How do you get young/new Christians to serve?

[Fresh Air]

We had tried that in the past, but to be honest, most <younger especially> folk I've encountered don't have the character to be held to perpetual consistent responsibilities NOR even a partnering concept like you describe.  The able-bodied child-rearing aged Christians who come our way are interested in coming to church on Sunday morning (not Sunday School mind you) maybe 2 or three times a month.  Their regular in their irregularity, but don't even count on them to step up to anything besides attending the 11AM Sunday service when they feel like it.

In that scenario the only kind of job you can give them is one in which they don't actually need to be there. I manufacture some of those so that I can give people an opportunity to serve without it hurting us if they don't show up i.e. one of several people covering the sound room, or driving the parking shuttle, being a helper in a SS class (not the teacher), changing a bulletin board every two months, putting stickers on the back of tracts, etc. If they won't show up consistently and dependably you simply cannot give them any critical service opportunity. You can involve them as I've described, but you cannot do more until they become committed.

 

[Castor Muscular]

Give them a copy of the book, "To Serve Man". 

 

[ALAYMAN]

In that scenario the only kind of job you can give them is one in which they don't actually need to be there. I manufacture some of those so that I can give people an opportunity to serve without it hurting us if they don't show up i.e. one of several people covering the sound room, or driving the parking shuttle, being a helper in a SS class (not the teacher), changing a bulletin board every two months, putting stickers on the back of tracts, etc. If they won't show up consistently and dependably you simply cannot give them any critical service opportunity. You can involve them as I've described, but you cannot do more until they become committed.

Good helpful thoughts bro.

It's sad that folk don't want to serve and be held accountable to ministry of the body.  People in key positions like teaching, music, sound, etc, will just not show up, and not bother to call ahead to let folk know.  It leaves the people who do show up scrambling to pick up the slack for the void, and often gives a wrong appearance of leadership to the the folk in the pew who wonder why things aren't flowing smoothly.

 

[Smellin Coffee]

Why are we so concerned as to people serving "in church" rather than serving "as the church"?

 

[ALAYMAN]

Why are we so concerned as to people serving "in church" rather than serving "as the church"?

I've never met a Christian yet who was not faithful to the assembly but was faithful to serving outside the walls.

 

[rsc2a]

Why are we so concerned as to people serving "in church" rather than serving "as the church"?

I've never met a Christian yet who was not faithful to the assembly but was faithful to serving outside the walls.

You should meet more people. 

 

[Smellin Coffee]

Why are we so concerned as to people serving "in church" rather than serving "as the church"?

I've never met a Christian yet who was not faithful to the assembly but was faithful to serving outside the walls.

You should meet more people. 

Exactly.

 

[ALAYMAN]

You should meet more people. 

Why should I meet, and ostensibly mold my theological model for ministry, more people who flagrantly and intentionally disobey the final authority of God?

 

[rsc2a]

You should meet more people. 

Why should I meet, and ostensibly mold my theological model for ministry, more people who flagrantly and intentionally disobey the final authority of God?

I just said you should meet more people. 

 

[Smellin Coffee]

You should meet more people. 

Why should I meet, and ostensibly mold my theological model for ministry, more people who flagrantly and intentionally disobey the final authority of God?

Where did Jesus ever teach that all "final authority" was found solely in a 66-book canon?

And Jesus came and said to them,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

 

[ALAYMAN]

Where did Jesus ever teach that all "final authority" was found solely in a 66-book canon?

Where did Jesus teach necrophilia, incest, or homosexuality was wrong?

 

[rsc2a]

Where did Jesus ever teach that all "final authority" was found solely in a 66-book canon?

Where did Jesus teach necrophilia, incest, or homosexuality was wrong?

What in the world does his question have to do with yours?

 

[Smellin Coffee]

Where did Jesus ever teach that all "final authority" was found solely in a 66-book canon?

Where did Jesus teach necrophilia, incest, or homosexuality was wrong?

What in the world does his question have to do with yours?

