I’ve heard the question asked: “I work for a church… how do I keep from feeling that Sunday is just another work day?” This is certainly understandable. Working in the local church, as with most things, is both rewarding and challenging. It is called work because it requires effort from us. Whether you are serving in the church as a volunteer or as staff, the call to use your spiritual gifts for God’s glory is clear. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another ”. Serving others is an act of love. With this service, comes a sacrifice. We give time, energy, resources (and more) to serve. This pouring-out can deplete our spirit and begin to harden our hearts for what God has in store for us.
If we do not take care, this depletion will begin to weigh us down and hold us in a place of bitterness. Small cracks in our once solid foundation will grow into a gap that seems far too difficult to repair. We can prepare for this and be ready with a response to bring His truth back into alignment. We can choose to turn to His word for guidance and seek understanding. John 3:30 says, “He must become greater; I must become less.”
As believers, Jesus has called us to be free and live life to the full. We are not to use our freedom towards self-centered and selfish desires. Rather we are to serve one another in love. This act of love shows our love for Jesus. I am confident that we need to strive towards remaining humble before God. There are many distractions that are pulling us away from this stance of humility – all of them are just that, distractions. Our focus needs to remain on Him and on His calling for us. As C.S. Lewis said, “humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Humility is first serving God and our neighbors before serving ourselves. When we respond in obedience to Him and give Him all the glory and honor, we are practicing humility.
This reminder, to stay humble before Him, provides us with an opportunity to check our heart for serving others. Before the work begins, pause and ask yourself: “Who am I serving? And to whom do I belong?” This check-in brings a calming peace of understanding that we are children of God and we are chosen to bring his light to the world.
Caring for the production team and strengthening our bond and connectedness is vital towards creating a healthy team. If we stumble into a pattern of weekend services becoming a routine checklist of tasks to perform, we are missing out on the opportunity to live a life on mission for God. We should wholeheartedly enter into the weekends with our focus on making the name of Jesus known and showing His love.
Looking for opportunities to talk about challenges like this, and be in community with others facing the same struggles? Check out our FILO Cohorts!
