medical Emergency Team.
- OTHER MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES: Audio-Visual & Media Tech Teams; Adult Ministries; Small Group Leaders & Hosts; Youth Ministry; Office & Facilities; Hospitality; Security; Music/Worship Teams; Event Planning; Prayer & Care Teams; Outreach Team; Campus Outreach Team; Setup & Cleanup for events; Video team (interviews, announcements, editing, etc.); Love Share (visit shut-ins on Mondays). And one of my desires would be to revive our Jail/Prison Ministries.
Our need for volunteers will increase next week because after 8 ½ years, Diane Brown is retiring from her part-time administrative position here at The Bridge on June 30th. She loves what she does and will continue to serve now as “volunteer staff,” but she won’t continue to do all of her previous jobs. Over the years, she has enjoyed responsibilities in a number of areas.
- Deaconess She will continue in this role.
- Hospitality Oversight (Meet the Pastors lunches; Birthday Bashes; Bridge Café; Information Center; K Kitchen; Burch Hall Kitchen; All Keurig coffee stations in K bldg.; C bldg.; and Music room – currently assisted by Bill & Margie Schatz)
- Missions Home Crew Coordinator (maintenance/cleaning; renovations; scheduling the use of the home…). She still wants to do this.
- Maintenance Management Team Member (administrative tasks)
- Staff (Christmas parties; Staff Days; Retreats; New Staff resource notebook & gifts)
- All-Church Events (administration of special celebrations, conferences, seminars, etc.)
- Campus Decorating (choosing colors, furnishings, room updates / facelifts…). Jan Vassil now oversees seasonal decorations for the worship center.
- Church Pictorial Directory (In process… see Marc Boeker)
- Volunteer Coordinator (connect volunteers to specific ministry opportunities via their spiritual gifts, desires, skills…).
- Women’s Ministry Facilitator
- VBS Director
- Shepherding The Nations (STN) – Board Member
Please thank Diane for her faithful service and prayerfully consider if the Lord would want you to get involved in one or more of these areas. Contact Diane for more details (dbrown@tbbfchurch.org).
Thank you again for the privilege of serving you. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday for our Family Sunday (kids with us in the worship service) and at the All-Church Family Picnic. Have a blessed weekend!