Visitors

When Angela and I married, I was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, NC. It was (and always will be) the church of my dreams, but the long drive to church (around an hour) made it difficult to stay involved around both of our schedules, so we decided to look around for something a little closer to home.

I began thinking back to all of the churches I had visited in my travels as a singer/preacher. My memories always reflected a church full of smiling people meeting me at the door wanting to help carry equipment, shake my hand, or give me food. It seems, however, when we walked in the door as just another person (and not a guest preacher or singer), nobody acknowledged our existance. it was almost as if we were invisible as we walked into many of these churches. In many cases, not even the Pastor shook our hand. Let me tell you that my oppinions of some of these churches changed drastically in this period.

It's very easy to want to treat a visiting minister or singer with respect and give them special treatment, but we have to remember that they are no more important than the poor man that walked in at the last minute on the back row. Our hand of fellowship just may be the thing that keeps someone from going to Hell. Join OVM this month as we make a special effort to notice every visitor, not just the ones that are being featured in the service.

Church Volunteers

Every church depends, at least in some capacity, on volunteers. In most churches you can find volunteers in the nursery, media booth, choir, etc. These special people usually put more of their lives into the ministry of the church than the church staff - especially considering that the time they give is in addition to their jobs.

As a minister it is often easy to take advantage of these people and treat them as part of the church staff, but we must remember that their giving is a sacrifice unto God. When volunteers find themselves without the tools they need to do the job required - or they are treated without the respect they deserve,the will most likely find another place to go and another church to serve in.

I urge you to love your volunteers. Don't just tell them you appreciate them, show them. Give them the tools they need to do the job right, remember, the job they do is for the King of Kings. Treat them as His servants. Help them to do their jobs to the best of their capabilities - and listen to their needs.