The writer of Hebrews 12:1 declares that we are to run the race set before us. The challenge is that there are different ways to run. Have you ever spent time thinking about the different gifts required in running a sprint versus a marathon? A marathon requires steadiness, the pacing of energy, patience and tenacity. A sprint requires intensity, devotion in the moment and a willingness to push way beyond the limits for a short time. You remember the story of the race between the tortoise and the rabbit? Remember who wins? This was a story written in a time when the great majority were marathon thinkers. The tortoise wins because he is steady and constant. If it were written today, the rabbit would win.
Our culture has gone through a radical shift. Most people are not like tortoises but rabbits. A practical insight I have gained from the work of Dr. Kennon Callahan is that the majority of people in our culture are now sprinters. Rather than sign up for committees and institutional needs, people now agree to work on specific areas of passion and interest. They work hard. They work intensely and they get the job done. The challenge for us is to redesign our local structures to accommodate this paradigm shift.
When I was a teen, I wanted to direct the Christmas church school pageant. In all humility, I had great ideas but before I knew it, I was signed up for the Christian Education team and ended up planning the church school and nursery and March Break activities. It was not my interest at the time to do all those things but it was the only way I could get to my goal of doing the pageant. Today, I would be welcomed to coordinate the pageant and then be done and appreciated—if I am participating in a congregation that understands the marathoner/sprinter dynamic.
Do not hear me wrong. Marathon work is essential and valued in every congregation. Committees are often the way that we do long-term planning but if that is all we are offering for volunteers in the congregation, then many capable people will not sign up. Too often, we will quickly accuse them of not being interested or committed enough when all the while the reality is that we may not understand yet how they volunteer and what motivates them to sign up for activities.
What study and volunteer opportunities do you offer for people in your congregation? Are there chances to sign up for a one-time job and then be done? Are all your Bible studies long-term or do you offer some that last for one day or for three sessions? Do you offer one-time events for families? Is there the chance to do a specific mission project or is it all about achieving your annual budget? Does your budget provide projects that people can have fun achieving? Do you permit two or three people with a deep passion to run with an idea or do they get supervised according to the ways you have always done them before? Are you inclined to ask volunteers to serve coffee or lunches only if they are a part of a group? Do you offer programming for when the intended audience is available rather than what is convenient for you?
Read Dr. Kennon Callahan’s book entitled, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church for a far more comprehensive understanding of this shift in culture. Experiment with one-time and short-term experiences. For a future generation, you cannot do anything else.
About Karen Horst
Rev. Karen Horst is minister at St. Andrew’s, Orillia, Ont.
