An Orchestra of Servants

One of the most powerful and Christ-like moments I have experienced as a priest is when a member of my faith community has come to me and asked “what can I do to serve God by serving the Church?” This question embodies the nature of servanthood ministry. That person is making themselves vulnerable by presenting themselves to the Church and asking for help discerning how God is calling them to use their spiritual gifts for the growth and support of their community. It’s a joyful moment and one that when it arrives I have to be careful not to fumble. It isn’t me and my own needs in ministry, it is about what the Spirit is revealing. 

Early in my tenure as Priest-in-Charge at my previous parish I had one such moment. A parishioner came to me and asked “what can I do to help this church grow and thrive for Jesus Christ?” It was the first time someone had ever really asked me that question as the leader of a faith community. We sat down and began to talk about their spiritual gifts and all the ways that they were already working tirelessly to live out their call as a Christian. It was in that moment that I felt the Holy Spirit tell me something that shocked even me when I said it.

“I need you to work about 10-15 percent less than what you do now”

A look of confusion came across their face as if they hadn’t heard me right.

“You want me to work less?,” they asked. “But I want to do more for Christ. I don’t understand.”

What’s important to know is that this faithful member of the congregation lived to fix and care for everything on our campus. There was an endless need for painting, repairs, and landscaping. They pulled weeds, planted new flowers, and took pride in turning every loose screw and hammering every loose nail on the Church property. I could tell that while they loved what they did they were also becoming overwhelmed and in danger of burning out.

“I want you to work less,” I continued, “because I want you to start making room for others to help you, for others to learn from your years of experience so that they can have the same joy you’ve experienced in serving. Maybe it’s not about working less, but more about making room and becoming a teacher so that there will always be someone to care for our church”

As they sat and mulled it over I was a little nervous. It isn’t everyday you tell one of the church’s best volunteers to work less. They knew I appreciated what they did, that I was grateful for their example, but I was asking them to make a unique sacrifice. 

“I’ll try,” they said. “I can’t guarantee that I will be good at it, but I’ll try. 

We prayed together that God would continue to illuminate the way forward and that he would bless our work. Over the next several months I noticed a change in the way this volunteer worked. They invited people to shadow them as they walked around the campus. And when God sent newcomers to our faith community who were handy with a hammer and a pruning shear they found the space to give of their own time and talents. I remember when that volunteer took me aside a year later and gave thanks for our conversation. 

“I’m glad I made the conscious decision to work less and create space for others,” they said. “It’s been so much more meaningful to work with new people. Our campus is beautiful, my back hurts less and I have more time for fishing!”.

That experience taught me an important lesson about learning to serve with others. As a priest I am tempted to believe that the entire Church and all of Christendom relies on my daily efforts. It’s humbling to remember that while my one instrument plays a unique tune for God, it doesn’t make up the whole orchestra. Sharing an altar, sharing a pulpit, sharing the people whom I serve is a gift I give not just to myself but the whole Church. It allows for the people I serve to experience a variety of styles and experiences. 

"Sharing an altar, sharing a pulpit, sharing the people whom I serve is a gift I give not just to myself but the whole Church. It allows for the people I serve to experience a variety of styles and experiences."

I have the luxury of working with another priest who has decades of ministry experience. While I am the Rector I still look to him for advice about everything from the sacraments to keeping a balance between ministry and my family. I admit that it isn’t always easy to let go of some things because I want to do it all. But then I remember Jesus’ words in commissioning the 12 disciples:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” - Matt 7:35-38

Jesus was deeply moved by the suffering he saw, by how people felt abandoned and unserved. There is just too much work for any one of us to do on our own. What would it look like if we admitted that we are overwhelmed? What would our faith communities look like if we each took stewardship over a share of the harvest? I think that the harvest would be so plentiful that our churches wouldn’t be able to contain it. And the joy that people would have in serving would be magnificent.  

But it does mean the sacrifice of making space for others to help us and to help the Church. I believe that one of the greatest challenges the Church is facing as we look to the future is not just how to equip people for the work of the Church but to give people opportunities to serve. Someone might respond with “why don’t they just jump in and start working?”. It’s true that there are moments when volunteering is straightforward and that the opportunities are right in front of us. But the volunteering that requires deep involvement in the ministries of the Church, that pushes us to become leaders and stewards of ministries often require that invitation to be given. 

My sincere hope is that the Church can keep practicing this invitation, keep making space for people to bring their time and talents to their faith communities. The future of the Church isn’t a tune played by a single instrument, it’s a chorus of voices, an orchestra of holy instruments all in harmony and on key praising God.