Many, if not most, churches struggle to find volunteers. This challenge is not new, but it has been exacerbated since the pandemic. Some of the reasons for members declining to volunteer are understandable. But some are not.
Perhaps the most unbiblical reason for no longer serving in a church are those four deadly words: “I’ve done my time.” Indeed, if many of your church members are responding with these words, your church may be on the descent to death. Here are five reasons why that is the case:
1. Ministry in the local church does not have an expiration date. From Acts 2 to Revelation 3, the entirety of that large swath of Scripture is either about a local church, to a local church, or in the context of a local church. There are no church members talking about “doing their time” in those books of the Bible.
2. Those four words sound like a prison sentence. Ministry should be a joy, not a period where we are doing obligatory and cumbersome work. When you hear those words from a church member, you are likely hearing from someone who has not learned the joy of serving.
3. The Bible is clear that all members are to do ministry. Read 1 Corinthians 12 again. Paul reminds us in 12:27: “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” The text is clear that everyone (“all of you together”) must be involved in ministry. If any member is not functioning, the church as a whole suffers. There are no members of the Corinthian church on the sidelines because “they’ve done their time.”
4. Those four words are demoralizing to church leaders and active church members. When church members declare “they’ve done their time,” other church members have to take up the slack. It is understandably frustrating for a committed church member to hear other church members declare they are AWOL from doing ministry in the body of Christ.
5. Most often those four words are accompanied with the baggage of bad attitudes. A church member who stops serving because he or she has done their time is typically a church member who has an entitlement attitude. Now that they have served for a season, they expect the church to serve them. It’s analogous to a husband telling his wife that he has served her sufficiently, and that she must serve him for the rest of their marriage. That scenario does not end well.
If a significant number of church members declare, “I’ve done my time,” the church is in trouble. Indeed, the church may be dying. The body of Christ described in 1 Corinthians 12 is a functioning body with all the members carrying out their roles. Once the members declare they are finished, the church is finished.
We’ve seen this sad story play out too many times. “I’ve done my time” are truly the four words of a dying church.
Posted on November 14, 2022
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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26 Comments
So what are some solutions for laity and pastors who find themselves in churches and ministries with lots of folks saying this?
In my context, there were decisions made more than 20 years ago which have landed us in a position where a lot of people say “I’ve done my time.” If those who are here and had started saying those things years ago had been engaged and encouraged to help find a solution things may have been different. Catching the issue early makes it easier to address.
One thing I try to do is to encourage solution visioning as opposed to problem fixing. A fix will only kick the problem down the road. A solution may take time and may happen outside the lifetime of the tired member, if they can have a vision for a future which is God and not a building there is sustainable hope.
It can be helpful to have a trusted person come in and help the congregation brainstorm their direction. Leaders of an institution are often less able to be heard when bringing up unpleasant subjects, especially if they have been preaching and teaching about it for a while. To have a new voice engage and try to make members be honest is helpful.
We used a timeline on which we listed internal events (within the Church/Denomination) and external events (World Wars, Civil War, etc.) in the congregation’s life. Then develop what is remembered about the church during those events – attendance, tenor, service, relationships, etc. Have people think about what has changed from the beginning to the now. In my context, there is a perception that “someone can tell us what to do and we’ll do it and be successful” – things like programs and forms of ministry. The conventional wisdom of church planters tells us something different – being a place that makes a difference is attractive and once a church is attractive the burn out can be addressed.
This post reinforces my firm belief that my church is a dying church. Actually, I would call our church a “life-support” church because there is simply no desire to change what is no longer working.
I will never, ever understand how people can go from being on fire and passionate for Jesus only to grow older and develop the attitude of “I’ve done my time, let someone else do it”.
One thing I know for certain is this: when this happens, it wasn’t God that changed.
You are so right, Ronald.
At least three issues at work: to whom was the service offered – the institution which is a church or the spiritual development outside the boundaries of an institution? Changing perspective of the work ethic. And, most difficult to diagnose, the actual level of effort given years ago.
I have experienced people whose function was to keep the institution operating: buildings and grounds, singing in the choir, whatever; because the institution is what is good. Against those whose function was to build the body worshipping in a specific church. Both functions are necessary and take effort – one with transitory effect and one with eternal effect. The transitory always appears to loom larger, “we just finished a capital project and now we’re working on another because we need it,” is tiring and unrewarding.
