Return of the Tentmaker - Underused
When churches are desparate for leaders and potential leaders sit in the pews feeling underutilized how do you reconcile this huge disconnect?The Return of the Tentmaker was birthed after running into this disconnect in every church I've spoken to in the last five years - without exception.
Pastors need to come to better understand how to reach, support and tap into their tentmakers. Business people, teachers, government employees and home execs (that's right moms) need to come to tap into their hidden potential and opportunity for significant impact.
Here is the most recent story:
I was priviledged to participate in a dialogue last week in Atlanta between several very large and fast growing churches and several consultants attempting to get a handle on the future of the mega-church.
During the dialogue some of the leaders shared the challenge of outgrowing their ability to develop leaders. This is, perhaps, the most common challenge I hear from leaders.
I was fortunately in a forum to offer a view from the other side of the coin. I responded and said that I run into dozens of people in congregations who say they they want to serve but can't crack the code in their church for serving. One of the pastors shared that they make frequent announcements asking for help. In that moment I saw one of the disconnects. Tentmakers respond to a call from God. The call is specific even if not fully formed. When the church asks for parking attendants, ushers or help in the children's ministry (all very important) it passes over most tentmakers. Some will fill the void but the heart call in a tentmaker needs a greater challenge.
A pastor or church leader will need to talk to a tentmaker one-on-one. A church will not tap into the tentmaker's potential through a general announcement.
2 Comments:
Great insight. I have been a member in a number of different churches. The mega church route was to run members through classes designed to familiarize them with the theology and structure of the institution. The final step was s personality test to place you into the appropriate ministry. This approach seemed very carnal to me. I don't see how parking cars and working in the nursury bring people into spiritual union with Christ. Fruitfulness is not tied to organization building, but kingdom building. Kingdom building is tied to authentic Spiritual reproduction and discipleship. The nuts and bolts of church life should be community and one-to-one discipleship. This is what we are called to. Parking lots are not ministry. They are maintenance of the institution.
"A pastor or church leader will need to talk to a tentmaker one-on-one. A church will not tap into the tentmaker's potential through a general announcement." That's the ticket! The pastors of larger churches perhaps have traded the more enjoyable, meaningful task of tending the sheep for the strangely alluring exercise of managing a machine bureaucracy. Believe me, the bureacracy will manage itself, but the sheep certainly can't tend themselves. This being said, idle tentmakers should not continue to stand by and wait for someone to tap their "valuable" potential. It's time for us to get in the game! (Phew, scares the stew out of me!)
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