It's Sunday morning. It's also far earlier in the morning than any decent person ought to be awake on the weekend. Yet, every week, faithful as clockwork, one or more large, brightly colored vehicles pull out of the parking lot on a mission of mercy. Early mornings and late afternoons, heat and cold, on good days and bad days, church buses do their work in bringing kids to church. Some use vans, some shuttles, some full-size school buses. Some have nice seats, some have worn-out tires, some are held together with duct tape. Regardless of the weather, or the wear and tear, this is a ministry that is near and dear to the hearts of many. Children have come to Christ, families have been gained, and lifelong relationships have been forged in the bus ministry. Much must be given to it, yet much may be gained from it. However, for all the money and time poured into church buses, it's a fact that very little money comes from it. The children may bring an offering from time to time, but it is not enough to cover even the diesel. It is also a ministry that is often completely run and manned by volunteers. As such, most have not received any training on how to publicly minister to others in that environment. Some see the need and jump in with great zeal and no knowledge. These workers gladly come, but simply don't know the best way to help those they are picking up.
Recently, I heard of a strange and disheartening event. A pastor, one who claims to love the bus ministry, and one who himself once poured much time and effort into it, forbad a bus captain from doing some training and teaching of the workers on the route. Why? What excuse would justify them from striving for excellence and instead settle for wallowing in mediocrity and ineffectiveness?
"Because they are volunteers."
Those are four very dangerous words, my friends.
Now, just to be clear, I don't think the pastor actively meant any harm from that. He came from an environment where his own misguided pastor drove those workers into the ground, demanded their buses deliver on almost impossible numbers, removed people from leadership if they didn't hit his numeric goals for them, required impractical numbers of hours in the ministry, and generally did everything to make what should be an enjoyable ministry into an excruciating misery. That is an abuse for another day. I am not, nor will I ever endorse such vile abuse of authority. However, as humans do, this pastor ran from that extreme only to unknowingly find himself in the other. While the great need to rational and logical balance is another topic worthy of an article all it's own, that's not my subject for today.
"Because they are volunteers."
This philosophy flees active abuse, but it also opens wide the door for passive neglect. While one destroys the lives of workers, the other tends to leave the kids in a sin-destroyed state; offering them little of our Christian hope and redemption.
When I got my first "real" job, it came with training. Boring, dull, lifeless, and artificial videos that tried to show me what to do and how to do it. Then, after finishing those, I went to work and was trained by the various other employees. Weeks passed, then months, then years. In time, the roles reversed, I began training the newbies while they suffered through the aforementioned videos.
At my next job, I received a grand total of about three or four hours of training. An employee handed me my materials, walked me through a few duties, and then ran off. Again, I learned more in time and was taught until one day I, again, became the trainer.
Both of those were entry-level secular jobs. They also paid. Neither one was that important in the grand scheme of life, the universe, and everything. Yet, to my bosses, it was important that I learned the best way to do the best job in the best time. Thanks to God's blessing and a work ethic from my parents, I did just that. Training was given, expectations were set, continued teaching pushed for the best performance and results possible, and they were eventually achieved.
But, I got paid at those. Why bring them up? If my earthly boss was pleased when I did things the best possible way through my best efforts, would not my Heavenly King be much the same?
Before I got the aforementioned "real" jobs, I volunteered at a local library. I got nothing but a T-shirt for all my time. You know what happened my first few days? Training. You know what kept happening as I assumed more responsibility and took on more duties? More training. Even a rinky-dink library in a small town had a particular way they wanted me to shelve books, organize holds, and fill out paperwork. In that sense, it was no different than a paying job.
If my earthly bosses were pleased when I did things the best possible way through my best efforts, would not my Heavenly King be much the same? Yet, some believe church work does not need that level of commitment and excellence because they don't get a check from it each week.
Let's take a look at a few verses that may counter that.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." - Ecclesiastes 9:10
Strong's defines the Hebrew behind "with all thy might" as"...to be firm; vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce);" In other words, do it with all your effort, and to the greatest degree possible. That phrase seems to imply, in my mind at least, doing things, all things, with the greatest possible efficiency and effectiveness. Both spiritual and secular. God blesses the wise use of both spiritual and physical gifts as he also blesses the faithful handling of both spiritual and secular duties.
As anyone who has worked fast food knows, some coworkers will simply refuse to work "with all [their] might." They loath doing things the right way, they loaf around when they shouldn't be, and eventually, (or hopefully) they leave and go bother another employer.
But, again, if a restaurant boss desires for his employees to make the best use of their time and efforts, and a warehouse manager does the same, wouldn't that be also true of our King?
Imagine the chaos if a local restaurant refused to provide any training. Imagine ingredients tossed in willy-nilly. Imagine the mess when nobody knows how to work the mop or sweep under the chairs. Imagine the delay at the register when calling the manager for help doesn't even help, because she doesn't even know how to work the computer herself! At best, the place might last a short time before it descends into utter shambles. One or two really good employees in leadership positions might be able to hold it together for longer, but not before much time, money, effort, and resources are wasted with nothing to show for it.
