What. A. Week.

When it comes to ministry, one of my favorite passages reads: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6). If we judge ministry by earthly standards, we’ll use numbers as metrics to determine whether or not we are being successful. I have abandoned this view, however. God hasn’t called me to be “successful” in ministry. What I need to do is be faithful.

Sometimes you plant seeds. Sometimes you water seeds that were already planted. It’s up to God to give the increase. From Sunday, July 19 through yesterday, eight souls obeyed the gospel here at Glendale Road. It’s like we went through a dry spell, as it sometimes happens. This last week, God has given the increase.

I was out the entire month of June. Every five years, I get a one-month sabbatical. I highly recommend that preachers negotiate this as a part of their employment with a congregation. Keith Parker, formerly of the Hendersonville Church of Christ, gave me this advice several years ago. Then, I couldn’t fathom taking a month off. Now, I can’t see not doing this every five years. Here’s why I believe it’s important: the church needs to know they will be ok without me, and I need to know that I’ll be ok without them. After all, if the Lord called me home tomorrow, things would keep on keeping on.

I used to believe that you have to be at every event, a part of everything, and if you didn’t do it, the work wouldn’t get done. That’s such an immature attitude. I know some churches have that expectation of their preacher. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I guess it depends on the needs a congregation has. The church has existed long before I have, and the gates of Hades won’t prevail against it. If it’s the Lord’s will, she will continue after I’m long gone. This is why I have to remember: it’s not about me. It’s about the work Jesus left for us to do.

When I returned to work on July 1, I thought I’d do some basic sermons on Sunday mornings about the steps of salvation. I started with faith one week, then repentance, acknowledgment, and last Sunday, I preached about baptism. I had baptized two fellows on Saturday afternoon, and I knew one lady was going to come forward at the invitation to proclaim her faith. I think it was nice to have the public one. Then, on Monday evening, I got a text from another young lady who was going to do the same on Tuesday afternoon. She asked that I be there, so I replied, “Consider me present!” I’ve been at this congregation for a decade, and a lot of these kids were just that when I came. They’ve grown, and it’s so wonderful to see the people they are becoming. Moms and dads have done great jobs.

I’ve only told you about four here, so what about the other four? One occurred the Sunday before last; two others were done, and we later learned about them; and the final was at church camp. Actually, I worked backward chronologically, so the final was the first. Aside from that, we have had a couple of others from June. It’s been such an exciting time.

Additionally, we have been having a ministry fair that began in May. Each week, three tables are set up with different areas of ministry to educate the congregation on opportunities to serve. A group of brothers returned from a trip to Honduras earlier in the year, and they developed a group, “Here Am I, Send Me.” Yes, it’s from Isaiah 6. One brother said, “Why don’t we do this here at home [what they did on a mission trip]?” This is every preacher’s dream! The body of Christ, at work.

All in all, things have been going well. Of course, there are those who are grieving losses and those who are undergoing treatments. I’ve been asked to speak at a gentleman’s funeral on Friday. While there are a lot of positive things happening, there are some that are tragic and unfortunate. But that’s the work. Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.