Business/Busy-Ness
I had someone tell me, many years ago, that he had no idea how much "business" was a part of church life. For many years, he (like many folks) stayed out of leadership. He was content to worship and serve in various projects, but had not accepted a committee position. Then, quite innocently, he ended up on a church committee and very quickly he found out how many times politics and wrangling and voting shape the life of the church. (That man is now a pastor, by the way!)
As much as we might like to think otherwise, business is part of the life of the church. Even in the early church, there were decisions that had to be made by the body (though they often did it by casting lots...I wonder if that might be easier...). There are things that have to be decided upon. There were conflicts and theological questions that had to be worked out. The challenge, then and now, is not to let the business become mere busy-ness. In other words, we have to be cautious that the work we are doing is for a purpose rather than just filling up our time.
As I head to Annual Conference tomorrow, I am seeking to see where our business transcends busy-ness. We will do things that need to be done: set budgets, elect officers, vote on matters of policy. But, thankfully, moreso than in the earlier years of my ministry, much of that is done without a lot of debate and time is reserved to seek to find where God is leading us to do ministry. And we will worship and seek to be transformed into World Changers.
Join me in praying that everything we do this week in Indianapolis will be for the sake of the kingdom and not just filling our time.
As much as we might like to think otherwise, business is part of the life of the church. Even in the early church, there were decisions that had to be made by the body (though they often did it by casting lots...I wonder if that might be easier...). There are things that have to be decided upon. There were conflicts and theological questions that had to be worked out. The challenge, then and now, is not to let the business become mere busy-ness. In other words, we have to be cautious that the work we are doing is for a purpose rather than just filling up our time.
As I head to Annual Conference tomorrow, I am seeking to see where our business transcends busy-ness. We will do things that need to be done: set budgets, elect officers, vote on matters of policy. But, thankfully, moreso than in the earlier years of my ministry, much of that is done without a lot of debate and time is reserved to seek to find where God is leading us to do ministry. And we will worship and seek to be transformed into World Changers.
Join me in praying that everything we do this week in Indianapolis will be for the sake of the kingdom and not just filling our time.
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