Larry the Cable Guy makes quite a living using this familiar tagline in his comedy routine. The line is funny because his audience – blue-collar workers who are tasked with executing the plans – know there’s always a difference between how the job should be done and how the job is actually done. What the architect draws on the paper never seems to line up with how things are actually completed on the job site.
Sure, on paper the pipe is drawn so that it goes from the road to the building. But on-site, that pipe has to go through a channel dug through asphalt and around rocks so big they have to be blasted out. In the end, it’s up to the workers to look at the drawings, look at the construction site, and then, make it work. No excuses. No delays.
Get ‘er done.
In every church, it’s the same way. Everyone has an opinion on what a “perfect church” should look like. Everyone has thoughts about how each ministry should function. In the end, however, theories and thoughts are just that — theories and thoughts. Most of them fall apart when they encounter the stress and unaccounted-for variables that are unique to every church. If any ministry is going to work, it will be because a lay person feels a burden and calling from God to do something. In our church, we’ve learned not to do anything until the ministry has a lay champion.
We have recently opened a facility that supports ministry to special needs children and their families. This started when a young couple who had a special needs child pressed our church to do something. We did. We opened a 16,000-square-foot building that was filled to capacity almost overnight.
One of our members became burdened for the deaf in our community. Because of her prodding, our church built the only sanctuary in the world designed specifically for the deaf. The floor floats and music is pumped through it so the deaf can “hear” the music when they sing.
The best sound system in our church is in the deaf worship center. Go figure.
And that’s not all. We have preschool and children’s workers who not only arrange the room for a successful Sunday morning but do so with each child in mind. Books are put on desks because that book at that desk is a child’s favorite. Not only are these leaders experts in preschool and children’s work, but they are also experts in that particular child.
You couldn’t drive onto or leave our campus in an orderly and timely fashion without the men and women who serve in our parking lots. Rain or shine, snow or blinding heat, they are out there directing traffic. And not only do they make sure you’re safely parked, but they also make sure you know how to get to where you’re going. We couldn’t function without them.
I get a lot of accolades because of my position as senior pastor. People see me, hear my title, and then they’ll tell me about something our church has done to impact their lives. What these new friends don’t understand is that I probably had nothing to do with that particular event or ministry. If I did, the totality of my input was probably, “That’s a great idea.” The best things about our church are the things our members made happen. Every pastor knows this. Without the committed men and women who show up and do their ministry, our churches would fall apart.
This Labor Day weekend, we should take a few moments to celebrate the men and women who make our world work: the mail carriers, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, grocery store clerks, warehouse workers, nurses, maintenance workers — all of these and so many more who make our world go around. I want to add my gratitude to all of those who show up every week and make Brentwood Baptist Church work. I know – believe me, I know – I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if all of you didn’t do what you do.
If we’ve learned anything from COVID-19, we’ve learned this: we count on each other. We need each other, and we’re grateful to God every day for those men and women who show up and “get ‘er done!”
