"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matt. 25: 21)
Charles B. Fleming [Vol. 3, 2007]

“How can I get more members to serve at church?” is a question I have heard many pastors, in the WCG and other denominations, ask.  Some even sound like they are resigned to a new reality in which members are less involved.  How can we help people enter more fully into the joy of serving?  After all, Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.  How can we help more people enter into that joy?

On the other hand, I have heard members say that some of their congregational leaders make promises and then do not deliver.  This is frustrating and leads to a loss of credibility in such leaders.  If this applies to us, how can we overcome this weakness?

There is no single answer to either of the conditions mentioned, but in Matt. 25: 21 Jesus touches on a vital principle that can help create the conditions for more service at church.  Faithful, committed service and leadership depend on being faithful in small things. 

As leaders, people will trust us, if they see us making every effort to keep even our “small” promises.  They do not expect us to be perfect, but at least to explain why we cannot keep a commitment.  This may be an area you, as a leader, may want to look at.  Dependable leaders are essential!

In terms of helping our members to develop the inner strength that may help them serve more, it is good to help them be faithful in some small area of their life.  For example, if you know a member who has made a commitment to read through the Bible in a year you can chat with him/ her from time to time and encourage her/ him to keep up.  If the person begins to fall behind you can remind him/ her that all it takes is three chapters a day to complete the Bible in a year.  If they fall behind (as I did while teaching in California) they can catch up by reading four chapters a day during a period that is less hectic.  Being faithful in a “small” commitment gives confidence to take on bigger assignments.  I am sure you can think of examples of this from your own life.

This is just one example of a principle you can apply in helping members grow into a lifestyle of service. This is not necessarily something we do from the pulpit.  Rather we do this in private conversations.  So as we get to know our brothers and sisters better, be alert to any commitment they may have made or may need to make and then, in a friendly, supportive way encourage them to carry it through.  Help them live true to the commitments they have made, not commitments you may want to place on them. 

This is not a direct step into service, but helps develop the kind of self-discipline that creates the confidence to serve.  Helping each other to have private victories is an important step to greater service and to the state of joy Jesus mentioned in Matt. 25: 21 above, “Come and share your master's happiness.”   In reality, our job is simply trying to create the conditions for people to experience the joys God’s lifestyle brings.