I was an awkward and earnest teenager who said yes to just about anything that involved the church, which is how I found myself on a church committee at 15 years old. I don’t remember a single agenda item from the years I served, nor any of the discussions or decisions we made. I couldn’t even tell you if we followed Robert’s Rules or not.
One generation shall extol your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. – Psalm 145:4 (NRSVUE)
All I remember were the car rides to and from each meeting with a fellow committee member, my senior by a few decades, who took the time to explain why we were meeting and why the work we did together was important. They talked about being trusted with God’s resources and the awesome responsibility of helping decide what to do with those resources. They connected the business of the church with the ministry of God in ways that encouraged me to keep showing up. Understanding the “why” helped me claim my place at the table long before I fully understood what it was we did as a committee.
Now I’m the one who has decades on our church’s youth, but I remember those early lessons whenever I get in the car to drive to church for another meeting and wonder, “Why am I doing this, again?”
The psalmist, singing about how generations will proclaim all the good God does, offers their own reason why: We do this because God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (verse 8.)
Church committees come and go. The business of the church transforms to meet the needs of the day, but our why is always the same. We do it because God is steadfast. We do it because God is love
All I remember were the car rides to and from each meeting with a fellow committee member, my senior by a few decades, who took the time to explain why we were meeting and why the work we did together was important. They talked about being trusted with God’s resources and the awesome responsibility of helping decide what to do with those resources. They connected the business of the church with the ministry of God in ways that encouraged me to keep showing up. Understanding the “why” helped me claim my place at the table long before I fully understood what it was we did as a committee.
Now I’m the one who has decades on our church’s youth, but I remember those early lessons whenever I get in the car to drive to church for another meeting and wonder, “Why am I doing this, again?”
The psalmist, singing about how generations will proclaim all the good God does, offers their own reason why: We do this because God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (verse 8.)
Church committees come and go. The business of the church transforms to meet the needs of the day, but our why is always the same. We do it because God is steadfast. We do it because God is love.
Prayer ~ In knowing you, Holy One, may we find our why.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ellis Miller serves as the Designated Pastor of Granby Congregational Church, UCC and is the author of Only Work Sundays: A Laidback Guide to Doing Less while Helping Your Church Thrive.