Have you ever thought about how many keys we carry around?
We have keys to our homes, cars, offices, and all sorts of other places. Each key gives us access to something important. But when you think about it, keys also represent trust and responsibility. Someone has trusted us with the ability to open a door and take care of what is on the other side.
In the book Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church, Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Brad Griffin of the Fuller Youth Institute discuss keychain leadership. The idea is pretty simple. Healthy churches don't hold on tightly to all the responsibilities and leadership opportunities. Instead, they make room for others, especially younger generations, to learn, lead, and serve. I think there is an important lesson here for all of us.
Consider the knowledge and experience we have in our own church family. We have people who have faithfully served for decades. They know how things work, how events are organized, where things are stored, and why certain traditions are important. They have learned a lot through years of serving.
But what happens to all that knowledge if we never pass it along?
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul encouraged Timothy to share what he had learned with others, who could then teach someone else. Paul understood that the church's work wasn't supposed to stop with one person or even one generation. That's really what keychain leadership is all about. It's inviting someone to help us instead of always doing things ourselves. It's showing someone how to prepare the sanctuary for worship or a baptism. It's teaching someone how to care for the church building and grounds, organize a meal for a grieving family, or help with one of our other ministries. And it's taking the time to explain not just what we do, but why we do it.
Of course, sometimes it also means letting someone do things a little differently than you would! That isn't always easy, especially when we've been doing something the same way for years. But sharing our keys doesn't mean we're no longer needed or that our years of service don't matter. Quite the opposite! It means we have something valuable to offer someone else.
So here's something I'd like for each of us to think about this week. What keys are you carrying? What have you learned over the years that someone else needs to know? And who could you invite to serve alongside you?
We don't have to hand over our whole keychain at once. Maybe we just start by sharing one key. One responsibility. One opportunity for someone else to learn. After all, the church's ministry was never meant to begin or end with any one of us. We are all part of something much bigger than ourselves, and one of the best gifts we can give our church is making sure someone else knows how to use the keys when it's their turn to carry them.
Jesus loves you, Union Family, and I do too!