I remember the situation. A young man had gone through a number of sessions with me. He had been so excited as he learned about the Christian faith. He wanted to be involved in the life of God's people. Word had gotten around that he wanted to be involved, and the church, always in need of people to fill the different roles, asked him if he would take on one of those roles. He enthusiastically said yes. He was elected, installed, and hit the ground with his feet spinning like crazy.
However, that burning fire quickly started to get doused. It became apparent rather quickly that there were just some situations that he was unprepared for in his role. On top of that, while he knew a few people, he hadn't been part of the group long enough to work his way into their trust circle. His enthusiasm began to wan. He started to complain about the lack of encouragement he was receiving. He felt overwhelmed.
It finally got to the point that the end of his term came up, and he happily relinquished his role. He became yet another in the countless throng who were part of God's people, but weren't really interested in the different roles which the organization needs filled. And that was one of my first lessons in "Taking Time To Learn."
One thing I often stress to people who are new to the Christian faith or to a particular congregation is to take a period of at least 6 months to get adjusted and acquainted with God's people, with the way that we do things, and to spend that time really connecting with people. I have seen it happen far too frequently where someone came in, was very enthusiastic, and either didn't know the needs of God's people at that time, or simply were frustrated when others didn't share their same enthusiasm. The problem is, the congregation is often far to willing to play along with it. "We need someone, and they were so excited to do it" is often the rallying cry. So the congregation plays along in the very thing that ends up hurting.
That's why I often encourage people to take the 6 months or more prior to getting involved. It allows them to connect with God's people. They start to learn which things are important, and why they are important. When they indicate a willingness to participate, it allows for some training, when necessary, and also allows them to be included, to learn the purpose behind the various things that they may be involved in, as well as learning the expectations that come along with those. And in the end, those are always good things to learn.
I realize that there are those who don't agree with such an approach. But I would dare argue that, for every person whose fire of enthusiasm burned out by waiting, there were many more who benefited even more from learning God's people, what was happening, and how to be part of what was going on, and they became more deeply involved. They understood what they were getting into. As Jesus instructs us, they learned to count the cost of what they were becoming part of, and were able to have a clearer picture of what that cost was. And in the end, it benefited them, the congregation, but most importantly, God's enduring kingdom in great ways.
However, that burning fire quickly started to get doused. It became apparent rather quickly that there were just some situations that he was unprepared for in his role. On top of that, while he knew a few people, he hadn't been part of the group long enough to work his way into their trust circle. His enthusiasm began to wan. He started to complain about the lack of encouragement he was receiving. He felt overwhelmed.
It finally got to the point that the end of his term came up, and he happily relinquished his role. He became yet another in the countless throng who were part of God's people, but weren't really interested in the different roles which the organization needs filled. And that was one of my first lessons in "Taking Time To Learn."
One thing I often stress to people who are new to the Christian faith or to a particular congregation is to take a period of at least 6 months to get adjusted and acquainted with God's people, with the way that we do things, and to spend that time really connecting with people. I have seen it happen far too frequently where someone came in, was very enthusiastic, and either didn't know the needs of God's people at that time, or simply were frustrated when others didn't share their same enthusiasm. The problem is, the congregation is often far to willing to play along with it. "We need someone, and they were so excited to do it" is often the rallying cry. So the congregation plays along in the very thing that ends up hurting.
That's why I often encourage people to take the 6 months or more prior to getting involved. It allows them to connect with God's people. They start to learn which things are important, and why they are important. When they indicate a willingness to participate, it allows for some training, when necessary, and also allows them to be included, to learn the purpose behind the various things that they may be involved in, as well as learning the expectations that come along with those. And in the end, those are always good things to learn.
I realize that there are those who don't agree with such an approach. But I would dare argue that, for every person whose fire of enthusiasm burned out by waiting, there were many more who benefited even more from learning God's people, what was happening, and how to be part of what was going on, and they became more deeply involved. They understood what they were getting into. As Jesus instructs us, they learned to count the cost of what they were becoming part of, and were able to have a clearer picture of what that cost was. And in the end, it benefited them, the congregation, but most importantly, God's enduring kingdom in great ways.
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