Now change the setting from a restaurant to a church. Is the danger a bit more clear now?
Instead of sloppy burgers, they are sloppy sermons. Instead of a Sunday School teacher diving into the meat of the Word, he may teach on "Being faithful like Mary and Joseph's donkey." (Fact: The Bible doesn't ever mention them having a donkey. They probably couldn't afford one anyway.) Instead of snazzy and informative bulletins, they may be typo-riddled and filled with irrelevant 90's clip-art that betrays a laziness and apathy that ought never be seen in God's House. Instead of bus workers engaging with kids and showing them God's love, they are sitting up front playing on their phones and ignoring the needy souls around them. In fact, they do not even know their names. The workers occupy the front, the riders in the back, and there is a great gulf fixed between the two. It should be no wonder when that the route died, the kids scattered, and other souls are left unreached.
Do you see the danger now?
"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul," -Deuteronomy 11:13
We are to serve him with all our hearts. The context reveals that God promised his blessings on Israel when they obeyed, but a curse if they would not. We are not called to only do the Lord's work if we are paid for it. God's blessings don't always take the form of money, especially for Christians. We are not called to obey God only when he monetarily rewards us. We are not commanded to serve our brothers and sisters only when they offer tangible reward. We are Christians, not Ferengi.
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." -Mark 12:30
We are to love God..."With all thy strength." Biblical love isn't a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but actions. If we love someone, we will do things that please them, not for reward, as a hireling, but because we love them. We are also simply told to love one another as Christ loved us. (John 13:34, 35; I Thess 3:12; Heb 10:24)
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. [...] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:19-21, 24
Are we so disinterested in heavenly rewards that we would only do God's service if by doing so we may lay up treasures here on earth? Paul himself, on occasion, refused the provision of churches , yet still did his usual missionary work in their midst. (II Cor 11:9) He didn't do it for earthly reward, but for a heavenly one.
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." - II Timothy 4:8
Paul was looking to heavenly rewards, not earthly payment. So too, in our churches today, we need men and women who will gladly leap into service, and are willing t do it well and do it right, without needing to be paid.
Sadly, the longer I'm in ministry, the longer I've noticed that very dangerous division. That division between the "Paid Ministers" and the "Volunteers." Or, as it is more formally known, the "Clergy" and the "Laity." Yes, some do become pastors who lead while others follow. Yet the Bible is rife with God's commands for every Christian, everywhere, to love others and serve them. Payment is never a prerequisite. God promises us reward, but often, those are heavenly or spiritual blessings. Even when it is financial, it may not come directly through the church. Yet that doesn't lessen the need to serve with "all thy might."
Is that a risk worth taking? Does the absence of financial rewards really allow us to slack off from loving and serving others with all our might and ability? Are those helpless souls so expendable that we would throw new workers into ministries without a single word of training, nor would we offer any reminders, pointers, or helps, to those that continue to fall short week after week? Would we risk bus routes dying, children remaining unloved, and others remaining unreached because we don't dare do any training?
I am not talking about sending every worker to Bible College for four years. I am talking about a short "bus meeting," that would offer reminders and helps for those who simply don't know, offer guidance for those that want it, and offer a gentle and caring correction for those who need it. These would be simple things like:
-Sit among the kids, not all in a "worker huddle."
-Don't play on your phone when there are kids on the bus.
-Make an effort to know every kid's name, and something unique about them.
-Tell a kid you are praying for them. (Only if you actually are.)
-Try to keep, or at least lead, conversations to spiritual matters, not simply secular amusements.
-Find ways to love on the kids, rather than ignore them.
-Treat the bus ministry as something more than a giant taxi cab for kids, but as a time to.personally minister and mentor boys and girls.
These things take conscience effort. Some will not come easily. But they make a big difference. If every worker is on the same page then the ministry will be able to run far more smoothly, for more efficiently, and far more effectively.
Zig Ziglar once said:"The only thing worse than training an employee and having them leave, is to not train them, and have them stay."
So please, don't for a minute think I am saying the only reason bus routes die is lack of training, or that training with always grow them. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit is the only force that truly changes hearts; doing the work no amount of training can do. However, trained bus workers can better channel God's power, and can reach more children, more effectively, more quickly, and most of all, more deeply, for the cause of Christ.
You remember that preacher I mentioned that refused to allow any training? I've heard that very preacher talk despairingly about young, good, and godly men who, he criticizes, are "full of zeal, but lack knowledge." My question is, then, if they need knowledge, why isn't he training them? How else will they learn?
Pastors, church leaders, bus directors, if doesn't take much to offer some training. The results are worth it. In fact, training and teaching are the only ways to truly serve God to the best of our abilities. Even one, single changed life would be worth the effort. What's holding you back? What's holding your workers back? What's holding God back from changing lives on your buses?