MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Last night Deborah and I had dinner at the new home of some old friends. Before dinner, we got the grand tour. Wow! What a tour. We wanted to move into their guest room.
Their beautiful new home was built by a team that included general contractors, cabinet makers, stone cutters, interior designers, architects, landscapers, roofers, painters, electricians, plumbers, and others.
I’m not a builder, but I’m pretty sure that the person who dug the foundation is not the same person who installed the roof. One crew laid the foundation, another painted the walls, another installed the sound system, another built the cabinets.
The Apostle Paul often used building imagery to communicate spiritual truth. Consider 1 Corinthians 3:10.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.
Paul described himself as an “expert builder” but that did not mean he did everything. He laid the foundation, got out of the way, and allowed others (even non-experts) to build the rest.
If you are a pastor, church planter, apostle, or any kind of church leader, your job is NOT to do everything that needs to be done in the name of ministry. Your job is to lay a foundation, then empower others, even non-experts, to build on that foundation.
Too many church leaders (especially small leaders with big titles) lay the foundation, then build the walls, then paint the walls, then hang the art on the walls, then arrange the furniture. Some pastors think that because they are “expert builders” they are supposed to do it all. No wonder so many quit the ministry every year.
Imagine what might happen if pastors would make it their top priority to dig deep and lay strong foundations, then equip and empower others, even non-experts, to build. That’s what Paul did.
