by Carmen Kamrath
Have you ever wanted to start a revolution?
Bill Hybels, senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, challenges ministry leaders to do just that in his book, The Volunteer Revolution. This month we’ll be taking a look at how to get people in your church to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action by serving others. Imagine what would happen in your church if people started serving with their hearts, their passions, and their talents—it would be revolutionary.
Made for This
The phrase, “I was born to do this,” has been proclaimed by sports figures, musicians, and successful business men and women. But as a human race, we were born for something even bigger. “The desire to be a world-changer is planted in the heart of every human being, and that desire comes directly from the heart of God,” (p. 13) is exactly what takes the “guilt” out of asking people in your church to get out of the church pew and into active ministry. In Chapter One, Hybels lays out what really comes naturally because it’s what we were created for; or, to put it in the words of the infamous Blues Brothers, “We’re on a mission from God.”
When we let God lead us into exactly what He created us for, our satisfaction and joy for life increases tenfold. Hybels begins to share several of many stories in this first chapter of the life-change people experience when they’re invited to serve alongside us in ministry. Hybels tells readers that God wants His mission to become ours—He wants us to team up with Him and change the world.
The Orange Connection
Children and students grow in their faith when they’re given the opportunity to serve others; it’s what they are created for—what we are all created for. Make it an integral part of your strategy to provide children, students, and families with intentional ways they can serve in your church, community and world.
Think On This
How is serving others/volunteering communicated in your church—is it a desperate plea from the pulpit or an exciting invitation to be part of a bigger story? What can you do to encourage people in your church to go from spectators to participants? How can you create a culture of serving others in your church?
