Can People Be Trusted to Decide?

  

 

My fast-paced Wednesday began with GCC’s “Manly Man Breakfast.” It ended with “Life Foundations,” where hundreds of GCC’ers are learning to study the Bible. (Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: 12 Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word is the great little tool we’re using as a guide. I recommend it.)

After wrapping up yesterday's afternoon meetings I walked into The Granger Commons, ready for a great night with GCC.

I heard singing. The music was good; the voice was great. Jason was teaching Life Foundations and I supposed he had asked Ellie Holcomb to sing. That was a logical assumption because Jason is brilliant and he often leverages the arts for illustrative purposes. However, when I got closer, I realized Ellie wasn’t in the auditorium helping Jason. She was doing a full-blown concert in The Eatery (which was filled with people who were loving every minute of it).

There I was, face-to-face with a situation pastors either love or hate; two things were happening at once. While people were learning to study the Bible in one room, people were enjoying a concert in another.

Scheduling two things at once puzzled some; it disturbed others.

More than one person asked why we planned “conflicting” ministry options. Concerns and criticisms swirled around the questionable wisdom of endorsing a ministry philosophy of multiple-choice: 

“Won’t offering a concert at the same time we’re offering Life Foundations hurt attendance in Life Foundations? If people attend Life Foundations, how can they attend a concert? Shouldn't the concert be schedule when everyone can come? Don’t you realize people can’t be two places at once?”

These are legitimate questions. 
They must be, because I’ve heard them for decades.

Late last night I had a little time to think about the simple construct I use for developing my own plans for “multiple-choice” ministry.

You’ll need to make your own decision about it and I know my theory isn’t for everyone and your ministry paradigm may differ from mine. Whatever you decide, the construct you develop for your ministry can be sourced in your answers to a few simple questions, so before you resolve your critique of multiple-choice ministry, riddle me this:

• “Does one size really fit all? Have you seen some of the folks ‘all’ includes?”
  
  
• “Why do fishermen around the world use so many styles of lures, baits and nets?”
  
  
• “Why are there so many music genres?”
  
  
• “Christ’s followers serve ONE LORD; do all have the same missional impulse?”
  
  
• “Can people be trusted to decide which of several good options is their best?”

Multiple offerings of right-sized, age-appropriate, culturally relevant, artistically enriched and biblically orthodox ministries will help people take their next steps toward Christ.  I’m convinced a loving, multiple-choice ministry approach makes success more likely if it’s embraced and, parenthetically, stymies growth when it’s not.

Since my personal ministry construct is predicated on my belief that loving, multiple-choice ministry makes sense, my realization that Jason was scheduled to teach Life Foundations, at the exact same time Ellie was scheduled for a concert, made me happy, happy, happy.  (Well, I was “happy, happy, happy,” unless the Duck Dynasty guys have claimed that phrase is their intellectual property and secured copyrights on “happy, happy, happy.” If they have, I wasn’t “happy, happy, happy.” I was thrilled.)

I like a multiple-choice ministry strategy. I’m praying we’ll continue with it as we press forward to reach all the people we can, however we can, whenever we can – as we love GOD and one another.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10a  -  Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don’t need me to tell you what to do. You’re God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You’re already good at it.