Why
Business Matters
On Saturday, March 4, the Piedmont Conference held its
annual meeting at First Advent Christian Church in Hickory. Forty-one delegates
plus a few guests gathered from our 25 churches to conduct the business of the
conference. Business meeting don’t generally draw large crowds, because it
isn’t terribly entertaining to listen to reports, elect officers, and approve
budgets (particularly when it gets to 1pm and you haven’t had lunch). In the
words of Abraham Lincoln, “The world will little note, nor long remember, what
we say here…” Except—
Except that the business decisions of the church,
conference, Appalachian Region (July 29), and General Conference (Aug. 7-11) have
eternal consequences. In one sense, it’s not important whose names are on the
ballot or what budget items get changed. Unless someone reads the minutes, they
probably won’t remember those details when they get home. But those small
decisions may result in lives changed for eternity. Helping to fund campground
projects may make it possible for some child or teen to hear the gospel for the
first time. Supporting youth worker retreats or summer ministry teams may give
some young person an experience in ministry that leads to a call to vocational
ministry as a pastor or missionary. The ministerial committee’s decision to
invest time in mentoring new pastors may better equip them to serve their
churches by preaching the Word and equipping the saints. Routine decisions can
create a chain reaction of people coming to faith and being discipled in order
to disciple others.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And
how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach
unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10:14-15a). And how are they sent without the
financial and prayerful support of the people of God?
In the 160+ years of our denomination, there have been
hundreds of churches planted, mission fields established in dozens of
countries, and many thousands of people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ
because of routine decisions that were made in business meetings at various levels.
During the Piedmont Conference meeting we took a few minutes to give thanks for
the lives of Margaret Helms and Hal Patterson. They were two normal folks who
made the decision to follow where God was leading, and it can truthfully be
said that God only knows how many lives have been, and continue to be, impacted
for eternity because of many small decisions they made along the way.
Bringing it a little closer to home, church boards decide
what fundraisers they choose to participate in and what events they support.
The board of Dulin’s Grove decided to collect our Penny Crusade offerings on
the first Sunday of each month as a regular reminder that the work of the
church extends far beyond the walls of our sanctuary and that people around the
world need the eternally lifechanging Word of the Gospel. We also encourage
young people to participate in camps and retreats and we pray for their
salvation and growth through such events.
Business meetings may not be exciting, and at times may
bring a sense of dread, but we need to keep an eternal perspective. Our goal is
not simply to run a corporation and abide by our constitution and bylaws. Our
ultimate purpose is to obey the Great Commandment and Great Commission—to love
God and others as we “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20a). God may use
the routine business of our church, conference, region, and General Conference as
tools to bring eternal life to those we know and love as well as to those we
have not yet met.
© 2023 Dawn Rutan. All Scripture ESV.