essay
THINGS A COMMITTEE CANNOT DO
- THINGS A COMMITTEE CANNOT DO Inasmuch as committees are an integral part of many churches, it is important to note that there are lots of things a committee cannot do. A committee cannot drive a car, fly an airplane, lead a band, ride a horse, or quarterback a football team. Someone even quipped: “For God so loved the world that He did not send a committee”. Committees do not preside over meetings, take notes, or write checks. While sometimes there may be safety in numbers, numbers can also create problems. Too many cooks can spoil the soup, and too many chiefs can bring defeat to the Indians.
- Have you ever gone to an art gallery and seen a picture painted by a committee?
- Have you ever heard of a patent or Pulitzer Prize being awarded to a committee?
- Have you ever heard a song composed by a committee?
- Have you ever read a book written by a committee? Yes! Under certain conditions many minds can create a synergy that exceeds the sum of their individual capabilities. Yes! Many hands can move heavy objects and make quick work of gargantuan tasks. Yes! A three fold cord is not easily broken. But symphonies need a conductor, armies need officers, and the church also needs spiritual leaders. Solomon said that in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Prov. 24:6). Solomon, however, was not a committee member, he was a king. He could order his nation to war, or have a baby cut in half without asking anybody. Under such circumstances it was wise indeed for the all powerful Solomon to seek wise counsel. Teamwork is often the key to success. In the sports world we have football teams, baseball teams, basketball teams, and soccer teams. In the medical world we have surgical teams and research teams. In the world of construction we have teams of carpenters, bricklayers, and electricians. A football team , however, is not a committee and you know it. The Winchester Mystery House provides insight into leaderless activity. It is called the “Mystery House” because nothing in it makes sense. There are 47 fireplaces, but only 17 chimneys. There are 10,000 window panes, but many do not allow you to see anything. It has 160 rooms but some have no doors. It also has stairways that go nowhere Legend has it that the house was built by Winchester’s widow to provide for the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. She was convinced that if she ever stopped building she would die. So from 1884 to 1922, the year of her death, she hired carpenters to work day and night, 365 days of the year. The confusion in construction resulted from the fact that there was no master plan and every carpenter apparently did that which was right in his own eyes. Remember! God does not do things like this for He is not the Author of confusion. Remember! Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it. Remember! If there is confusion in the House of God, it did not come from Christ. God has three divine structures on earth, and all of them have leaders. The first and oldest, of course, is the home. As families increased God then ordained civil government. Finally, God ordained His Body, the Church. Imagine the confusion of a family with two fathers, a country with two presidents, or a body with two heads. Wherever we find confusion we know it is does not come from God. The Scriptures teach that God has placed spiritual leaders on earth. In 1 Cor. 12:28, for example, we are told that God has appointed in His church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, gifts of healing, helpers, administrators, and those who speak in tongues. When these many spiritual leaders function as God intended there is no confusion (see 1 Cor. 14). Many leaders in our modern churches need not create confusion either. In all three of these God given structures obedience is required. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord (Eph. 6:1). Citizens are to submit to civil authorities (Rom. 13:1). Christians are also commanded to obey our spiritual leaders and to submit to their authority (Heb. 13:17). Let us pray that no matter where your church is located, or how your church is structured, the people of God in that church will recognize and submit to the spiritual leaders He has ordained!