Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/96

Contributor - Grace Eisen

Title - In Praise of Church Maintenance

Topic - Church Maintenance

What's so important about church maintenance, you say? Why does this topic warrant an article? All you need is a hammer and nail occasionally, sometimes a paint brush, and spring cleaning goes without saying. A screwdriver in the Tight spot or a replacement light bulb and the story is finished, right? Sure, that's maintenance of the physical structure, and that's very necessary.

Church maintenance has a totally different concept for me. How do we maintain our congregation? What is meant by this? How do we welcome people and make them feel at ho do we keep people and make them part of the church family?

In some churches, there are a couple of people who do everything all the time. They trade elder and deacon positions with Sunday School superintendent and caretaker. They plan everything, organize events, ran them and clean up afterwards, and so on ... We're lucky to have such dedicated people, aren't we? Are we? What happens when those people leave the city or the church or when they get so burnt that they refuse to do anything ever again? That's where maintenance comes in.

Maintenance involves making long-term goals, a solid organizational structure, prayerful planning, and education. Most important in this is communication, communication, communication!

Does the consistory have consistent leadership training for itself and other potential leaders? There are some concepts of leadership that need to be learned and reviewed annually to maintain a high standard of leadership. Leaders need to know how to set goals and then how to reach them. Communication is an essential part of being a leader. Decision-making and risk management are buzz words in leadership training but are necessary for the job. Budget prediction and financial planning are also part of the position of leader.

Accountability and follow-up of plans needs to be stressed to those in consistory and other committees. Delegation of duties needs to go with the accountability and promotes growth in other members of the church. Each member of the church needs to have opportunity and encouragement to use his or her gifts. This provides an enfolding of the members so that they feel part of the family. Follow-up of plans and projects is necessary for successful completion and a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done. That's how the fund-raisers and annual events happen.

Open-minded attitudes are essential for the leaders and the people. So often we are stuck with the "We've always done it this way' and 'That won't work here" comments that kill creativity before it is born. Negative attitudes chase away potential workers and leaders.

Enthusiasm, humour, and fun make 'ohs go faster and further. Successful leaders exhibit these traits. They show that they do everything with all their hearts and do it for the Lord. Encourage one another in the work that is being done. A note or phone call may spur on the worker who is feeling discouraged. Pray constantly for the projects underway, and ask for prayer for all the work to be done and in progress. Problems shared are cut in half while joys shared are doubled is a true saying as new ideas for problem solving may come out of the sharing, and joy of success seems to foster more success and happiness at something going well.

Consistency in thought and deeds must be evident. Young people are guided by the examples of their elders. If there are to be resourceful, enthusiastic leaders in the future, we must show those qualities in the present leadership. Young people need to be involved in present training and leadership positions to learn what is involved. The bench-warmers need to see that their involvement is needed in a more active way in the church. These people are hiding a richness of talents that lie unused, and that is poor stewardship! Good maintenance demands that this kind of situation be corrected by encouraging people to be involved in at least one activity other than worship- As I was writing this, someone suggested that maybe no church has a bench-warmer. Some people work in God's church but we don't see the work they are doing. God is using them as catalysts for growth or encouragers for someone who may feel marginal. We need to open our eyes to see the gifts and potentials of all who fill the seats so that they may truly be part of the body worshipping and serving God.

In conclusion, we need to use the right tools for church maintenance. Some of these are the screws of encouragement, the hammers of decision-making, the wrenches of training, and the pliers of prayer.

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