A CLEARER CALL FOR COMMITMENT
To win support for ministry requires the right attitude
Jim Kallam, Jr
January 1, 1993
A friend read me a letter his pastor had written to his church. The pastor chastised the congregation for their lack of commitment, poor attendance at services, and a general lack of support for programs.
While my friend read, my mind drifted to the lists I used to keep and the letters I used to write.
The lists would mark the attendance of the elders and deacons at church services. During the service I would make mental note of who was there and then afterward make my way to my office to record the data. I was gathering evidence to build a case, evidence to prove their lack of commitment to the church, evidence to justify my anger.
In an all-encompassing letter, I once criticized the entire board because of their lack of support for a church missions conference. I pointed out that less than 40 percent of the board even attended the meetings-less than the percentage of our regular people who attended!
"How can we possibly expect others to get excited about missions," I wrote angrily, "when many of the church leaders don't attend?"
The letter my friend was reading sounded like an echo of my own.
Now, ten years into the ministry, commitment is still on my mind. It's an important trait Christians need to develop. But my approach has changed. I don't keep lists or write angry letters anymore. Why? Let me describe what I began to see.
A cloudy vision
I began to see that I couldn't see too far. I discovered two issues were clouding my thinking about my people's commitment.
The first was the mentality, "If I have to be here all the time, so should you."
More times than I'd care to admit, I was discontented because no one else in the church had to attend all the services. But as pastor, I had to.
I realized I was becoming a Martha.
Martha, ...
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