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 A
fellow preacher showed me the church building in a community of
middle income people — the meeting place for 60/80 brethren.
Paint was peeling from the trim, the lawn was filled with weeds
and needed mowing, shrubbery needed trimming, and trash was
blowing about the parking lot. He asked, "If you were
preaching here, how would you go about getting the brethren to
clean up this place?"
I
told him I would begin by bringing my mower up there and cutting
the grass. Then, at our next meeting, I would ask if any of the
members had an edger, and if so, would they meet me here on
Saturday and edge the walk while I clean up the parking lot. I'd
thank that person publicly on Sunday, and ask if someone would
volunteer to trim the shrubbery. All this should get their
attention!!
Then
I would ask the elders, or the next business meeting, if there
was any objection to scraping off the old paint, and putting on
new, I'd have prices for paint on hand — and if they said the
"church" couldn't afford it, I'd offer to do it
myself, with whatever help anyone would give.
But
my friend played devil's advocate. "What if no one offered
to help, or even told you that if it took a neat clean building
to get people to come to worship they would be coming for the
wrong reason." I would
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counter that people who looked for a
show place weren't coming to that little place; and that the
clean-up was not to attract new comers, but was the fruit of
self-respect on the part of those who regularly worshipped
there.
I
might suggest a Bible reading of Proverbs 24:30-34. "I went
by the field of the sluggard, and by the vineyard of the man
void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with
thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, and the stone
wall thereof was broken down..."
In
this day of emphasis upon material things this article seems
almost archaic. But this was not written to promote clean neat
buildings alone. I hoped you would notice that if something
needs doing you begin by doing it yourself. Elders and preachers
will not increase personal work, contribution, or other
desirable traits by "fussing" at the congregation. We
should have scriptural authority for our plea, but even this
will fail in the absence of example. Most brethren know what is
right, but are not motivated to do as well as they know to do.
For the bottom line, it is this mutual edification,
encouragement, prompting and correcting that gives meaning to
congregational fellowship.
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