By the time most of you read this, I’ll be on my way to Disneyland and a week’s vacation with family and friends in Los Angeles and Phoenix. I’m looking forward to it, for sure.
I can’t wait for Max, my two-year old, to meet Buzz Lightyear and all the rest of his favorite characters face-to-face and in all of their larger-than-life-sized glory. I look forward to whatever has Jackson, my six-year old, so hyped up about Legoland in San Diego. And Christa and I are ready to spend some time eating and drinking and relaxing with my brother and her sister and their families.
The thing is, though, none of that stuff just happens. There are plane tickets to search for and buy. There are cars to rent. There are schedules to accommodate. There are supplies to purchase. And, of course, there are bags and bags and bags to pack.
And I humbly admit, aside from booking a kennel for the dog, I’ve done nothing to help prepare or plan for this trip. I owe all of that to Christa’s time, energy and commitment to our family.
While I’d like to think it hasn’t been so dramatic at Cross of Grace, life in many growing churches threatens to be too much like life at my house around vacation time. What I mean is, there’s an old “rule” – almost an expectation – that 20% of a congregation’s people do 80% of the work it takes to make a congregation thrive.
That statistic implies that a mere 20% of the people step up to take on leadership positions, that that same 20% of the people give offerings of any significance (while even fewer dare to tithe), that some version of that same 20% carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of the congregation, and so on. What that also means is that 80% of a congregation’s people are like me at home, getting ready for vacation: they’re letting a handful of people make plans, take responsibility, carry the load, bear the burden, and so on. And, most discouraging for me with regard to ministry, all of this means there are too many people missing out on the opportunity to feel the joy at having prayed over, planned for and prepared the good of the kingdom for the sake of someone else. This means there are too many of God’s children missing the chance to live and to serve as God hopes for us all.
I say all of this to encourage and to invite every one of you – as Partners in Mission at Cross of Grace – to participate in our ministry in a prayerful, deliberate way by joining the rest of your family of faith for our congregation’s Annual Meeting and Picnic on Sunday, May 23rd. (We’ll meet between worship and picnic and play later that afternoon!)
Not only will we be blessed to have you share in our decisions, deliberations, prayers and programs in the days ahead, but I’m convinced you’ll be blessed, even more, by the chance to share and to serve as God’s child in this place.
See you in worship – and learning and service, too!
+Mark
