As a community we are very attached to the giving of, or listening to, public addresses. This has led to an inordinate emphasis being given to platform work as a means of service to the Truth; and there is no doubt that much good can be done by adequate and sincere use of this form of verbal communication. “They who labor in preaching and teaching” receive a special mention from the apostle (1 Timothy 5:17). It is the opinion of the writer, however, that we have tended to be unaware of the need to use other talents in His service; and we often fail to appreciate the wide range of activities, other than public speaking, which can employ our abilities — all of which come from Him and belong to Him. Brethren too often think of “the work of the Truth” in terms of holding offices in the ecclesia, as though there is nothing else to do except presiding, exhorting, and lecturing. And if you are not elected to one of these offices, there is nothing for you to do!
Yet the principle Paul lays down (2 Corinthians 8:12) is that “if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man has, and not according to what he has not got” . . . In other words, God wants us to use what talents He has bestowed upon us, and doesn’t expect us to do things for which He has not equipped us. So often brethren struggle along unsuccessfully trying to be ‘speakers’, when it would be better for them (and us) were they to use some other, perhaps quite outstanding, abilities, which they possess.
What kind of person are you?
In my job as a careers adviser to schools, I frequently meet the same kind of problem. Young people often want to do things for which they are quite unsuitable, or unqualified; and it is my task to try to get them to face realities. To do this they are asked first to consider themselves, and then, afterwards, the jobs they would like to do. What kind of person are you? What are your special interests and abilities ? What qualifications are you likely to get? Having tried to assess these and similar questions, the next step is to suggest areas in which these abilities and interests could be usefully employed. Perhaps if we thought along these lines in our ecclesial work we might get fewer square pegs in round holes, and find a much wider spectrum of activity for all the various talents of both brothers and sisters. Instead of starting by saying: “We want speakers (or presidents, or exporters, or lecturers) — who will do it?” we should put the horse firmly in front of the cart and say, rather: “What kind of person are you ? God can use you. What abilities do you possess ? God can employ them.”
There really is “room for all”.
In careers guidance work, because the number of possibilities is so vast, we try to get people to think in terms of groups of work for various kinds of people. The groupings can be done in a number of ways, e.g.:—
Work for people who are good at writing;
Work for people who communicate well;
Work for `practical’ people;
Work for people with artistic temperaments.
It is not possible in a short article to deal with this exhaustively, but some illustrations will show what is meant. Suppose we take the first: People who are good at writing. We might list some of the things they could get involved in, e.g.—
Correspondence work for the Bible Mission;
Isolation League work (Isolation Sunday School, distribution of exhortations, Bible class papers, etc.);
Letters to newspapers and periodicals; Reports on meetings — advance notices of events, etc. to local press;
Ecclesial Newsletters;
Information News Sheets for distribution in the vicinity of the Hall;
Preparation of leaflets;
Sending out Glad Tidings to a mailing list of friends (one sister made her own “correspondence” contacts by placing small advertisements in women’s magazines) :
Writing material for Radio and Television to get our views across in drama form;
Searching out the names of ex-members from ecclesial records of the past, and writing to them (perhaps organizing a re-union to discuss their position — they may be “coming to themselves” in the far-off land!).
You can go on adding to this list. These are only a few suggestions that spring instantly to mind.
Let us take another example: People who are good with people. In a secular context we should include social work in all its forms: teaching; nursing and hospital services; selling, counseling, etc. In our ecclesial work we could list:—
Preaching and teaching;
Sunday School work;
Work with young people (in the C.Y.C. of course, but also privately, in one’s own home);
Visiting sick, infirm and old—regularly;
Encouraging spiritual “lame ducks” by personal and regular contact, for reading and prayer.
Attending other people’s discussion groups, Christian Union meetings etc.
Conducting Home Study Groups;
Inviting neighbors to informal discussions (Coffee mornings, etc.);
Voluntary social work — hospital visiting, Samaritans, Meals-on wheels, and many other activities which not only help the less fortunate, but also give a wonderful opportunity to introduce the Truth;
Work (both full-time or on a voluntary basis) in Christadelphian Homes or Hospitals.
Make your own lists
Space will not allow us to develop the idea, but you can make your own list for other kinds of people — preferably after identifying yourself with one or other. Try making a list of work you could do if you are a practical type, skilled in the use of your hands; or somebody specially gifted artistically (music and drama are arts, as much as painting and drawing); or perhaps with a preference for outdoor physically active pursuits. You will be surprised how many things there are you could do; things you may never have thought of before as “the work of the Truth.” These suggestions are only made to stimulate thought and to encourage us all to look at a much wider spectrum of work for the Lord.
Bezaleel and the peg-makers
One of the brightest episodes in Israel’s history was the time when Moses appealed to the congregation for the supply of materials for constructing the Tabernacle. Every person who was of “a willing heart” was called upon to make a contribution, but they did not all offer the same things, or the Tabernacle would never have been made. Bezaleel and Aholiab were the specially gifted craftsmen with “ability and intelligence to know how to do any work”, and they made the “artistic designs, to work in gold, and silver and bronze” (Exodus 35:31). But there was something for everybody to do; embroidery and woodwork; poles and utensils; finely wrought garments; and tent pegs (verse 18). Each member of the congregation was able to find something to offer or to do; and everyone was necessary. Bezaleel and Aholiab would have been wasting their time without the peg-makers!
A central register of talents ?
To summarize, therefore, let me repeat the first point — that we should advance the work of God on a wider front, and seek to use the abilities and talents each one possesses, and not all try to do the same things. Consider what you are, and what you are best at, and offer these talents to the work. Perhaps it would be a useful exercise for ecclesias to set up a register of talents; and then to examine ways in which these various special abilities and qualities could best be employed. I have often thought, too, that a central register of talents, in the brotherhood, could be a useful thing to have when various committees are planning their activities. We have brothers (and sisters) in our community from every walk of life. Many of them are at, or near, the top of their particular field in technical, scientific, commercial, educational, artistic and skilled-craft careers. We have painters and musicians; advertising experts and management consultants; social workers and teachers; scientists and technicians; architects and builders; writers and caterers. You name it, we have it. If all those with special expertise were willing to submit their names and qualifications to a central ‘clearing house,” their abilities could probably be used in such a variety of ways as would surprise us all. In any case, however, we should aim to use as many as possible at local level, on the Pauline principle that “if you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t” (Living Bible). And this applies to other things besides money.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One