I’ve had a lot of pastors and church staff members ask me, “How can we do a better job of developing volunteer leadership?”
Well, let me answer that question with a question.
Do you remember Pearl Harbor? The surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base in Hawaii that took the lives of over 2,400 Americans and incited the United States to join World War II.
It happened on December 7, 1941 at 7:55am. Exactly 74 years ago today.
As soon as word spread that Pearl Harbor was struck, there was an immediate flood of navy yard workers who volunteered to relocate to Pearl Harbor. See the pic below...
In addition, tons of men felt inspired to volunteer for military service when they got word of the attack.
Even today, the volunteerism continues.
There’s a Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor that pays honor to those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.
It’s ran by volunteers.
The USS Arizona Memorial gives historical information about the attack. It, too, honors those who lost their lives. Over two million people visit it annually.
It’s maintained primarily by volunteers.
So what's the secret? The event of the attack on Pearl Harbor turned pacifists into card carrying, gun-toting GI's. It was that "Day which will live in infamy", as FDR called it, that motivated everyone to get behind a war effort which the United States desired to remain neutral. But when you're attacked? Neutrality goes out the window. When your back is against the wall? You've got to volunteer.
At oneChurch.tv, we have to remind everyone that we are in a war. Not a war of flesh and blood, as Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12. We are in a war in which the casualties are the folks who choose NOT to go to church. Of a people who think, "Go to Church? I am not a churched person? Why would I go to church?"
We all work in communities or cities where, for the most part, people think that Church is for ChurchedPeople. They do. It’s true. In this community, people think that church is for churched people. The reason why unchurched people don’t go to church is because they believe church is for churched people. “Why would I go to church? Church is for churched people!’
But I don’t believe that. In fact, I believe you don’t believe that. But we live in a world that believes church is for churched people. That just drives me crazy. I know that church isn’t for churched people because that would mean Christianity is for churched people, which means that Jesus came for churched people and there wasn’t even a church when He came! We know that’s not what this is all about.
Unfortunately, (and you know who’s fault it is—its our fault) Unfortunately we live in a culture that believes that church is for churched people. And yet, we live in a country that people really do believe about God. People really do want to have a connection with God. The problem is not God, the problem has been the church. Yet I believe that church is the connection between people and God. The Body of Christ should be the equation of connecting people with God.
It drives me crazy that people want to connect with God, but because they have had such a bad experience in church, they just don’t want to go to church.
Every day, 125,274 people in Clarksville don't go to church anywhere. 88% of our community would rather stay home on Sunday because they don't believe that church has anything to offer.
In our community and thousands of other communities all across America, there is a hunger for God, but the church gets in the way. And I would give the rest of my life to change that, because I love God and I love the church. Jesus said, “The way I’m going to get the world’s attention is that I am going to establish My church, and nothing is going to stop it.” But for some crazy reason, church history shows us over and over again how the church has gotten I the way of people connecting with God.
I believe that church should be the magnet that draws people to God—not an impediment. We ought to be irresistible.
I don’t want to play church. I don’t want to lead people around in a circle and keep people happy. Keep the pictures straight on the wall and argue over paint. I want to look back over this next year and se people’s lives changed. I am on a mission to get the church out of the margins of society, and to change the reputation of the local church. To make it irresistible, because Jesus was irresistible. If we’re His body, we should have the same magnetism. People should be able to walk in here on Sunday morning and say, “I don’t believe it. I don’t like it, but I’m coming back. I don’t agree with it. I didn’t even understand all of it, but I like those people. They are so weird, but they are the finest people I have ever been with. I felt more accepted by that group of people that I disagree with than I do feel accepted by the people I do agree with. There’s just something about them.” That is how Jesus was. That is why sinners liked to be around Him. They liked Him and yet they were nothing like Him.
That is our charge. Our mission. That is the bar. And where that doesn’t happen, we have to change it. And when we cast that vision? That people who are far from God can have a changed life? People can and will come out of the woodwork and do some amazing things... because they are willing to volunteer for a cause in which they believe.