Be an Equipper
Graduation season is a good time to talk about equipping
people. As children grow up and become independent, it is the job of the parent
to equip them to face the challenges of life. This can mean letting them manage
their own money, increasing responsibilities, or just letting them face the
consequences of their own behavior while they are still living at home. Then, when
they are further from home, they have some experience and are “equipped” when
their parents are far away.
In church-life, we have equipping too. Mature believers are
not to do all the tasks involved with running the church. Staff are not to be
paid help to do the work at hand. Indeed, it takes every leader teaching others
how to do any task they already know how to do. There is a nationwide trend
toward fewer paid staff and this is true in my own church where we have only a
few support staff and ministry staff in comparison to a decade or more ago.
However, confusion results when expectations remain the same. The remaining
staff can become overwhelmed doing what staff did in the past. It can be a
frustrating situation.
When a church staff member asks you to help complete a task,
gives you the tools, and the information needed, don’t get mad, get busy. They
are not trying to get out of work, they are trying to equip you and others.
You, in turn, should also equip those you work with and teach them to do the
work of the church.
The model Jesus used is a good example and visual to
understand the equipping process. At first Jesus did the ministry, all of it.
The disciples just watched him and learned. Then Jesus, started assigning them
tasks so they could participate. Then Jesus started letting them do the
ministry while he helped. In Matthew 11, we see that Jesus sent them out to do
the ministry without Him close by to help. When Jesus ascended and the Holy
Spirit filled believers, they were fully equipped to make disciples.
Who can you equip? Is there a task or skill you utilize at
church that you can train someone else to do? Get to it. Be an equipper.
