STEWARDSHIP FOCUS
HOW CAN I HELP Dr. Joseph Stowell
Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. Galations 5:13
While I was pastoring in Detroit, the specific needs of the growing singles population in our church led to most of us to conclude that we needed to hire a singles pastor. As we processed the vision we ran into some resistance from the long timers in our congregation, or as we affectionately called them, “the lifers.”
According to them, in the late thirties and forties the church was serving fifteen hundred people in Sunday School and yet had only two pastors. “Why,” they asked, “do we need so many pastors today?” Their question was insightful and difficult to field.
The reality was that the church was planted in a time when the work ethic was valued in America. In fact, the church was planted in the heart of Detroit, where immigrants from the Old Country brought their sense of the importance of hard work and community with them when they went to the automobile factories. There they planned to meet needs and give of themselves as much as they could. When they came to church, they came the same way, walking in with that “What can I do to help?” attitude.
As you’re aware, we now live in a consumer – oriented society where we no longer ask, “What can I do to help?” but, “What will this church do for me?” We are more prone to come to church asking, “Do I like this pastor? Do I like the choir? Do I like the songs we sing? Are these my kind of people?”
When we understand the true nature of calling as servants and His plan for the growth of His church, our question will no longer be, “Will this church meet my needs?” but rather, “How can I use the gifts He has given me to make a contribution to the advance of His cause?, A diversity of pastors may be necessary, because of increasing special needs, but we all would do well to apply the old-fashioned work ethic to our spiritual lives if we hope to see His work prosper. If you ask what can I do to help? What might you end up doing?