Growing up as a child, we would often be told to share our things with others. Far too often we would view our toys as “mine” hoarding them for ourselves especially when others would come and threaten our ownership. “Be nice and share” would become the refrain of our parents in hopes that we would develop relationships with others. But as a middle child, I would often rebel against such thought because I felt like I had to fight for everything I had.
Unfortunately, for some pastors this ability to share doesn’t come to fruition until they become oversaturated and burnt out. As Multi-vocational this can happen a lot quicker for us due to our limited amount of time and energy. Yet, as many of us serve in smaller church environments, our limited resources may cause us to think that we need to do everything ourselves.
But organizations are comprised of many components that interact and influence each other; at least they should. One person is not a system in themselves. As multiple people interact and exchange information the system begins to produce an outcome, a result. DeRuyter states, “A system is more than a complex array of cause for any one effect. Rather, a system is characterized by reciprocity… each of the component members influences each of the other members and in turn is influenced by them.”
In Organizational Development one is presented with three types of systems:
First, there is an open system where air and light can come in and out and there is a living environment that allows for exchange of freshness into the stale and new ideas into old routines.
Second, there is a closed system where there is no air and light exchange, and systems can become stale and stagnant. There may be some element of influence from the outside, some factors that may cause the system to adjust, but no new ideas or allowance for exchange taking place.
Third, there is the isolated system where there is absolutely no impact, it just is.
When it comes to ministry which of the forementioned systems would you say describes your ministry the best? There is incredible danger in having a closed or isolated system as our model. When we remain shut off or remain unaffected by what is going on around us, our ministry model will not last, and it will not produce any fruit or life.
A gathering church is supposed to be an open system; we are all a unique and diverse part of one body, where the “one another’s” of scripture play out and true sense of community begins to unfold. This flies in the face of the superhero model of doing things all on one’s own to “save the day.”
Perhaps that is why God has never intended for us to do ministry on our own. Paul speaks to how God has equipped his church with leader in Ephesians 4. But notice their role is not to do all the work of the ministry, but to equip others.
12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12
When we open the door and become an open system where the freshness of new talent, new perspectives, and new experiences come in, there is the opportunity for new growth and life to flourish. Not only is the environment around the system impacted, but those who are changing the system are themselves impacted as well.
In fact, Donaldson points out, ““Multiplied ministry is the byproduct of bivocational ministry. Because the pastor has limited time, the church necessarily has to rise up and be the church. This manifests itself in the faith community in the stewardship of ministry or facilities, and in the utilizing gifts and graces in ways that the pastor may have neither time nor talent for.”
Ministry is not just a training ground for leaders, but as we release more responsibility to lay leaders and those whom God has placed within our churches, our congregations become environments for growth and life. People discover God in a different way when they are invited to serve. So, be nice and share. Help others to discover what it means to be “dually devoted.”
Resource:
DeRuyter, M. (2017). Responsible for myself, responsible to others: From fusion to emotional maturity. In J. Herrington & T. Taylor (Eds.). Learning change: Congregational transformation fueled by personal renewal (p. 131-153). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel.
Donaldson, M. B. (2016). A means to an end: The sustainability of bivocational ministry (Doctoral dissertation, Asbury Theological Seminary). Retrieved from https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=The+sustainability+of+bivocational+ministry+donaldson&btnG=&httpsredir=1&article=1842&context=ecommonsatsdissertations
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