QUESTION
I used to be part of the inner circle of leadership. Now, I’ve been pushed to the edge. Any attempt I make to get involved is rejected. What would you do in my situation?
ANSWER
First, ask yourself, honestly, if you miss the position, title, respect, influence or control you once had, or do you miss the opportunity to serve. If your answer is truly, “I miss a place of service,” you don’t need a title! Just serve. Volunteer to do whatever is necessary to help things get accomplished, even if that means walking people in from the parking lot with an umbrella in the rain, or scrubbing the bathrooms on a Tuesday afternoon when no one else is around to see you serve.
Sing in the choir, take out the trash, volunteer to clean up after weddings, funerals, or youth events. Shovel snow, park cars, wash the church windows. You see, God recognizes real service from the heart. “Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart” (Ephesians 6:6 HCSB).
QUESTION
The mayor tells people he’s a member of our church, but he isn’t. He rarely attends, and most of us don’t like his politics. Should we ask him to stop staying he’s a member?
ANSWER
Absolutely! It’s time to write the mayor a letter on church stationery and send it by registered mail, informing him that you are aware of his actions and that while he is more than welcome to visit and/or join the church, you have a process for membership and for remaining an active member in good standing that he (like all other members) must follow.
Include a pre-stamped response card in the letter and ask him to indicate if he is interested in joining. Tell him that the pastor and perhaps two or three deacons will visit him to discuss church membership. That ought to be enough to discover if he has a genuine interest in membership, or if he is just using the church name for his own political gain.
Pat Pajak leads IBSA’s Church Consulting Team. He has led churches of all sizes across Illinois. Send your questions for Pat to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.