“One of the reasons denominations die is that we pastors are expected to spend a disproportionate amount of our time serving as chaplains. The membership of my own denomination is aging. I spend significantly more time with very elderly people than I do with anyone under 50. I am not intending to disparage these saints of the church or say that vitality exists only in young people. That the pastor is the one who is expected to visit is one example of the problem we have gotten ourselves into. Baptism, not ordination, is the authorization for ministry.”
This was recently written in a blog I regularly read for an Episcopalian Minister. She was lamenting to some degree about the amount of time spent in caring for the present congregation, mostly older folks, and not having the time or resources to work on attracting new people into the Church.
How much are we like so many other Protestant Denominations and Churches? Most United Methodist Churches are in fact dying. Look around our own Conference. Look around our own pews.
Churches are growing old with each passing year. The vitality of youth is becoming a scarce commodity.
At Good Shepherd, we are fortunate to have active young families involved. But that will not always be the case, if we neglect to offer these young families what they need.
It has never been the case that the Church grew with its membership through births and transplants. The Church has ALWAYS grown when the message of Jesus Christ was alive, vital, and shared.
Church programs do not cause growth. The Spirit of Christ alive in His people causes growth.
Jesus reminded His disciples that the “fields were white with harvest”. That means we MUST go outside, to the fields, to bring in a harvest of new souls. It is not enough to simply open the doors on Sunday morning and expect the harvest to get up, and come in on their own.
And then there is the task of caring for the sick, the shut-in, the hurting, the confused Church goers. We need to take care of the present flock, as well as seek the lost.
And that brings me back to the original point of the Episcopal Pastor. The Pastor will do it because that is what we pay them to do. Right? WRONG!
I’ll get to what I see as the Pastor’s job in a minute. For now, it is the job of every believer to carry on the work of the ministry.
Yes, you, you, and you, and me. Our job!
Our baptism is what authorizes us, anoints, us, commissions us, and yes, ordains us to the work of ministry. As baptized believers, we are called to proclaim Good News (Go out to the fields white with harvest), visit the sick and shut-ins, praying for God’s healing (take your anointing oil along and USE it!) make hospital visits on behalf of the Church (not just social calls, but to pray and anoint, laying hands on the sick for their recovery) and yes, even baptizing those persons who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. You even have the privilege of sharing God’s table with others by blessing and breaking bread and sharing from the cup with other believers.
So what are we waiting for? I know. We have been taught that it is the Pastor’s job to do that. No, it is not. It is the Pastor’s job to visit the sick and go to the hospital. No, it is not.
Everything we pay the Professional Clergy to do is the responsibility, obligation, duty, and right of EVERY believer. So if you are not doing these things, or see only the Pastor as the one who can visit you to make it count, then are you really a believer in the first place? You may wish to consider the thought.
If you see your job as attending one hour of service on Sundays and placing an offering in the plate as it goes by, then you may wish to consider both your commitment to Christ and your Baptism.
So, if all this is our job, then what is the Pastor’s job? Pastors are ordained to equip us to do these tasks. Their job is teach, preach, and challenge us. Their job is give us the tools necessary to carry out the ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ.
In Bert’s case, can you imagine how our Church would grow if he had to take only ten to twelve people under his immediate care, in addition to preparing a solid message for the worship service? Imagine the growth potential then, if each of these ten to twelve would do as Bert did, following his teaching and example, and equipped, trained, and cared for ten to twelve. Continue to compound this over time and we have reached the world.
Our Pastor has a short time each and every Sunday to reach everyone who walks through the doors with the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we burden the Pastor with all these responsibilities that really belong to the people of God, then he has little time or resources left to bring his best on Sunday mornings.
So what about it, people of God? Shall we take up our mantle of responsibility, or shall we continue to burn out our pastors and leaders and allow the Church to slowly die? Life or Death – it is up to each of us, not just the Professional Staff.
