Own It!

I have been a children's pastor at churches for a good chunk of my adult life at this point. It is always an interesting dynamic going into a new church. (This past week has been great, I am just running on information overload.) You never know what it is you are coming into honestly. I have been to places where people have thought you were trying to take over the church because you asked them to improve on weaknesses. I have been places where people were so excited you were there that you wonder how bad it was before. You see God may have called me to lead a children's ministry but I am not there to own it. God may have called a pastor to a church to  

shepherd it, but he is not there to own it. As far as the chain of ownership goes in the church, both pastors and associate pastors are low on the organizational chart as far as ownership.

I worked for one pastor who truly thought he owned the church. He would never have admitted it. He struggled with many different things. It was usually about him. It was usually about how he wanted to do stuff. I don't remember once him saying "let’s pray and find out what God would have us do". It wasn't even that he was a micromanager (some people would have and did call him that) but it felt a lot like he made it about him. He would tell the staff on a regular basis we were not there for our careers but just to serve him. It really was hard because I am totally on board with serving my pastor. I love the Elisha and Elijah principle from 2 Kings 2. Elisha would not leave Elijah's side. He wanted to be there for his pastor or mentor. He wouldn't leave him. Pastor's that make it about them don't get this principle because it is about them. Pastors lead the church they don't own the church. It isn't about them. 

Really, truthfully, only God owns a church. It all has to come from him. You want to follow the vision placed into the pastor’s heart by the Holy Spirit. As a kid's pastor, I want to lead that ministry of the church to follow that vision. Yet, even when the pastor has a vision instilled in his heart, he doesn't own the church. He shouldn't even be second on that list. Truthfully, the Pastor is there to lead and serve not own. 

The owners of the church are the people God has put in that body. A church can never hire enough staff to run a church with paid volunteers. Paid Volunteers?  That makes NO sense. Just like anything that you own, you have to work it. It is part of owning it. Yeah, you hire the pastors to keep it but that's like buying a restaurant and never washing a dish. It is like buying a new car and never changing the oil. It is like joining a co-op and never being a part of the op. If it is your church, you have to own it. You need to take care of it too. Be a part of the system. Teach something. Serve somewhere or someone. Invite people to be a part. Lead a ministry. It is your church. You need to own it. 

I know the idea of people owning the church may not set well with people. God has called us to be the Bride of Christ. I don't know about you but my wife has just as much ownership of my stuff as I do. Paul goes into this in Ephesians 5. So yes, you own the church. I tell kids all the time, "You know so many more kids than I could ever meet". You can jump in and do so much more than one pastor if everyone did something. Own it. God has given you a talent, use it. It really is your church given to you by God. Don't let it go to waste.