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I was reading my friend Rob's blog and came across a comment someone left on his post about church volunteers. Rob tried to imagine what a day without volunteers at our church would be like. And it was not a pretty picture. There are so many servant hearts in our body of believers that we would be left with a limp if our volunteers did not show up one day!The person who commented on his blog said it would be interesting to read a commentary on what the church would do if it were staff-less....I have been chewing on that thought for a few days now. I know there are several potential directions to go with this idea...so I was curious to see if Rob would tackle the issue...but he never did. I suppose that is because he really has a humble spirit and would not want to be accused of thinking too highly of himself and write about what a day in the church would be like without our paid staff members.
So I am going to tackle this thought, if you don't mind!
I know there is a camp of folks out there who believe that a church should be run by a "plurality of non-paid leaders". I've tangoed with that thought process for years to no avail with someone who felt my husband was wrong for accepting money for doing "the work of God"--so I wont even further dignify that thought line with a response here.
There used to be a statistic (cant remember the exact figures) but it said something to the effect that 10% of the people do 90% of the work of the church. So the volunteers are really people that keep a church functioning well--sometimes to the point of exhaustion and burnout and family stress. When 10% of the people carry 90% of the load it is more than they were intended to carry.
I can remember Jesus saying to the thankful leper that was healed...WHERE ARE THE OTHER NINE ?? (or Where are the other 90% in this case?)
I found it interesting that I have been thinking on this issue for a day or two now, and then this morning someone from the 90% of inactive pew warmers came to me with a letter of complaint for my husband. She wanted me to read it first. You know, it is hard enough to serve people who are contentious and cantankerous, but to have the GRACE of GOD that the leaders in these positions carry to deal with the grumblers and complainers simply AMAZES me! Because at that very moment I felt like Peter must've felt when he grabbed his sword and went after the ear of the soldier who was trying to arrest Jesus.
God has done a work in me because I kept my mouth shut in that moment.
So I went back to thinking...what would church be like if we had no paid staff.
The first thought that came to my mind is what would happen to our precious volunteers... The faithful 10%. If you remove the leadership of the church that guards and protects the volunteers from trying to over extend themselves, they would be held hostage by the 90% of pew warmers with demands to feed them and make them feel good about themselves. The Faithful 10% would be handed over to the 90% who behave like Christian canabals! I swear, they eat their young, the leaders, and their elders!!
Then I thought about the grumbling and complaining that would come from the 90% when one of them was sick or in the hospital and the "pastor" did not come to see them personally. Okay...so do you want the pastor or not? Would they feel just as validated if Polly Pew Warmer showed up? I know...that is a laughable stretch of the imagination because "pew warmers" dont do those kinds of things ...those kinds of tasks are for the paid staff!
I would also be curious to see what "pew warmer" would be willing to have the responsibility to seek God for the heart of worship in the church and be willing to walk in that sacred trust against the gripes and complaints of the pew warmers. Pew warmers come in all shapes and sizes. Some think we do too many hymns. Some thing we dont do enough. Some think the music is too loud, some think it is not loud enough! Few really care that there were hours of prayer, seeking the heart of God over how to minister to HIS heart and to lead the congregation in that worship. And far too many think that the paid worship leader is their personal "christian juke box" after all...."we pay you--play me what I want to hear"...have you ever heard of CD?? They are about $10 from any walmart. Worship is not about your favorite play list. It is about bridging the heart of man to the heart of God. And there is a wide variety of people from youth to senior adults that the worship leader is trying to include in that trip to the thone room on any given Sunday.
What happened to our ability to look out for the interest of others rather to our own desires? I have more than enough CDs at home that if I dont get to worship with the church what is on my heart, I can complete my act of worship at home. I am willing to NOT hear my favorite song if it means that a youth or senior adult can touch the heart of God. I just like being a part of that corporate experience.
So if we get rid of our worship leader in trade for a Christian Juke Box, sure we would save money in a salary, but we would also miss the heart of God, who has chosen to lead the church through leadership--even paid leadership.
Then we have the "paid staff" who are also among the volunteers! I remember a time when Mrs Eva, our facilities upkeep worker was also the superintendant of the Sunday School Department (for several years...a volunteer position!)
Yes, I suppose the church could survive without a paid staff. And I suppose the 10% volunteers would rise to the occasion of assuming 100% of church responsibility of the 90% satisfied pew warmers...but is that really what we WANT??
I really think people miss the heart of people who have chosen (at least in our church) ministry as a vocation. It is not because of the money. I know that our pastor has forgone his pay in the past to make sure his staff got paid. He still had a family to feed too. His ministry to the church is not based on money--it is love and conviction.
Every one of our staff members could have taken a job in any other field with a more competetive pay--but they CHOSE ministry to GOD's PEOPLE.
I dont think pew warming people really know the struggle and strain families in ministry go through. We do it out of love. Yes, there are moments of frustration and even sheer exasperation when people just dont "get it"...but it is those same people who I often have to repent and confess my sin to the Lord about because if I dont guard my heart I will lose compassion for them. I have to remember, as Jesus said, "Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing."
