Crafts

I don’t do them.

I don’t want to make a recycling bin out of melted aluminum cans. I don’t want to make an automatic plant watering system from plastic bottles. I don’t want to make a Christmas wreath out of feathers.

I marvel at the Renaissance People in my life. You know who you are. (Her crafts make excellent gifts.)

I remember hearing a sermon preached by a seminary professor called “Craft Me a People” based on Ephesians 4:11-13 – the passage on equipping people for ministry and “building the body of Christ.” Obviously this is not a Do-It-Yourself endeavor. Equipping God’s people to serve is a team effort guided by the Spirit. DIY Pastors are tired/ridiculous leaders. Not one of us can do it all by ourselves.

(Note to pastors who solely preach, teach, visit, vacuum, unlock, set the heat/AC, and answer the phone: you are killing your church. And congregations allowing you to do this are choosing to die.)

So . . . how do we craft God’s people for these days? It has nothing to do with yarn or clay. It’s about equipping faith leaders instead of managers, pray-ers instead of complainers, and people who see possibilities instead of dead ends. We need more visionaries and adventurers in the name of Jesus.

It’s almost officer training time for new leaders. Imagine teaching them how to pray out loud (I know! Shocking) or how to share their faith story to the congregation or how to visit someone’s bedside not merely as a friend but as a sibling in Christ. If this sounds too churchy for you, let’s remember that we are spiritual communities, not secular clubs.

If crafting is your gift, go for it. On this week when I remember my sister Cindy Bolbach who passed away 12 years ago Thursday, I cling to our hilarious conversations about being allergic to glitter and glue guns. We didn’t do crafts. But she taught me a lot about crafting God’s people.

Now get out there and be the Church.

Image source.