I’ve been reading about what leaders in the Bible “did for a living”.
There were lots of shepherds (I guess if you can lead sheep you can lead people), some kings, (a hard job to find in 2007), some farmers, and a quite a few fishermen. Jesus was a carpenter. The only other leader I could find that worked “in construction” was the Apostle Paul…he was a tent maker…Does that count? I’ve been wondering about how God has used my 10+ years as a painting contractor (yup, that’s a “self portrait” of my hand)to prepare me to start a church…I’ve actually come up with several ways…
- Preparation is “everything”- The main difference between a “pro” painter and someone doing a “weekend project” is the amount of time the professional will spend taping and prepping. I think this has helped me develop the patience necessary to spend a year preparing the systems necessary to start a church… before having our first meeting.
- Two “coats” are better than one- It always turns out better in painting to put on multiple light coats of paint than one thick, “globby“,”runny” mess of a heavy coat. I have learned to be willing to “come back”. I think this shows up in our Sunday Morning planning. I would much rather have a short, “impactful” message that people can remember and hopefully be intrigued enough to want another “coat”-than try to tell people “everything I know” while I “have them here”! We value Transformation over Information!
- Use the best equipment and methods available! Over the last 10 years I have used countless methods and types of equipment…all in the quest to be as efficient and effective as I could as a painter. Although the “job” is the same I have never stopped searching for a better way to do things…I definitely want to bring that “culture” to actionchurch. I don’t want to ever stop finding new and more effective ways, better methods, and new “equipment” to “make Jesus famous”in York County!
- It’s about serving people…I used to believe the most important thing to do as painting contractor was to be “good at painting”. Then I noticed that there were a lot of guys who were technically proficient at painting that could not seem to stay in business… I learned that the “most important thing” for me to do was serve the people I was working for. I needed to be more concerned about their “business” and deadlines than my schedule. In my experience the “church business” is very much the same. To be successful, it’s not enough to just “have church” and expect people to be served… We must constantly evaluate whether we are actually serving the community. If we do truly serve others…In my experience we will have as many “customers” as we can “handle”.
How has God used your “job” to prepare you for the future?