Dear First Pres,
I’ve been wondering a lot this week. In particular, I’m wondering what the impact would be if 35 more people in our congregation took on the Sunday practice of “worship one, serve one.” 35 people is less than 10% of our average Sunday attendance in 2023. If, across both services, we had 35 more people come early or stick around for a second hour of service, what impact would it make?
First of all, for those of you who are already practicing “worship one, serve one,” thank you. One of the largest groups in this category is our choir. They worship and serve during the Classic service and then they rehearse during the Modern service. But we have folks in our children’s ministry, youth ministry, worship tech ministry, discipleship ministry and hospitality ministries who are also “worship one, serve one” people. Thank you for serving Christ and His people. Even if it feels inconsequential, it’s not!
But what if we added 35 more people into this “worship one, serve one” mix?
I wonder if it would allow us to launch a ministry for elementary age children during the Classic service. And, I wonder if that would encourage more young families who would prefer the Classic service style or time to step into the life and ministry of our congregation.
I wonder if it would open up the opportunity for more adult discipleship classes offered during both hours of worship. And I wonder if that would help more people feel known by the congregation while growing in Christlikeness. And I wonder if more people feeling known while growing in Christlikeness would mean more people with the faith and courage to step out in Gospel ministry in their everyday lives.
If 35 more people committed to “worship one, serve one,” I wonder if that would help our existing ministry teams feel more energized and encouraged. And I wonder if that dose of encouragement would lead to even more vibrant and fun and life-giving ministry teams.
I wonder if it would allow us to multiply our preschool class during the Modern service so that we would have capacity for even more children. And I wonder if those more manageable classrooms would give space for our lead teachers to intentionally mentor the many teens who are already serving in the preschool ministry.
I wonder if it would help us to build more consistent teaching teams for our children’s ministry so that long-term, transformational relationships would more likely emerge between the generations of our congregation. And I wonder if those kinds of relationships would, over time, increase the number of kids who love being part of our congregation.
I wonder what the impact would be for those 35 people who no longer have to choose between worshiping in the Sanctuary and serving their church family. I wonder if they would be more eager to invite others into service with them.
I wonder, if all these things came together, how deep would be the overall impact for our congregation. And I wonder how that overall impact on us would be used by God through us to see His Kingdom come in Fresno as it is in heaven.
Finally, I wonder if you’re willing to prayerfully ask the Lord if you’re meant to become one of those “worship one, serve one” people. I sure hope so. Just imagine what the impact could be for you, for your church, and for your city.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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