Appreciation

I told some of my worship team to expect an interesting blog post sometime this week, so I'm really trying to come to a head with what I've been thinking about lately.

Obviously, if you've read my blog, you know that this week is my last week at Southwest Church. With a staff member leaving (this time, it's me) comes a good-bye sendoff, thank you notes for the time spent in that particular ministry, and people expressing their appreciation through pats on the back, hugs, handshakes, and other pleasantries.

I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, because I really really appreciate all that has been said and expressed to me over the last few weeks since I made my resignation public.

Here's my point, however. It's my job.

I get paid to do what I do.

And although the appreciation and encouragement is helpful to me, and again, I appreciate it - it's what I do for a living.

I'm not a hero.

Who are the ones who should be appreciated? The ones who should be encouraged? The ones who are the heroes?

The ones who have the full-time jobs, the students, the ones who do something else - and yet still devote time and energy and passion into music ministry, or creative arts ministry, or media stuff, or the welcome table. These heroes don't do these things because of the accolades (if they did, they're definitely barking up the wrong tree, because in most churches, the servants never receive enough appreciation), they don't do these things because it's what pays the bills, they do it because they love God. I'm sure part of it also has to do with the relationships they build with each other and with the "leader", but it's not for the paycheck. And, and this part really gets me, some even contribute monetarily to the church - in other words, they essentially pay to serve. They pay to be underappreciated. They pay to get none of the credit, usually.

I will keep this story very vague, because it could get me in trouble - but I had a conversation with a couple of people recently about getting the worship team more involved in the church rather than just the worship ministry. Join a small group, have a secondary ministry, something. I noted that most of these worship team members devote more time on a given week - through Saturday night practice, Sunday morning rehearsal, two Sunday morning services, and tear down, not to mention practicing during the week on their own - than anyone else at church. And then they are being pressured to give even more time? Shouldn't we be more concerned about the people in the seats who are doing nothing, who contribute no time, energy, money or resources to the Kingdom of God - rather than pressuring servants who aren't paid to play their instruments and sing to be more involved?

It's all backwards.

I admit that in the past, I may have had a similar attitude. I admit that I haven't done a great job in my ministries of really letting people know - through words and actions - how much their service really means to me, how much it means to God and to His work. My prayer is to be continually grateful for the wonderful, incredible people in our churches who devote time to God - whether it be fifteen minutes a week or fifteen hours a week. You are the heroes. Thank you for all you've done. May you find yourself in a situation where it's asked of you, "What can this church do for you?" rather than "What can you do for this church?"

(I don't do what I do for the paycheck either. But let's be honest: I do get paid.)