Especially with long time members there is the risk of the 80/20 problem. 80% of the work (or 80% of the perceived work) is done by 20% of the people. Couple that with the remnants of the “Protestant work ethic” which is dying/has died and people who worked hard and with devotion to an institution and now there doesn’t appear to be anyone with that same ethic.
The last contributing factor has to do with human perspective and the faulty memory people have or the impact of time on an issue. We, as people, remember ourselves at our best (I remember running 6 minute miles in races in the past [2007] and have difficulty dealing with only being able to run ~9 minute miles now [2022]) and the skewed perception of what that best was.
“I’ve done my time”
I was actually stunned when I first heard this from a fellow Boomer 10 years ago. I heard that or similar sentiments from a few more in that local body. I didn’t stay there.
I’m past my ‘stunned’ response. It’s evident that these folk were never challenged to find and use their spiritual gifting. They were never taught to find their Calling or find their ‘place’–whether it was in the local church or in their workplace or in their sphere of influence in their hobby. It’s the sign of someone who the local church only validated if the person was serving (laboring, even) to ‘feed the machine’. It’s the evidence that bodies to make the program work were the only truly acceptable form of service to ‘God’. It’s evidence that ‘who’ they were, that the ‘good works prepared in advance for them to do’ were only ones that kept programs and ministries of the local church functioning. No one asked what or how they were gifted. No one asked about their passions or things that broke their hearts. Many were guilted into ‘filling the need’, teaching the class (cuz we don’t have someone) or whatever.
Unless and until the local church depends less on the ‘pastor’ to point them in some direction, unless and until, the local church encourages folks to find the place that God has actually prepared and called them to, unless the local church is more interested in sending folks out to fulfill their God given mission and calling even IF it doesn’t fill a local ‘volunteer’ slot, until the local church is willing empower fellow Christ-followers and even, unless the local church is actually willing to ‘fall into the ground and die’, well, the “I’ve done my time’ refrain will continue to echo across the land.
Many good points. Thank you, Chris.
My earlier comment is about what I am experiencing in my church. It is my dumb attempt at trying to say amen to your article. Thank you for the great insight I have gained from church answers!
It was not dumb at all, Larry.
Not only do I hear “I have done my time”, I’m hearing lately the phrase, “let the younger ones do it, it’s time for them to step up and do something.” I wonder if those saying that have bothered to mentor younger ones so that they know what they are supposed to do. It’s a problem for sure.
Great point, Kim.
Yes I agree with your point of view i need your information
Thanks, John.
Those words can take many forms, “we’ve always been a small country church…” or “back in the day we had ‘X’ members and we’re still…”
There’s a delicate balance that needs to be observed by Pastors. While the statement is the beginning of the end, it doesn’t have to be. When the first group starts to say that the Pastor has two choices, (1) to engage and try to change the course or (2) let the church die. Most likely, while the church will not die in that Pastor’s tenure their actions can make it difficult to change course.
I understand that every Pastor isn’t one who is called to the hard work of trying to tip a dying church in a healthy direction. And the Pastor who passively disengages chooses the second option, whether they know or admit it or not. The problem is health can be restored but until someone arrives who recognizes the unhealthy church and tries to take steps to right the course the downward trajectory will quietly accelerate until the only option is death.
And the problem for the pastor of a terminal church is the death is probably not their fault.
Well said, Les.
I am doing what God is leading me to do. I am hopeful others will follow. The others, few in number have physical limitations.
Thank you for your faithfulness, Larry.
Sadly that is true for many churches. We need to learn from the mistakes of others such as the sad story of Sardis in Revelations, and be admonished to “strengthen the things that remain.”
Blessed, BLESSED, thought, “Here am I, send me.”
Yes
Amen, Clyde.
Thank you for sharing the good, the bad, the ugly and hopeful! All these responses are echos from my conversations last week at church and functions. It is like looking in a mirror and hearing our church members comments last Sunday. I’m with Wayne …
send me. I just moved back to this city because of the blessed ministry. Thank you
for solutions . Amen. R Rainer.
You are a blessing, Nancy.
“I’ve done my time.” Boy, is that one I heard a whole lot when I began as pastor at of a small, struggling church near Tampa, Florida. We could sure use help in children’s ministry. “I’ve done my time.” Anybody willing to serve as a deacon? “Been there, done that.” We could sure do some outreach. “Knock yourself out, Pastor.” The “I’ve done my time” mantra is one of the mating calls of a dying church.
“Mating calls of a dying church.” Now that’s a new one for me!