Indispensable: All are Called to Serve
“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary the members that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” 1 Corinthians 12:21-22 NIV
In our Methodist tradition, each person is called to minister by virtue of his/her baptism. There are specific ministries to which some are called, but ALL are called to serve in some capacity. That means that your ministry, reader, is absolutely necessary. You are indispensable. Not because you hold a so-called high office or a presumed unimportant one, but as one saved by God’s grace, you have been “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” – Ephesians 2:10.
Knowing what is required of you and understanding your role makes your journey joyful. I remember when I was asked to serve on the conference nominating team of the United Methodist Women. I felt inadequate to the task and told the blessed and persistent woman of God who asked me that she should ask someone else. She told me, “We will train you.” And train me they did! As one called to ministry by God and affirmed by the church, you need to take advantage of the many training opportunities and resources available to you.
The first person who approached me when I was asked to serve as conference lay leader simply asked me to pray about something without explaining why. I did, with some trepidation and without a full understanding of how to frame the prayer. When someone who had previously walked this road approached me, she was knowledgeable, and able to answer my anxious, floundering questions. She told me straight up that the position would be time consuming, but that it would be a greatly rewarding experience that would cause me to grow. Then she pointed me to some resources.
I give these two examples because in many instances, people have been asked to serve in the church without being given at least a beginning understanding of the requirements of the position, and the resources that would be available. And once they said yes, they were not given the necessary support to begin the task. In a rush to prepare for church conference, some of us unfortunately go through the motions of filling slots, without doing the yearlong work of leadership training and preparation.
We can do better that that. We must!
Peace,
Renata