There’s More to Life than Doing Church

“This might be the worst thing that could happen in your ministry.”

Coming on board with Church Volunteer Central has been a huge learning (and growing) experience for me; new people, a new place, a new position, and a new purpose. After being with the same organization for nearly nine years, this has been a challenge to say the least—but an exciting opportunity at best! I am thrilled to get to share and interact with such great people here at Group…and now via email and Internet…with you.  I pray this will be an encouraging and exciting relationship for both of us.

In preparation for my new role here at CVC, I have spent a lot of time getting up to speed on the ministry that goes on through this company, and the many, many, many resources focused on equipping churches to help children, youth and adults grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Recently, as  I was studying Simply Strategic Volunteers, I came across a chapter called There’s more to life than doing church. The very first statement made by authors Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens caught my attention: “This might be the worst thing that could happen in your ministry.” The chapter went on to talk about the danger of putting a higher value on doing things at church than we do on building relationships with those who don’t know Christ.  And I realized they were absolutely right.

Unfortunately, I think I have been guilty of this many times in my life with God. I forget that Jesus called me to go OUT…not stay IN; to build people not programs; to do LIFE…not just CHURCH.

How many times do we feel that church is life? Has anyone ever made you feel that way? Or have we ever made someone else—one of our volunteers, perhaps—feel guilty for putting their “secular” life before a church event? Hopefully the answer is no. But if we are being honest here, we may have to admit we have!

The reality is there IS more to life than church. We must accept that our people have other lives, other commitments, and other demands on their time, just like we do. God has put people in each of our lives that need us—and most of them are outside of church. They need us to be available, to be there, to be real. If we are too busy with church activities to spend time with these people, we are too busy.

The point Tony and Tim are making in this chapter is that we WANT people to have a life outside the church walls. That is where we build relationships, where we increase our influence, and where we find those who need what church has to offer. What a good reminder for all of us…

**For more great nuggets from Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens, read Simply Strategic Volunteers. Filled with 99 “truths” and straightforward solutions, it can revolutionize your approach to church life, volunteering, and leadership. Pick up your copy today at Group.com