Neil Cole offers a brief, biting reflection on how service in the local church is killing her. This is one of the reasons I appreciate his writing and ministry:
We ask for volunteers all the time. We offer spiritual-gift assessments to see where people fit best in our program, but we never really offer very challenging experiences for people. Handing out bulletins, directing traffic wearing a bright orange vest, chaperoning a youth function, or changing a diaper in the nursery may be helpful for the church program, but none of it is a task worth giving your life to. Many who struggle to do these things have a nagging unspoken question: “Did Jesus come so I can do this?”
We must transition from seeing church as a once-a-week worship event to an ongoing spiritual family on mission together. Then people will see church as something worth giving your life for. Honestly, people need one another more then they need another inspiring message. You would be surprised what people will do for Jesus, or for a brother or sister, that they will not do for a vision statement and a capital giving campaign.
How are you connecting the church to the church? Are your inspiring messages creating a church that lives in community and mission? Are you pseudomissional or gospel missional?
Church Planting Novice 
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December 3, 2008 at 3:10 pm
jason allen
In ongoing family functioning is there any place for those activities? Just wondering out loud.
December 3, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Wednesday Links | Subverting Mediocrity
[…] Neil Cole says service in the church is killing her? Really? What do you think? Check it. […]
December 3, 2008 at 4:16 pm
A Risky Ecclesiology
[…] thoughts sparked by Neil Cole’s words which I caught over on Jonathan Dodson’s blog… We ask for volunteers all the time. We offer spiritual-gift assessments to see where people […]
December 4, 2008 at 6:00 am
Joshua Saxby
A refreshing reflection an empowering conclusion.
It is not about being a cog in the ministry machine; it’s about giving up everything to follow Jesus into mission!
Here is a link to a post I put up on t he same topic:
http://joshuasaxby.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-biblical-self-discovery.html
December 4, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Jonathan Dodson
I believe that there are places for some of the tasks mentioned; however, those tasks are rarely connected to mission, and do not scratch the missional itch in the soul of every Christ follower. Handing out bulletins and directing traffic may be necessary in services, but those brief tasks do not reflect a people on mission. They are supportive activities at an event, a potentially glorious event of the church gathering…but I think Cole wants us to see well beyond that glory to the great glory of being a sent church, a people who carry their service into everyday life as the church, a people who promote life outside the walls of the church, a people challenged by the enormity of the gospel and the task of mission. When people are challenged with changing an entire city, let’s say, more than Sunday service tasks are required; creativity in mission is required!
December 4, 2008 at 4:57 pm
jason allen
Jonathan,
For sure more is necessary for a people on mission. But can’t even those activities described be couched as a small role in this mission though? Maybe the problem is our inability and failure to see how even changing diapers and handing out bulletins can aid in Christ’s mission. Of course this is assuming that the corporate gathering is more than an “event” but is actually playing into the mission of Christ.
Sure we want to see how we play a part in Christ’s mission Mon-Sat. But how do we discover how Sunday also plays into Christ’s mission? Can’t what happens in that corporate gathering also play a part in our understanding of being a “sent” people?
Not being adversarial, just wrestling through these issues myself and so this dialogue is helpful. Sorry if the words on the screen don’t adequately reflect this hope and heart.
December 4, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Jonathan Dodson
I agree with you, Jason, and don’t detect an ounce of adversarial spirit. I tried to leave room for SUnday tasks being connected to mission in my comment…”those tasks are rarely connected to mission in the church.” In other words, we need to foster those connections. Our challenge is to help people make those connections. It would be very helpful if we applied our theological energies to this as much as we do to preaching.
For instance, directing traffic is robustly theological and missional. The traffic directors are guiding people to the truth, to hear the gospel, to be with the church. We should all be traffic directors throughout the week, guiding people away from unnecessary collisions and into the church, into the gospel.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we took just a few minutes to frame the Sunday tasks theologically and missionally?
December 5, 2008 at 4:32 am
the encounter » Rethinking church
[…] Neil Cole writes :: […]
December 5, 2008 at 4:49 pm
jason allen
I agree with you. We do need to think more theologically about these tasks.
I think I would add or amend your example to include a more direct link. I think metaphorical approach you describe is helpful, for sure. But I think there is also a place for a very direct link. People are making impressions about Christ even as they enter the parking lot. Greeting people, who may be uncomfortable even attending a church service, can go a long way to helping them actually encounter Christ for the first time.
Or with kids ministry and changing diapers. When people know their children are cared for with love they are more receptive to hear what we claim to believe. And our youngest attenders will form opinions about Jesus by what they see in us.
But I’d also say another pitfall with the quotation is that it removes the mission of Christ from the humdrum of everyday life. This is problematic I think.
December 5, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Jonathan Dodson
Agreed. Yet, I’m sure that Cole would compel us to bring mission to bear on the small things in light of the big mission. Neil, you want to weigh in here?
December 7, 2008 at 4:48 am
jason allen
I would think so (hope so). Just commenting on the quote as is…
December 8, 2008 at 7:19 am
Neil Cole
It is not that doing small tasks in church is bad or wrong, it is that these are not enough to make us feel like we are a significant part of the mission of God’s kingdom. Every important mission involves menial tasks, but they are easier to do when we are focused on the importance of the big picture. THAT is where we run into problems with what we do in typical churches…we make maintaining and growing the attendance of a Sunday worship service at a church the only thing we can give our lives to. This is simply not big enough for the price Christ paid on the cross. We must see God’s kingdom as much bigger than a once-a-week worship service. Having a good service on Sunday is not enough for us to give our lives to. Jesus blood is far more valuable than just that. It isn’t wrong or bad to have a worship service, but when that is the main thing, even the only thing, that we can devote our lives to it reduces all our gifts and service to just a few options. That is the point of my comments on the blog. Glad to hear you are engaging my thoughts!
December 8, 2008 at 9:01 am
links for 2008-12-08 « siyach
[…] Service in the Local Church is Killing Her « Church Planting Novice Handing out bulletins, directing traffic wearing a bright orange vest, chaperoning a youth function, or changing a diaper in the nursery may be helpful for the church program, but none of it is a task worth giving your life to. Many who struggle to do these things have a nagging unspoken question: “Did Jesus come so I can do this?” […]
December 8, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Jonathan Dodson
Thanks for the helpful comment, Neil. I couldn’t agree more. It is jarring to frame this in terms of Jesus blood, but that is exactly the way it should be framed.
We sell Jesus and people short when all our energies are put into church-as-service instead of church-as-community-on-mission in the gospel, which can include a service.
December 8, 2008 at 5:08 pm
jason allen
Thanks for the comment, definitely agree with that.
December 8, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Monday Links | Subverting Mediocrity
[…] Service is killing the Local church link from the other day. Neil Cole joins the convo in the comments. Might be of interest. Check it. […]