The cork in the bottle

Paid workers are valuable for churches but they also pose a potential danger, in that they can become the cork in the bottle that stops growth from happening. For example if a church is about 80 members one church worker has only limited time and is probably at the threshold of his ability to care for the churches members. And actually is probably spending the vast majority of his time maintaining ministries and caring for the people he has been given. There will be little time to stand back evaluate, pray and plan.

So what is the answer to that problem? Is it to take on an extra member of staff. Well it may be, except that having more staff increases peoples expectations, it may lead people to expect twice as many visits, rather than freeing up time to plan and pray strategically. It may create expectations of multiplied ministries rather than more focused ones.

I wonder if the answer isn't seen in Paul's model of ministry. He always has a young apprentice with him who he is training up to eventually send elsewhere but alongside that he looks for leaders from among the churches. So he tells Titus to appoint men from the church as elders, it is the same model he and Barnabas used when returning after their first missionary journey.

The answer to the problems growth brings may not be more paid staff, it may be more teams working within a congregation. Maybe a pastoral visitation team, or a youth team, or whatever else. These are then overseen by the elders. It also has the added benefit of drawing peopel in from the fringe to be part of these teams.

It has the great benefit that it is growing leaders from within the church and growing disciples as it works.