How do we envision our ministry? Do
we see our self as the only gear or one of several gears needed to move the
congregation forward in faith-fulness? What is the ratio of teeth/cogs of our
gear and does that ratio align with other gears/ leaders in the congregation?
What is the purpose of a gear? Gears are used for
transmitting power from one part of a machine to another. In a bicycle, for
example, it's gears (with the help of a chain) that take power from the pedals
to the back wheel. Similarly, in a car, gears transmit power from the crankshaft (the
rotating axle that takes power from the engine) to the
driveshaft running under the car that ultimately powers the wheels. (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/gears.html)
I do not want to push the analogy too far, but the questions
are worth pondering. I do not know all that much about gears. I did some
internet research and found mind numbing formulas for calculating gear ratios.
I am glad the many visible and invisible gears in the numerous machines
in my life work, and I do not have to worry about figuring the number of
teeth/cogs for each gear and the directional movement of each gear to transfer
power into proper operation.
It would be nice if we had formulas for calculating the
proper intertwining of the gears for proper operation of the congregation. One
thing is certain, if we as pastors do not mesh well with others in the
congregation the gear box can explode and do damage to us and to the
congregation. However, the gears will not always be syncromeshed, allowing for
a smooth shifting and transfer of power.
I grew up driving a three speed manual transmission car.
There were times, especially when I was learning to drive that I would “grind
the gears.” The application of the clutch and moving the shift lever were not
always smoothly done. Everybody around could hear that grinding as the teeth of
the gears were not properly interlocking. With years of driving an automatic
transmission vehicle, I wager that moving back to a manual transmission would yield
more grinding of gears until I relearned the coordination of the clutch and the
shift lever.
How efficiently do we and others in the congregation mesh
our gears to move the church forward? When we are new to ministry, to meshing
with other leaders in the congregation there is always some “grinding of the
gears.” After a while, we learn a smoother way of operation. Yet, periodically,
we do not mesh and the grinding can be hear by all those around us. When that
happens do we keep trying to force things? One of the things which can happen
when we continue to force things is one gear or another may break off a tooth
and future smooth forward motion is impossible and the congregation sputs and
sputters along, of simply stops any forward movement.
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