What’s the most given excuse from your church members?
I’ve heard “we’re busy” and variations of that more than I want to count.
Granted, I know people are super busy these days. And legitimately busy. Not “busy, because I procrastinate” or “busy, because I’m lazy” but surviving is taking up majority of their waking moment. So, to get involved and serve, well, there has to be sanity in some point of people’s lives. I, totally, get that.

But here’s the deal. Can we come up with another excuse to give to our pastors and leaders?
Sometimes, I flat out, would rather hear, “I don’t really want to” rather than “I don’t have the time.”

We’re busy as heck, too, you see. Many people may think that all the big events, Sunday worship, and so forth, just happens. Like magic. But. The bigger the event, the far more planning it takes. (And that’s on top of the regular, daily stuff that we have to do. Or you’ll get mad at us for not doing…) And the staff and leaders are rushing back and forth to make sure that everything is good to go. The more unpaid servants we have, the easier things are. (Usually).

But, by you saying “I’m too busy” it almost makes it sound like we have all the time in the world. We don’t. We’re busy too. Just because we’re on staff, doesn’t mean that our one and only responsibility is that one thing we asked to see if you were interested in serving.

Maybe this sounds like I’m complaining or what not, but for me, it’ll really help if someone said, “Look, I know you’re super busy. But I’m sorry, we just can’t do it.”
That would want to make me strangle the Holy Spirit into you far less than “We’re just too busy.”

And it sounds nicer. And it helps us to see that you understand we’re busy.

Besides. If we used that same excuse on you, you’d want us fired.

“Pastor, can you come visit my mother in the hospital?”
“Oh. I really want to, but I’m sorry. I”m just too busy.”

I can’t tell if I’m joking or not…