There is a major difference between observing ministry and owning it.
All too often in contemporary church settings, people do a great deal of observation.
They observe the band as it leads in music. They observe the preacher as he or she delivers a message. They observe the high quality children’s programs. They observe student ministry. They even observe how warmly they are welcomed into the worship space by others.
It’s a passive form of Christianity.
And it’s one that all too often I have encouraged and enabled.
People who own the church’s ministry are entirely different. They recognize that the New Testament teaching on the Body of Christ really means what it says: that all parts of the church are interconnected. All parts are vital. If one part is hurting — or absent — then the whole body suffers.
So people who get this concept own the ministry of which they are part. They show up at the nursery. They are on time to greet. They give themselves to students in their family group. They serve with their own small group. They understand that if they rely on “someone else” to help with the children, then no one helps with the children.
Last week’s Vacation Bible School had about 500 children and 100 volunteers.
The vast majority of those servants owned the ministry that week.
I want to dedicate my time here to moving more and more people away from observation and into ownership.