I’ve had this post on my mind for awhile and I need to get it out of my head. I have to admit that it is quite impressive what the LDS church has been able to do with nothing but lay leadership at the local level. I of course disagree that people should never be paid for serving in a ministry role but I would never ever say that it’s wrong NOT to pay someone to serve a congregation (slavery, notwithstanding). I think it’s very admirable what Latter-Day Saints are willing to sacrifice to their church. Activity breeds loyalty and loyalty breeds activity. There’s no question that active Mormons are loyal Mormons.
I think volunteer service in a church is a really healthy thing. It really saddens me when I hear of churches that pay even their parking lot attendants (a once a week, one hour duty). My church has a pretty robust volunteer attitude about it and it’s one of the things I really like about it. Occasionally there have been non-direct inquiries from people at my church asking me if I’d like to come on staff. I’m really not interested. I think there are unique and powerful things a lay person can bring to a church and I like my role in that regard (plus I really like my job).
So kudos to the LDS and the example they set in volunteer ministry.
I really admire the example of selfless service modeled by the Mormon church. If the evangelical Christian church could grasp ahold of it and utilize the method of service, and door to door evangelism it would change this world.
Good post
Great point. Service builds faith in any Church. I’m glad to hear that there are people out there who recognize the value of this. Occassionally in the LDS community people can lose sight of this.