Created to be Servants

Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are God's workmanship, created for good works. In other words, we were all created by God to serve Him and to serve one another! A call to service is one of the most important callings of the people of God.

Undoubtedly, God is the greatest servant of all. God created the entire physical universe to serve humankind. He even created the angels to serve humankind. God went to great lengths to fashion this world, this universe, in order to serve the needs of humankind. God is truly the greatest servant of all!

Consider for a moment the natural peace and beauty of nature. I can now hear the birds singing softly in the trees outside the window of my home office. I see the magnificence of the green, leafy, lofty trees in my backyard and I am truly amazed at God's gracious service to us all. The variety of birds that visit our birdfeeders and fly majestically among our trees is, indeed, a great delight to Barbara and to me. Even the raccoon that has become a huge nuisance, visiting our deck every day and night without fail, is among God's cutest and most interesting creations, and, at times, a delight to encounter. All of God's creation serves humankind. It is for our sustenance and for our enjoyment. May God be praised for His glorious physical creation designed to serve us all!

Of course, God's Son, Jesus Christ, set the example of service more than any other human being.

It seems that humanity, for the most part, has an innate, inherent desire and need to serve others. However, it is also easy to be more selfishly minded, seeking our own selfish desires with little thought for others. We must seek to serve and to be mindful of the needs and desires of others.

In the Church of God, there is a great need for service. From setting up chairs, to setting up the sound system and running it, to leading songs, to preparing and giving sermonettes and sermons, there are many ways to serve. Coordinating potlucks, setting up snacks, bringing snacks to share, teaching at Sabbath school, coordinating announcements, typing up announcements, assisting with food banks by bringing food or donating financially are all important services.

Some arrive early to set up for services. Some prepare a coffee service. Some prepare and give teen Bible studies, and some organize teen and congregational activities.

One of the greatest ways to serve is to pray faithfully for God's work, His leadership and guidance upon us, for the human leaders God has placed in the Body to serve, for the human leaders of our nation, for the sick, and for each other in numerous ways. Being a "prayer warrior" is a very important and meaningful way to serve. In addition, let us never forget "true and undefiled religion before God is to visit the sick and the fatherless in their affliction" (James 1:27).

A pastor really appreciates those who are willing to serve, to spend hours each week helping him serve the needs of all the brethren. Having church services depends on many people doing their part. If everything were left to the pastor, I am fairly certain we would have great difficulty finding pastors. Of course, if everything were left to any one person, it would not be long before that person would be completely burnt out and unable to serve. Moreover, it would not be healthy for the congregations.

God designed His congregations to serve together for the edification of all (Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12).

We have had many people who have served for many, many years. Their service and contributions will always be valued and needed. Nevertheless, the younger generations also need to have their opportunity to serve and to contribute in ways that would help their spiritual growth. Longtime servants need not feel that they no longer have an opportunity to serve, as their example of faithfulness and service lives on in their congregation and is greatly appreciated by all. Their service and wisdom should always be honored and never taken for granted.

However, being willing to mentor others to carry on responsibilities some have held for years is truly priceless and beneficial for the spiritual growth of the people of God, the Body of Christ! Much will depend upon the size of our congregations in regard to service. We do not want our more elderly members to feel as though they have been "put out to pasture," so it is a delicate balance.

Those who have served for many years should not feel that their days of service are over--and they are not--because we need "all hands on deck." Although we should all be praying, those who are older and no longer employed will have considerably more time to devote to prayer. Those who have served for many years deserve a break on the Sabbath and it is time for the younger generation to step up and to accept the burden and the joy of service.

One of the most delicate responsibilities of a pastor is to ensure that those who have served for years step aside and allow others to also serve. We encourage our pastors to give everyone an opportunity to serve. We ask them to engage as many of our members as possible in service. We encourage our pastors to solicit ways in which our members would like to serve and then allow them to do so.

Ideally, it is best if the congregation is large enough for there to be a rotation of service so that one person does not become overly burdened by serving. We encourage our longtime members to mentor younger men and women in our congregations so that they may serve in the same capacity as their mentor. The rotation of a sound crew is critical for a number of reasons. Setting up sound equipment, maintaining the sound throughout the service, and taking down the sound equipment can become very exhausting. We would encourage our sound men and women to select a young person, or two, or three they believe would be able to learn, and then teach them how to do that valuable service.

The results on the recent 2020 U.S. Congregational Survey indicate that the area of service is one to which we should all pay special attention. To the question, "Over the past year, have you been satisfied with your level of service in the Church?" 76% of respondents either strongly agreed, or agreed. Thankfully, that is still a solid majority, but nearly 24% were not satisfied with their level of service in the Church. Here are some of the comments from the survey that indicate we can certainly improve in this area.

"I would like to see more people being developed and used."

"As mentioned before, I'm happy that I've been able to do some service, but others are so tense with serving situations here. I've been to other UCG congregations in the area and we have a great time on social days but here it is run like an army base and just done because it has to and no one relaxes and has a great time of fellowship. It's just a sad situation."

"More people need to help with setting up the hall and clean up."

"I could serve more by helping with the setup and not just the takedown and cleanup and contribution of food."

"Too many able-bodied people are unwilling to serve in our church area and they leave all the work to the older people who are really physically unable to serve."

"I would like to serve more; it's just hard to find opportunities."

"Too many people sit back and let the same members serve in all areas."

"Few members really help, which puts weekly duties on the same people; there are only a few that have a servant's attitude."

I greatly appreciated the following comment from one of our members, as it underscores each member's responsibility to ask and keep asking, if necessary.

"I need to serve more and it falls completely on me to work towards that and pray; it is not anyone else not providing opportunities, but me seeking them out."

Here are some directives from MMS to all our pastors and members regarding service in our local congregations:

1. We encourage all members to volunteer to serve, if physically able.
2. We encourage all pastors, whenever possible and feasible, to engage members in serving.
3. We encourage members to volunteer in areas of their greatest interests, but to be willing to serve where most needed.
4. We encourage pastors to rotate responsibilities on a regular basis to ensure that all who want to serve have that opportunity.
5. We encourage team leaders to mentor others so they may have a rest on occasion and so others learn to serve in that capacity.
6. We encourage Sabbath rotations wherever possible so everyone has a Sabbath to simply rest and enjoy fellowship on occasion.
7. We encourage the younger members to get involved in serving.
8. We encourage the older members to allow the younger to serve.
9. We appreciate all who serve!

Wishing you all a very inspiring Sabbath and a very uplifting Pentecost weekend!