Exactly.

 

[ALAYMAN]

Exactly.

Yours is a similar logic to the atheist and gay-friendly crowd who points to the red letters and asks where Jesus addressed <insert issue here>.

 

[Smellin Coffee]

Exactly.

Yours is a similar logic to the atheist and gay-friendly crowd who points to the red letters and asks where Jesus addressed <insert issue here>.

So was Jesus lying when He said God gave Him all authority by the time He ascended?

 

[rsc2a]

Exactly.

Yours is a similar logic to the atheist and gay-friendly crowd who points to the red letters and asks where Jesus addressed <insert issue here>.

Ah! So yours is an appeal to the fact that Jesus didn't address the issues you mentioned because it would be clear what His views were based on the culture and time in which He lived on this earth. By the way, I agree with you completely.

His views regarding the authority of Scripture would have also been clear based on the culture and time in which He lived on this earth. And that positions is most definitely not one in which Torah is the final authority in all things. This view was only held by some smaller sects of Judaism, and they generally limit it to the Pentateuch, not the entire Torah. We also have zero evidence that Jesus belonged to any of these sects.

 

[ALAYMAN]

So was Jesus lying when He said God gave Him all authority by the time He ascended?

No, he was telling the truth, which means nothing else has any vested authority whatsoever, not church leaders, not parents over children, not masters over slaves, not husbands over wives, not governments over subjects, nada.

 

[Smellin Coffee]

So was Jesus lying when He said God gave Him all authority by the time He ascended?

No, he was telling the truth, which means nothing else has any vested authority whatsoever, not church leaders, not parents over children, not masters over slaves, not husbands over wives, not governments over subjects, nada.

So He split His "spiritual" authority and "all" doesn't really mean "all". I think I've heard that argument used in another topic a while back.

 

[ALAYMAN]

So He split His "spiritual" authority and "all" doesn't really mean "all". I think I've heard that argument used in another topic a while back.

No, you've convinced me.  Jesus alone has authority.  The Bible is not an authority, and certainly not the final authority, and therefore I can do whatever I want, ignoring the epistles and anything that pesky masochist and megalomaniac Paul wrote.  I also am telling my boy that he no longer has any rules, because Jesus never gave me any authority to train and discipine him.  This newfound freedom that the CARM daughter found is contagious!

 

[PappaBear]

No, you've convinced me.  Jesus alone has authority.  The Bible is not an authority, and certainly not the final authority, and therefore I can do whatever I want, ignoring the epistles and anything that pesky masochist and megalomaniac Paul wrote.  I also am telling my boy that he no longer has any rules, because Jesus never gave me any authority to train and discipine him.  This newfound freedom that the CARM daughter found is contagious!

Pssssst!  Hey, AL!  Nothing to see, here.  Move along.  You have permitted them to derail what has been otherwise one of the most beneficial threads with the same apostasy spread on other threads.  Maybe you could plant a honey of a thread on Scriptural Authority over in the Bible room and watch the hornets pile on and buzz & bumble over there? 

Btw, a majority of my problems are the same as yours.  It is endemic to smaller churches.  A large percentage seem to be uncommitted, unfaithful, or unqualified -- but we NEED the workers.  What has aggravated the situation in recent times has been the caving in of many preachers to the temptation to "let the work train the workers" and placing the undependable in highly visible positions.  The need is so great, and the laborers so few!  But that never works out and actually becomes self-defeating.  That is where I think the 1-to-3 concept will be helpful, again, if we can get our older Christians to do it.  It does not mean wait until the potential 2nd person blooms and knows, but that a seasoned, faithful Christian takes responsibility for a newbie and guides/encourages him or her into the ministry.  Remember back to when you first got saved and entered church, and the trepidation attending that?  The more we take the initiative in an inviting way, assuring and acclimating people into ministry rather than confrontational and accusing, or worse -- guilt-tripping, I believe the better results of enrolling workers we will have.

Tom Brennan, could you describe a little more how you do your team concept?