VOLUNTEERS IN THE CHURCH COMMUNITY

Arie J. Hordyk

            Picture this: The Consistory rejected our proposal without giving us a reason. Or: Council altered our proposal without really telling us why. Or: Council decided to take over a matter or function that has been mandated to us for years.......

            And of course, you can change the name Consistory or Council into School Board, High School Board, etc. and you may have a similar scenario.

            I have noticed a bit of dissatisfaction in and around the volunteers I am familiar with, and wonder what the problem is.  Is it with the volunteers or the consistories or boards?

            In my active lifetime I have served in church or church related boards and committees, was active in local and area community work, served my industry on the local, provincial and national levels for over 30 years. And when I hear about volunteering in and around the church, I listen to problems I really never heard about in secular organizations. Why is this so?  Why do some of our consistories and boards go over committee minutes with a fine toothcomb and spend hours of their valuable time doing committee work?  After all, I assume that they appoint very capable church members to these committees in order that the job gets done.   Or do we too often have a situation where the expertise is less important than the popularity of the church member?   Or do we feel we should give someone a job to keep him or her interested in the church?

            It is prudent of any consistory to delegate any other work, outside of the spiritual aspect in the care of the congregation, to church members who have the required expertise. After all, an elder does not have to be a banker or accountant to be a good and compassionate elder. To be a good shepherd should be pre-eminent.  And that is why he was ordained. But for the books of the church you want members with financial experience. And the elders, who appoint these members to look after the material management, better have a very good reason to overrule them. A simple statement:  "We run the church", is certainly not good enough.

As far as our school boards are concerned we could have a similar situation. Most Board members are parents of school going children. They have a vested interest. They are elected to the Board in a democratic process and are responsible to the membership for a sound and efficient operation of the school.  Without capable and dedicated committees, you might as well go home!

            What is the difference between the church and school societies? First of all, our societies are operated in a democratic manner. These boards are totally accountable to the membership. It is rather interesting that some of our presidents or board members who have served in a consistory don't always subscribe to this, and this can cause a lot of dissension among the membership to the extent that it hurts the operation of the school.  It is a lot easier for a school society to lose members than for a church. You don't leave the church. You are sort of locked in.  And that is where a good consistory is worth its weight in gold. Knowing that the Lord has given them the responsibility for the congregation, consistory members should realize that their authority over them is secondary.  In day-to-day life we talk about our duties, not our rights.

            To do any work in God's Kingdom is a privilege. And one should give his very best to serve the Lord wherever and whenever possible. To volunteer as the bookkeeper or treasurer of the church or to be involved in evangelism should be an enriching experience. In particular, take the example of Vacation Bible School. Is it not amazing that we always find the same members doing V.B.S. year after year?  In our church V.B.S. is the least structured committee and it operates very well on its own. As a matter of fact, we would like to see our consistory members show some interest during the 2 week presentation! 

            My advice is:  Without volunteers you won't get the job done. These people should be trusted after being appointed. They deserve to receive some encouragement, instead of being put through the grinder of criticism.

            On the other hand, consistories and boards are human too, and maybe a face to face meeting "on neutral ground" may do wonders. How about an informal coffee social for the leadership and volunteers? In the Kingdom there should not be a visible level of service. Everything is important. After all, we expect the coming of our Lord. And He wants all of us to be busy in His vineyard, in brotherly love when He gathers the harvest.