Why is it that they dont know what they are doing?
All this to say...It would be a SAD day at the Vine Fellowship if the paid staff members decided not to show up.
Well...I think I have probably said WAY too much, so I will close.
Dawn
6 comments:
Being one of those volunteers in a church where all the paid people are going on vacation for the next couple of weeks...I love reading your thoughts on this! Those paid staff members are much needed, as are the volunteers. For those 90% of the pew warmers, let's just hope they can be supportive and can even come up and become part time volunteers for small things when called upon.
In the words of the great singer/songwriter of the faith, Percy Sledge...
"Tell it like it is!!!!"
Ok. Maybe, he's not a great songwriter of the faith. But the title fits! Great post.
Well Dawn, I am thinking you must have forgotten that Twin Valley lost all its paid staff members and still has not hired anymore and yet, they survivie and keep going. I'm not sure how good or bad it all is since we never have sunday off to go (although they did call and say they did not vote us out and would work on a sunday or wednesday night service), but the church is surviving without paid staff at any rate. I think more churches really could survive without paid staff. You do what you have to do to survive and when there isn't any other choice, people will step up to the plate. Often I think having paid staff makes people feel justified in sitting on their tails.
It is an interesting thing to contemplate. It is an issue I am not really sure I agree with you on though.
Love,
Becca
I have always been in the 10 % and did way more than I ought to. This year I am only teaching Sunday School and feel a bit guilty, but it has been good in a way b/c it has caused other people to step up to the plate to do things that I HAD been doing (helping with the children's choir in mulitiple capacities, volunteering for 2 and 3 year old's children's church once a month, volunteering on Wed. nights with 5-7th grade girls, planning, preparing and serving snacks for VBS every year, nursery duty once a month, singing in the church choir, AND MORE)... now all of these positions that I have let go of one by one have been filled by some of the 90 % who were not being used yet! And I am able to fully enjoy my Middler Sunday School class!
Becca,
I certainly don't mind you having a different opinion, but I think we really have to compare apples to apples, and not apples to oranges.
What happened in your church was a tragedy. That is NOT the norm of most churches, and dare I say NOT the norm of people in vocational ministry in the local churches. (I wont speak for TV preachers and evangelists. I dont know them personally.)
Your pastor was wrong and when confronted by the leadership and elders, he drained the church finances, left the church and took his staff (which were family members) with him. That is a lack of integrity...not a problem with paying a person for ministerial work. You just had a bad apple.
Your pastor was demanding $96K a year and requesting a raise when the church could not even meet budget. Your church is not even 1/3 the size of our church. Your pastor wanted more money despite the fact the church could not even afford teaching materials for the children's ministries. That is wrong.
But one bad pastor does not make all pastors bad, nor does it invalidate the work of people who devote their lives to vocational ministry to get paid for their work.
What your church experienced was SEVERE abuse under the hand of a pastor.
Your church needs time to heal...and so does your family.
My blog was primarily speaking specifically of my church experience with the staff members Brad works with.
As I said in my post, our pastor gave up his salary so that the staff could get paid when the church was in a bind. God blessed that. God knows the heart of a true shepherd who truly looks after his sheep.
Our church would be a much less effective without the tireless commitment of the shepherds who have given their lives to the work of the ministry FOR these people.
I know our church experiences have been different. I just wish everyone could know the integrity of the leadership team we work with day in and day out at the Vine Fellowship.
No one should have to endure the church experience you have encountered.
I just want to tell you that I am proud of you that you never walked away from God in the middle of all your pain and dissapointment with your pastor and what he did to your church.
Just know there ARE honoroable men of God worthy of their hire who would truly lay their life down for their people.
I hope you will know that kind of shepherd in an earthly pastor someday...and even if you never do, I pray that you know The Great Shepherd, holds your broken heart in his hands and loves you dearly.
Dawn
I wasn't trying to be rude. :o) I was just saying that sometimes that 90% has to be FORCED into participation. It is just funny how when the chips are down they have no choice but get their hands dirty. Sometimes I think that having a paid staff leads very much to an entitlement mentality.
I do NOT dispute that there are men of integrity who are worthy of hire and I would certainly never advocate firing all the pastors, worship leaders, secretaries, etc. That was not my point. I think I was more ruminating on the "what if's" from my unfortunate point of view that maybe the pew warmers would be less apt to complain if they actually had to get off their rumps and put their money where their mouth is. Kind of like BA I suppose. Many say they are called, but few actually send in the donations and, once again, the same 10% or so of us do all the work. Which, I am not complaining, just wondering out loud what it would really take to make the lukewarm folks turn hot before they get spit out.
My disagreement was on the fact that you state a church would not survive w/o a paid staff. It will, if those left behind are willing to fill the gap. It is sad really that things are as they are in the current church. But then, with a larger church I could see where chaos may quickly take hold without a shepherd.
Mostly I have just been contemplating out loud. A thing will survive where there is a want and will to do so I think.
Becca
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