Yesterday marked 3 weeks that I have now been sick. When we got back from Michigan, I decided to go to the doctor. My doctor's office was too busy, so I went to a walk-in clinic not too far from my house. The on-call doctor there listened to my lungs, said they sounded pretty rough, diagnosed me with "acute bronchitis", and prescribed some insanely expensive drug that is obviously not working.So I called my doctor's office again yesterday, hoping to get in today. Out of 5 doctors, the earliest they could get me in was on Monday afternoon. There was an outside chance one of the doctors would have an opening today, so I was told to call this morning to see if there was an opening. Turns out that doctor took the day off.
Thankfully one of my doctor's nurses called me, asked me some questions, got a prescription suggestion from my doctor, and called it in to the pharmacy for me. I plan to pick it up on my way home. I was told that if I wasn't better by Monday, to call and they would squeeze me in. They seem to agree with me that 3 weeks is too long to go with bronchitis.
As I got off the phone though early this morning (before the helpful nurse called me), I couldn't help but feeling like I should switch doctor's offices. Mine was apparently too busy for me. Maybe I should switch to someone I can actually see.
Then the thought hit me - it's the same way with churches. Often times the leaders of a church are too busy for their flock. And the people get frustrated, feel like no one has time for them, and so they start thinking of leaving.
But if pastors, teachers, and other leaders work at reproducing themselves, no one gets left out. There will always be someone available to help out. That's why I was so thankful that the nurse called me and helped me get what will hopefully be the solution to this bronchitis (or whatever it is). I couldn't get to my doctor, but she could and she helped me out. My doctor had "reproduced" himself and had others available to help his patients out.
This is a great reminder for me. I've been so busy this 2007, and I feel like lots of people have fell through the cracks. But if I was "reproduced" and others were available to minister, listen, and help those in need, no one would get left out.
So if you are ministering somewhere in your church, who are you developing? How are you reproducing yourself?
And if you aren't serving in your church or some ministry or making a Kingdom difference in your community, get involved. Learn from someone who's already doing it. Because we need you - we don't want anyone feeling left out and that the Church has no time for the very people that Christ died for.
2 comments:
Shouldn't doctors say they aren't taking new patients so they can maintain the level of service to the patients they are seeing? Then the doctor can suggest that the clinic hire more doctors to service the patients that are being turned away.
To carry that to the church pastor thing, shouldn't a pastor realize they are over worked and tell the elders there is a need for more pastors so the level of service doesn't suffer?
I for one would rather see us put off building the Mega Church and spend some money to hire enough pastors to service the flock.
Concerning my doctor - Dr. Bell is transitioning to a new role, so he is only at the clinic half-days. And they are in the process of hiring new doctors.
Concerning New Covenant - we are looking at hiring more pastors and other positions. Those things are put in the normal budget. The new building is being handled completely through Embracing Faith campaigns. We want NO ministry to be slowed down because of a building.
However, ministry is not to all be done by the pastors. Just as I was able to get helped by one of my doctor's nurses, the people in our churches should be helped by those who are right there along side of them. It doesn't have to be a pastor in order for it to be legitimate ministry.
Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that God gave people such as pastors to equip the saints (followers of Christ) to do the ministry. So my post was a reminder to myself that I need to be equipping those in my "flock" to be doing the ministry of serving, discipling, and caring for one another.
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