What is the Role of the Congregation?
Believe it or not our role is more important and should be more involved than sitting in a pew and watching the pastor of music leader do all the work. I encourage everyone to read Rom. 12:3-16 followed by 1 Corinthians 12. These verses will give you an idea of what God expects of us. There are many other ideals mentioned throughout the NT which are too many to list so I will summarize them into a single paragraph.God’s word says we are to have peace with one another, to be of one mind and have compassion for each other. We are to love one another, be hospitable to each other, be courteous, wash each other’s feet (as a symbol of humility), be affectionate with brotherly love. We are to edify one another, be like-minded, full of goodness and knowledge so that we can admonish one another. We should have no schism among us and care for one another (regardless of standing in the community). We should serve one another, bear one another’s burdens and be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving of one another. We should teach one another, share hymns and songs with one another and have grace in our hearts. We should exhort one another daily and be considerate of each other, encouraging each other to love and good works. Confess our faults and sins to each other and we are to pray for each other, especially for healing. (words in parenthesis mine).
The bible also tells us what we are NOT to do. We are not to judge one another and we are not to envy one another or provoke one another and we are not to speak evil of each other. In too many cases, the local bodies of Christ think all these things are the responsibility of the pastor but that is NOT what the bible says. We are to seek these things in each and every one of us.
There are a few pastors who like the power and control that come with the office, but in most cases I’m sure they would appreciate the involvement. You may be thinking to yourself that this is all well and good but how do I know what my calling or spiritual gift is? There are spiritual aptitude tests that a pastor can utilize to help the individual members of the body learn what their role might be as well as our natural abilities and personalities. Our likes and dislikes can also offer us clues on where we can or should not serve. For example, if you’re a private person that might be less social than others then perhaps hospitality would not be your calling, but you might make an excellent teacher or serve in some other capacity.
I would say the best thing to do if you would like to get more involved would be to ask your pastor to teach on this topic or offer individual counseling. I don’t know too many pastors who wouldn’t delight in learning about the desire of their congregants to get more involved. Too many pastors get burnt out early because they are wrongly expected to carry the whole burden of the local church on their shoulders where it was never meant to be. We are to be unified in Christ and when each of us learn to help in carrying the burdens of the whole than all our parts of the burden gets lighter and lighter.
When we stand before God, I’m absolutely positive when He asks us about our performance here on earth, he will not be satisfied with the answer that we went to church every Sunday. We all have gifts to use. Learn them, perform them well for the greater edification of the Body, thus we will earn rewards beyond just eternal life. The more we earn in heavenly rewards, the greater a gift we can give back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
