How do I get people to come to committee meetings?

Think about it: the most valuable asset people can give to your church is their time. If a man or woman comes to me and says, "Pastor, I have 4 hours a week to give to the church in ministry," the last thing I'm going to do is put him or her on some committee.

Committees discuss while ministries do. Committees argue while ministries act. Committees maintain while ministries minister. Committees talk and consider while ministries serve and care. Committees discuss needs while ministries meet needs. We must minimize maintenance in order to maximize time for ministry.

Maintenance is church work: budgets, buildings, and organizational matters. Ministry is the work of the church. The more people you involve in maintenance decisions, the more you keep them from ministry.

We have no committees at Saddleback. We do, however, have 150 different lay ministries. Our paid staff does the maintenance, and our lay ministers appreciate that the time they volunteer is given to actual ministry.

In streamlining your structure, it's better not to vote on ministry positions. There are several good reasons for this:

It avoids personality contests and attracting people who are only interested in power or prestige.

It allows new ministries time to develop slowly, out of the public spotlight.

It allows new members a chance to get involved more quickly.

It makes removal easier should people fail in a ministry.

Not voting on ministry positions also allows you to respond more quickly to the Holy Spirit's leading. Once a woman came to me and said, "We need a prayer ministry."

I said, "I agree. You're it."

She said, "Don't I have to be elected or go through some approval process?" She had imagined having jump through all kinds of hoops first.

I said, "Of course not. Just announce a formation meeting in the bulletin and start it." She did.

You shouldn't have to vote on whether or not a person can use the gifts God has given him or her in the body of Christ. I'm sure you realize how radical this approach is - - in the typical church, members handle the maintenance (administration) of the church, and the pastor is supposed to do all the ministry. No wonder the church can't grow!

Until next time,

Rick

Article by Rick Warren, Saddleback Church. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Started in 1980, the congregation now averages 17,000 attendees at its six weekend services. Rick has written several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church," which has been reprinted in 20 languages. Over 200,000 pastors from 108 countries, have attended a Purpose Driven Church Seminar. Rick is the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for those in ministry.

- This article originally appeared in Rick Warren's Ministry ToolBox, a free, e-mail newsletter available from pastors.com. Used by permission.