Why has the number of people preparing for mission and ministry work declined? I keep being asked this question.

Let me begin to answer by questioning the assumption. There are so many people who are doing and wish to do ministry apprenticeships. There are so many others who have been willing to leave the plough and fish for others.

Nonetheless, there have always been some who say there is no one in our congregational setting who we can recruit to wholehearted gospel ministry. Some churches say they are unable to get people willing to serve on church councils. This comment is becoming more widespread.

Why?

I wonder whether the reduction in numbers willing to consider full time financially dependent ministry, and also other types of ministry has been because we have picked the ‘low hanging fruit’ - the build up of people over the years who just required a little shaking to make a change.

What?

If that is the case, then what do we do about it?

We could go around looking harder, or shaking the tree more ferociously. This is worth doing and it may draw more people into the harvest field… but rather than shake out more fruit, we need to fertilise the tree so that it produces more fruit.

How to fertilise?

Recently I was asked to speak on “Making the most of the people God gives you. Instead I spoke on “Growing the Church that God gives you”. I think there are two obvious things that we must do to produce more people eager to serve.

Firstly, we must recognize that fruit is the product of a flower that has the chance to be fed and watered so that it actually matures to fruit. To push the illustration, this means we must start much earlier than shaking the tree. We need to stand beside young Christians helping them to read the Word, submit to it’s call, and live the life of faith, trusting in the promises of God. Over time such effort will produce more fruit. Remember Jesus’ parable of the four soils. The good soil, IN TIME, produces a great harvest. It takes time and energy. It is too common that we bemoan not having people willing to enter ministry without us having put the years of effort into growing them to this point. Let’s fertilise the tree, so the fruit may form and be harvested.

Secondly, (and here I need to change the image), there is the ‘dragging effect’ of recruiting people for ministry. By this I mean that having people who have gone before into ministry and mission makes it much easier, and an obvious choice for a generation slightly below them.  A slightly different image is that it is easier to walk through undergrowth if you have a path to follow. To order our structures and processes in church so that this pathway is clear and visible will help raise up people for Kingdom service.

Having picked the ‘low hanging fruit’ may mean that some time will elapse before more fruit is ready to be harvested; but keep at it, as God brings people to maturity.

Feature photo: klwatts