[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fsensible-service":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fsensible-service-surround":67},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":50,"date":51,"description":16,"extension":52,"image":53,"meta":54,"minRead":55,"navigation":56,"path":57,"postType":58,"publication":59,"publicationUrl":53,"seo":60,"stem":61,"topics":62,"__hash__":66},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fsensible-service.md","Sensible Service",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"1 Peter",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":46},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,43],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Tired of being a couch potato? There's something worse—being a \"pew potato.\"",[14,18,19],{},"Like most church problems, this one has two sides. Leaders complain, \"We can't get anyone to tackle jobs that need to be done. Our members lack commitment.\" Meanwhile, the folks in the pew feel frustrated too: \"We want to serve the Lord. But help us find where we can serve best. Give us the training we need. Offer a word of appreciation now and then. And don't hound us with guilt trips just because we don't want to sing in the choir, teach the junior high boys, or scrub floors during the church workday.\"",[14,21,22],{},"Like a sleeping giant, the church possesses great power just waiting to be unleashed. It's time for participation, not hibernation. It's time to put into practice the dynamic body life described in 1 Corinthians 12—every person is a part (vv. 12-14), every part has a purpose (vv. 17-20), every person has a partner (vv. 25-27). What if every member of the Lord's church volunteered to do one job with excellence and enthusiasm? Wouldn't it be exciting if all Christians would identify their strongest gifts, find opportunities to use them, and then pour themselves into their ministries with passion and excellence?",[14,24,25],{},"Every-member ministry makes sense mathematically. A congregation of 150 \"ministers\" will get more done than a church of 150 passive people who depend on their preacher or other staff members to do the ministry for them.",[14,27,28],{},"It makes sense psychologically. Educators tell us that \"impression without expression leads to depression.\" When Christians hear God's Word week after week but seldom put their faith into action, they become disheartened, discouraged, and apathetic. But an exciting sense of fulfillment and a new zest for worship permeate the body of Christ when every believer becomes involved.",[14,30,31],{},"Most important, every-member ministry makes sense biblically. \"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms\" (1 Peter 4:7).",[14,33,34],{},"How has God equipped you to serve him and serve others? Are you a teacher, a musician, an artist, an athlete, or a photographer? Can you lead a Bible study, repair cars, grow a garden, fix computers, open your home to a youth group, lead a camping trip, write letters, visit the sick, host a small group, or mentor a young mom? Could you help a campus ministry, \"adopt\" a college student who needs a friend, or serve in the church nursery? Could you lead a backyard Bible club for neighborhood kids, or organize a Saturday morning household repair team to serve your community? Could you develop a church library or tape ministry? How can you use your God-given abilities to salt the earth and light up the world?",[14,36,37,38,42],{},"In ",[39,40,41],"em",{},"Volunteer Ministries: New Strategies for Today's Church"," (Standard Publishing, 1994), Margie Morris writes: \"You can help create a climate for success. Share your vision. Utilize the committees already in place within your church. Ask for input. Solicit help. Delegate. Hold workers accountable. Publicize every step. Celebrate all accomplishments. Invite involvement at every opportunity.\"",[14,44,45],{},"The opportunities to serve are endless. But we'll find them only when we choose to have a servant's heart—and get off the couch.",{"title":47,"searchDepth":48,"depth":48,"links":49},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1997-09-14","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fsensible-service","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fsensible-service",[63,64,65],"Church Leadership","Biblical Theology","Discipleship","T46x8WcojHqTa1CjhbQih5QuNPGpZg9zEDXWXxx3iq0",[68,73],{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71,"description":72,"children":-1},"Send Me Anywhere but There","\u002Farticles\u002Fsend-me-anywhere-but-there","articles\u002Fsend-me-anywhere-but-there","Have you ever tried to run from God? If you pray, \"Here am I, send me,\" you can't add a disclaimer that says, \"But let me see my own itinerary.\" What if God sends you across the street to help a hard-to-get-along-with neighbor? What if he asks you to cross a cultural barrier and befriend someone from a different ethnic group?",{"title":74,"path":75,"stem":76,"description":77,"children":-1},"Serving in the Shadows","\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-in-the-shadows","articles\u002Fserving-in-the-shadows","Do you know what it’s like to serve in the shadows? Are you an introvert with an extraverted coworker who dominates conversations? Do you have a friend with a strong personality whose charisma monopolizes the energy in the room? What if God calls you to serve in the shadow of a successful, well-known leader?"]