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"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." Everyone has gifts from God. Is everyone using these gifts to build up God's church and lead it into greater places? When we think of leadership in the church, we usually think of our full-time leaders. Our staff serves faithfully, and is always seeking ways to use God's word to benefit his church. However, a very important part of the church is the role of lay leaders . Peter charges all Christians to identify their God-given gifts, and then use them for the strengthening of his church. Our church is full of sacrificial leaders: ushers, kids kingdom volunteers, sound crews, worship leaders, book table coordinators, Bible Talk leaders, and many more. There are people who spend many hours of their personal time serving so that God's work will be built up. Why do this? Because God has given all disciples the ability to administer his grace in various forms. When I entered the ministry almost nine years ago, I was familiar with the popular view of church structure: the full-time leadership does most of the work, then tries mightily to persuade each member to volunteer for something! Sadly, in many churches today, this is about how it goes. It has been refreshing to grow close to so many people in our ministry who view the administration of their gifts in a biblical way. When I have needed somebody to step up and fill in preaching, many have responded. Many have led, served, taught, and motivated when called on. It has NOT been a burden to ask for help as we lead this ministry. In fact, the lay leaders in the Tacoma Region have been anything but a burden - they have been a tremendous help, a source of strength in difficult times, a fountain of wisdom for our marriage and family, and co-laborers in building the ministry here. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what we'd do without the help of so many gifted people. On Sunday, March 10, Ron and Linda Brumley visited our region to help appoint one such couple as deacons. Greg and Kyra Miller were recognized as deacons, and given the role of overseeing our curriculum of spiritual development. The Millers moved here in the spring of 2003 from Cincinnati . While in Ohio , they served full-time in the ministry for almost eight years. They served on staff in Cincinnati from 9/93 to 12/98, then led the church in Columbus from 12/98 to 3/03. At that time they moved back to Tacoma to start a new chapter in their lives, and be closer to their family. They have both been Christians for ten years, and been married for nine-and-a-half. Fueled by a passion for God's word, they both earned a Certificate of Biblical Studies from MTP (Ministry Training Program), taught by Douglas Jacoby. Greg earned his masters in Fine Arts from the Cincinnati Conservatory, and serves tirelessly at leading worship services. They are a couple fueled by a desire to be used in God's church. They are qualified to serve in this role because they view studying God's word in the right way . Knowledge of God's word doesn't mean a person is spiritual, as many have fallen prey to false motivations, and have lost the benefit of deeply studying the Bible. We know knowledge can puff us up (1 Cor. 8:1), make us proud, arrogant, or condescending. However, if we are driven by a desire to use that knowledge to learn, and then equip God's people for maturity, study of the Bible is a sweet endeavor. Greg has already taught one of our Sunday morning TNT classes, and is working on developing a curriculum that will help us train the church. Another reason for their appointment to this role is their example. They have two children, Jackson (6), and Mimi (3). They have consistently sought to use their family for service in the church, and evangelism. When a teacher practices what they preach, there is power. It reminds me of an observation by the Dutch Theologian Herman Witsius, who said, "No one teaches well unless he has first learned well. No one learns well unless he learns in order to teach. Both learning and teaching are vain and unprofitable, unless accompanied by practice." May God continue to raise up people who are eager to learn his word, identify their gifts, and use them sacrificially to build his church!
Daren Overstreet |
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