Company of the Committed

In 1961, the Quaker author and theologian Elton Trueblood published The Company of the Committed. This prophetic work served as a witness and summons to action in its day; reading it today the call is no less relevant and contemporary. I've titled this blog after Trueblood's work as a tribute to his important contribution to the theological conversation around the ministry of all believers, and also because I believe it is a fitting descriptor for the Body of Christ.

I hope this blog becomes a forum where ministry leaders can gather to share their hearts, hopes, highs, and hurts around equipping God's people for ministry. Whether you're a paid leader on staff at a church or non-profit or a non-paid person serving in the trenches of ministry, I invite you to lend your voice to the dialogue. Feel free to raise questions, challenges, concerns; share a prophetic word, impart wisdom, offer thoughts and perspectives; recommend resources, lift up best practices, guide us toward innovation. We'll learn, stretch, and grow together.

Trueblood writes, "The Church of Jesus Christ is a sleeping giant. Its unrealized potential is almost staggering to contemplate." As ministry leaders, God charges us (Ephesians 4:12) with mining out the treasure and releasing the God-given potential in our churches and fellowships.  As we release the ministry to the people, allowing them to be partners - shareholders and stakeholders in the work, we engender the kind of ownership and investment that leads to true commitment. True commitment is not possible when leaders treat the people like "just volunteers." Speaking of commitment, Trueblood observes, "Commitment is never real unless it leads to mission." When leaders invite the people into greater ownership and commitment, the end result is participation in God's mission beyond the walls of the local fellowship. Equipping is never an end - equipping is a means toward fuller participation in the mission of Christ. As leaders equip the saints for the work of ministry, they help to return Christianity back to the grassroots movement to which the scriptures bear witness. Rather than a hierarchy led by religious leaders, the church becomes a collaborative partnership - the Company of the Committed. Let's strive together to awaken the sleeping giant.