The Right Tool For The Job
I spent some time in a junkyard Sunday afternoon. That is not my normal Sunday afternoon routine, but circumstances on Saturday led to a trip to the automotive graveyard on Sunday.
You see, on Saturday, my oldest son decided to do a little work on his 1998 Mustang. Those models are plagued with seat belt retractors that wear out in short order, and that bothered my son. He inherited his annoyance of insignificant things that do not work from me. Little squeaks and noises I hear while driving my car drive me nuts. So much so that I have been known to pull off the road and find the source of the annoyance and irritation, or walk to my destination if I cannot find it.
He has more ability than I do when it comes to mechanical things, and decided to pull the seat belts apart to fix them. In the end though, he was not able to fix them (to his credit, he worked on them several hours and it was a tuff job). We were left with two seat belts that were broken and in need of replacement, which was expensive according to the dealer. So, after church my son was off to the junkyard. Over an hour later he called me to let me know he was stuck and unable to get a couple of seat belts off of a deceased Mustang sitting in the yard, so off I went to assist (remember, I suck at this). I got there, and tried using the tools that he had brought with him to remove the bolts that were holding it all together (these were my tools… and I have very few of them, so his choices were limited). There was no way the tool I had was going to work. It was just NOT the right one for the job. We ended up leaving to go and get the proper tool for the job, and 20 minutes after we got back to the junk yard we had the two seat belts removed and left to go home to install them. The right tool made all the difference.
I used that last line to teach my boys a life lesson. Get the right tool for the job, it will make it easier and is more efficient at getting the desired result. Lesson learned. But I just want to mention an application for the church as well: use the right person for the job to be done.
From the very beginning, God designed the church to have many parts, or many “tools” to use to build His Church and His Kingdom. The Scriptures teach us that each tool has its place or task, and that all the tools are necessary for the church to be effective and to be efficient to achieve the desired result.
Having the right person in a staff position is key. Most people in the church realize this. Andmost churches think that hiring the right staff is all they need to do to get the job done. We tend to overlook that when it comes to filling volunteer positions, but it is just as important to have to have the right people in those positions. They will make or break your program or ministry. After all, the only thing worse than having no one in the position is having the wrong person in the position. You are asking for trouble when you get up and announce from the platform that you need someone to step up and lead a program or ministry. You will likely end up with someone who is not gifted in that area of ministry or someone who does not have the ability as far as skill or leadership is concerned. We have all seen that happen, and it never ends well for either party.
Having the right tools made a world of a difference in getting my sons car fixed. It also makes a difference in this world having the right people leading and doing ministry in the church. You have to have the right tool for the job!
norma j hill
Just curious… how does the church decide who is the right tool (oh yeah, I mean person!) for any “position” or “ministry”?
Apparently (from what you said), people who volunteer are likely not the right person, not gifted or skilled? (Yeah, okay, I’ve seen that happen on occasion…)
So then what? Have everyone hand in their resumes (I went to a church that did that – and they attempted (insisted quite strongly, in fact) to place me in a position I was eminently UNsuited for based on the fact that I once had a similar secular job – which I only took as a temporary job because I needed to survive until I could find another job I was more suited to)?
Wait for a period of time after a person “joins the church” to see what position they are suited for? How long does that take? How to make that decision, when they aren’t doing much of anything but sitting in the pew?
Oh, wait! What am I talking about? What’s all this emphasis on “positions” anyway? Or “doing ministries”? Where do we get all that from? (I’m asking that seriously)
sincerely,
one who is increasingly delighted to be part of the body of Christ, but finding it more and more difficult to picture myself as “the right tool for the job”…
Jason Petermann
Norma,
I am not suggesting that everyone that is in a ministry/volunteer position is in the wrong spot. What I am trying to point out is that it is important to get the right people filling the right role in the church. The Bible is clear that each of us has a role to play that is based on the gift(s) that God has given us. In fact, the Bible says that it pleased God to place us where He has. We see the church likened to a body, where each part fits together so that the body functions properly. Without each part doing its function, the body is sick, and unable to perform. It is the same for the church. Without each person in the church filling his/her role, the body suffers.
How you find and then fill your role is accomplished many different ways in the church. Some give tests (which can be helpful), some have you try a bunch of things out until you find a fit (also very helpful). Other churches just plead for warm bodies to come and bail water out the sinking ship, with no regard to their gifting (not very helpful).
I think your gifting and passion are good indicators of where God wants you to serve. You may be able to do a lot of different things, but there is that one or two things that just drives you and motivates you. That is what you need to be doing!
Some churches do have waiting periods for all ministries. Some for sensitive areas of ministry (like kids ministries). I personally believe that most churches have some ministries that are good on-ramps to get people involved and started out in serving. We have been attending a large church with many, many volunteers, and after about three weeks I went to the people that I needed to to start getting involved. I did not wait for them to come to me. I wanted to get involved, so I did.
My emphasis was not really on “positions” (I really dislike that word in church, though I use it) or “doing ministries.” The emphasis is to be on serving others, and how we can most effectively do that with the gifts and abilities that God has given us. Serving other people is the entire reason for this post.
I am glad that you are delighted to be a part of the body. God has a purpose for all of us as part of that body. Finding that purpose and serving was the point I was trying to make. There is great satisfaction in being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Thanks for your comments!