We are continuing to think about the church equipping people to be “Minutemen:”

A highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that enabled the colonies to respond immediately to war threats.

Such a force would be in keeping with Jesus’ command in Luke 12.35, 40:

Prepared for action at a moment’s notice, alert and ready at all times. (The Passion Translation)

Here’s a story, perhaps typical, about a church acting more like a roadblock than a highway. I was teaching this principle that churches ought to be in the business of releasing people for ministry in a church in Wisconsin a number of years ago. A lady told a story that went something like this:

We are German Lutherans, and many of our older members speak German as their first language. I thought it would be nice to read to these older members in German so I asked the church leadership for a list of our members in nursing homes. Three months later they still hadn’t decided whether or not they could give me such a list so I just went to the nursing homes and read to anyone who was interested!

The story has a good ending in that the lady was able to expand her ministry beyond the walls of the church. But it remains a mystery why church leadership likes to function as ministry stoppers rather than ministry enablers.

And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” (Isaiah 57.14, NIV)

Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. (Isaiah 62.10, NIV)