Forgotten Disciples

Barna Group’s State of Your Church 2020 report documents that “39% of churched adults reportedly volunteer [on a weekly basis] in some way at their church.” They further find that 28% of respondents do not volunteer within the church at all- nearly one out of every three people admit to being disconnected to any area of service within the local body.

Two possible factors I would like to address that may contribute to this lack of connection are: 1) Not asking to be involved because they don’t know how, or they are worried they will be rejected or proved unqualified; and 2) Some may be overlooked by leadership because they don’t seem like the type of person, we would ask to fulfill a certain role.

A common question I hear in the world of children’s ministry is, “How do we get more people to volunteer?” Pastors may try to ask for help from the pulpit or in church communications, but I believe that personally asking people to get involved has proven to be more effective. The key here is that when we ask people to get involved, regardless of what area of ministry it is, we need to be careful to creatively think outside of the box. It is necessary to mention the possibility of unknown circumstances or lifestyle issues that may hinder someone from volunteering. However, the fact remains, we wouldn’t want to inadvertently overlook anyone that may be eager to serve.

Years ago, my church hosted a Vacation Bible School. I wanted to involve as many people as possible, but also knew there were people who didn’t have an interest in working with kids. One of these volunteers was Brenda (name changed for privacy). Brenda is an incredible woman. She loved the kids and wanted to help them have a great VBS experience. But she did not want to interact directly with them because frankly, kids annoy her.

Brenda is the kitchen manager of a local retirement home and a fantastic cook. She volunteered to take care of all the snacks at VBS that year provided she could drop them off before the event started. We of course accepted her offer and were thrilled to have her join the team!

It is an understatement to say I was excited when I arrived at the church the first night and walked into what was one of the most impressive displays of food I had ever seen in my life. She dropped off more than just a few cookies and some juice boxes. Brenda had made an entire spread of snacks that covered two long tables, and many of them were handmade and decorated to fit the theme of our VBS!

She was a great blessing to us, and she got to experience the joy of using her talents to serve others. Imagine, though, if we had never asked her to join the team because we knew she didn’t enjoy working with kids and therefore didn’t think she would fit the role.

Jesus doesn’t leave people out, even if those people don’t “look the part,” don’t have specific talents, or don’t have positions and titles.

Jesus doesn’t leave people out, even if those people don’t “look the part,” don’t have specific talents, or don’t have positions and titles.
Vanessa Taylor

Brenda reminds me of two “forgotten disciples” in the Bible. After the ascension, Peter stood up amid the disciples and announced that, due to Judas’ death, they needed to choose a new disciple to join the twelve. Peter said,

“…it is written in the Book of Psalms: “’May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’ Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. (Acts 1:20-23 NIV)

These two men, Justus and Matthias, were there during all the major and minor events of Jesus’ ministry: healings, miracles, feedings, sermons, and more. They were just as much a part of Jesus’ ministry, but they weren’t considered part of the twelve. They didn’t have titles or positions of honor. They were simply followers of Christ, ready to serve whenever and however needed, and they were included by Jesus.

For as many as have not connected with the ministries of our churches, how many Justuses and Matthiases do we have? Followers of Christ who are present and willing to be involved in anything and everything, but they might not be noticed as much as others? They might not be considered upper-level leadership or part of an inner circle, but they’ve always been there. There is room for every single person to join in the service of God at some level.

For as many as have not connected with the ministries of our churches, how many Justuses and Matthiases do we have? Followers of Christ who are present and willing to be involved in anything and everything, but they might not be noticed as much as others?
Vanessa Taylor

If you feel like a forgotten disciple, may this article be an encouragement for you to ask to be involved. Look around, see what you might like to help with, and volunteer to join. It is likely that your help is needed and wanted, but someone else might not realize you want to.

If you are already involved in ministry, let this article be an encouragement for you to look around your church, see who might be like the forgotten disciples and encourage them to volunteer to join in serving.

There is always room in Jesus’ circle. He has no forgotten disciples.