It’s Not Your Daddy’s Church …

Most of us who populate the church today grew up in a time when the church was exempted from many requirements expected of other businesses.  But those times have changed; more and more churches are targeted for violations of such things as copyright law, non-compliance with IRS regulations, and failure to report for-profit usage of non-profit space.  Likewise, volunteerism is far different today than it was a few decades ago; the economic situation used to be such that a single wage earner could provide for the needs of an average household but today two wage earners are required simply to maintain that same standard of living.  Folks simply have less time for the church or other organizations than they used to have to give.

Thus the ability to manage a church – which is in reality a non-profit small business – has become far more complex than it used to be.  Many of the practices common to the churches of the past are no longer viable and we depend more and more upon professional staff to take care of the day to day management tasks.  But even in these situations “professional staff” is often defined by the fact that someone gets paid rather than that they have substantial professional training in a particular area.  Churches are on occasion very fortunate when a teacher agrees to run the Sunday school or a skilled youth worker takes on the leadership of youth groups, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.  Mostly they are folks who want to make a difference and help shape young lives.

Thus many of the functions of the church are filled with people, both volunteer and paid, who have a passion for something but don’t necessarily have a great deal of training in that area.  We are addressing that fact by making available workshops and training in areas that would be of value to the performance of their tasks.  It’s simply not fair to expect someone to deal with situations for which they have had little training or preparation.

We are blessed here at Bellevue First Congregational Church to have so many folks, both volunteer and paid, who have a passion for the work of the church and have said “yes” to God’s call to serve within this context.  I feel very privileged to work with such a dedicated group of people and am grateful for the professionalism with which they approach their tasks.  I encourage members to make a point of saying “thank you” to the folks who give so much of themselves to make Bellevue First a remarkable community of faith.

See you in church,

Kevin