It was after a session meeting late on a Friday night that I along with two other elders were walking to the street when we noticed that the car belonging to one of them had sustained a flat tyre. Before I could put down my laptop bag, take off my jacket, loosen my tie, roll up my sleeves and call an impromptu meeting as to how we would deal with the sit­uation the other two had set to work. One man was cranking a jack handle as if his life depended on it while the other had the spare tyre out of its com­partment and was manfully levering a wheel brace. Now, never let it be said that John van Dyk doesn’t do his bit, oh no. “We three are a team,” I thought to myself. “There must be something I can do that shows my energetic com­mitment to my fellow elder’s moment of need.” And so there was. While the car was raised and lowered, and the wheel replaced, I stood and held the torch.

There is something instructive about service in church life in this faintly bizarre episode. Even though we might feel as though we have more to offer, whether in terms of effort or expertise, such re­sponsibilities may not as yet have been asked of us. We need to be content for the current season with the roles we have been assigned.

I want to consider how we might go about prioritising our time among the many (and often competing) opportuni­ties for service we have in church life. But first of all a few caveats.

Things to Guard Against⤒🔗

For some readers this question will be purely academic. For them there is no quandary over prioritising time among opportunities for service in church life. Their involvement begins and ends with Sunday worship. Now it is absolutely true that we serve Christ as we deal gra­ciously with, and witness to, and help those with whom we come into contact; and we also serve Christ as we go about our daily vocations; but we are also un­equivocally called to participate in and contribute to the body of Christ, which is the church. God has placed a great variety of people in the church, people with many and varied talents. Not only is the church greatly blessed when all the available talents are exercised for her benefit, but also the individuals profit as the work they do tends to have a sanc­tifying effect in their own lives.

Yet there is a flip side to this. While Christ can be richly served through service in the church, it is also possi­ble that such service, when done for wrong motives, is not service to Christ at all. It is all too easy to become faith­ful churchmen or churchwomen, but hardly faithful Christians, if Christ is not in view as we go about our work. If, for example, we seek praise or admiration for our work, or fall into mechanical rou­tines, or slip into a view of the church as a human institution then our work tends towards being self-serving rather than Christ-serving. In our service in the church, as much as anywhere else in life, we need to heed the words of the writer to the Hebrews and “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfect­er of our faith .... Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (12:2-3).

Greater and Lesser Gifts←⤒🔗

As we consider the ways in which we might like to serve the church there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account. We need to con­sider the gifts with which the Lord has blessed us. 1 Corinthians 12 teaches us about gifts. Some of the gifts listed were temporary ‘sign’ gifts confirming the au­thority of the apostles during the time of the early church; the other kinds of gifts continue to be bestowed on church members even today. Note what is said in verse 31: “but eagerly desire the greater gifts.” And, just in case we’re unsure as to what is meant by “greater gifts”, we read in 14:12, “Try to excel in gifts that build up the church.”

This theme has been developed by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne in their book, The Trellis and the Vine. The administrative and organisation­al functions are likened to a trellis, while the work done in fulfilment of the Great Commission is likened to a vine. Their observation is that trellis work tends to take over vine work. “Perhaps it’s because trellis work is easier and less personally threaten­ing” they say. “Vine work is personal and requires much prayer. It requires us to depend on God, and to open our mouths and speak God’s word in some way to another person.”

Trellis work also often looks more impressive than vine work. It’s more visible and structural. We can point to something tangible – a committee, an event, a program, a budget, an infrastructure – and say that we have achieved something. We can build our trellis till it reaches to the heavens, in the hope of making a name for ourselves, but there may still be very little growth in the vine.¹

So what are our areas of strength? Anna works as an accounting techni­cian and is known for her sympathetic ear and kind words of encouragement. Jim works in the construction industry and has a fearsome command of Scrip­ture and bursts to share the joy he has in Christ. All of these skills and attributes can be used in the life of the church, but it’s easy to see that for each of these individuals the latter capabilities are those that will build up the church the most. Individuals, families and sessions will do well to make the ‘building up’ gifts the first priority for service.

Sometimes we will need to trust the judgement of others in identifying our gifts. We may not think we are cut out for tasks that we see as requiring par­ticular wisdom or sensitivity, but others, especially those who have had greater experience, may discern hidden or emerging gifts that we ourselves are not yet aware of.

There is a corresponding responsibil­ity on those making appointments to ex­ercise careful judgement. For example, does the person being considered as a Cadet or Gems counsellor have a love for children (besides their own), are they able to teach the Word of God as well as bush-craft and handicraft, and are they able to engage with their charges on a spiritual level?

It may seem obvious, but we should also prioritise our time to the areas of greatest need. If your church needs a webmaster and you have skills in that area, then offer to maintain the website. You might love to do gardening, but if your church already has three garden­ers the offer of a fourth isn’t going to fill the greatest need.

Informal Service←⤒🔗

A common misunderstanding about service in church life is that such service must be performed as the result of a formal appointment. However, it’s not only Sunday School teachers, committee members, church treasurers and librar­ians that serve. Service can and should be rendered simply by members taking their own initiative. Examples could be visiting the ones who most need to be encouraged, taking an interest in those outside one’s usual circle of friends, showing hospitality, giving practical help where there is a need.

So the frustrated gardener, whose erstwhile only creative outlet was web-pages, can easily exercise their green fingers in the service of the church by sharing their gift with others. Ask the elderly member, the invalid, the strug­gling family if they could use your help. And take the time to have a cup of tea with them afterwards. The benefits to the health of the body from work such as this are immense.

Perhaps the greatest service of all, and the one to which we should all be heartily committed, is actively uphold­ing our fellow church members and the ministries of the church in prayer.

The Right Balance←⤒🔗

Finally a word of warning. We cannot spend every waking hour in service, whether that is service to the church, or employer, or business or family. We need to find a balance between these competing responsibilities remembering also the importance of maintaining our spiritual well-being, and also have ad­equate time for rest and recreation. If we have so many church responsibilities that it becomes impossible to properly prioritise them, and that they begin to impinge on other responsibilities, then it is time to reassesses our commitments. It is quite in order to refuse an appoint­ment or relinquish a task in such circum­stances. The Lord will answer the prayers of his people with regard to getting the work done in his church.

Ours is an age where personal pleas­ure has become a god to many and there is a great temptation to treat every non-work hour as our own. Yet we know that ultimately we will be called to account for the stewardship we have exercised over our time. Let us be found to have been good stewards, rendering faithful service to the kingdom of God in our vocations, family life and leisure time, as well as service in the church.