Preaching to the choir

Just read this:

"It takes 860 of our current 1800 total volunteers over 3400 hours per week to pull off our 8 Worship Experiences at 3 portable locations every Sunday. The volunteers are the lifeblood of this church."

Imagine what could 860 people, expensing 3400 hours of energy, do when applied on mission, in their own contexts, changing their worlds? Imagine a church where there were almost no opportunities to serve on Sundays in making the "service" happen - where the only way you could serve was to be innovative and on mission in reaching your world for Christ?

Of course there's room for serving at gatherings, but when it consumes 50% of your volunteers and God knows how much of your logistical and financial resources, it gets unbalanced and out of hand.

Leonard Sweet wrote: "I'm tired of music [I want to add programs, projects, gatherings and everything else] that only fondles and strokes the emotional curves of the converted."

Don't expend yourself on creating "Sunday church" - rather come in small numbers to be inspired and connected in a simple way.

Then go and serve extravagantly where the world needs you most - Monday to Saturday, in your community/workplace/family/friendships, where only you have the relational leverage to represent Christ authentically to a broken and fragmented people.