Crowded Out 5 of 6

We are talking about "practices" to keep us from Crowding God Out of our lives. So here we are with #4.

4) Volunteering – Just like giving money, giving of our time is just as important. God has given each of us talents, skills, or abilities that we should not only use to earn money in the marketplace, but I contend that those talents, skills and/or abilities are to be used to further God’s purposes here on the earth.

The church is 95% volunteer run. Take for example the church I pastor; we have 300 – 400 people who attend our Sunday service, 600 – 700 who call us their “home church” whatever that means (when a pastor gives his churches “membership” numbers … they are inflated… because you only get everyone who calls you their home church in your church on Easter and Christmas, unfortunately). Anyway, I’m not bitter. Lol!

Anyway, we have 3 fulltime paid staff, and 2 part-time paid staff. It takes 40 people to run a Sunday morning service, musicians, greeters, ushers, children’s workers, set up crew, sound crew, etc. And that is just the people who we need on hand on a Sunday, not to mention all the gifted people who volunteer by doing graphic design, web, and computer stuff during the week. If we didn’t have people giving their time we just simply couldn’t do it!

But all that said, that shouldn’t be the reason or motivation behind our giving of our time “because the church needs it” but the reason we should is because WE NEED IT! We as people tend to be very very selfish! And the best antidote for selfishness is to serve and give to others.

I have personally never met a depressed self-less person who was giving of their time for a greater cause! But I have met plenty of unhappy, depressed selfish people.

Give to your local church by volunteering your gifts, talents and or skills … you will be so glad you did!