Recruiters

re·cruit : To engage (persons) for military service; To strengthen or raise (an armed force) by enlistment; To supply with new members or employees; To enroll or seek to enroll. Recruitment is a natural part of Christianity. Some of the last recorded words of Jesus send us out to be recruiters – to enlist lost people into God’s family – or to enroll them into the kingdom. I know the analogy is only partial. Discipleship is more than signing up. But I think it can be demonstrated that part of our natural evolution as disciples involves making disciples. This is good. More, this is necessary as we expand into darkness with the light of the gospel. In my city there are probably 20% of our citizens in any kind of worship assembly on a Sunday morning. We could be generous and say 30%, but that would be a stretch. So the vast majority of people in our city are not associated with any kind of church. Why, then, are some Christians focused on recruiting other church’s members when there are people who never hear much about Jesus? How the dead are awakened! In our church, like every church, people have chosen to leave over the years because of one issue or another. Almost without exception these are people who have never taught anyone the gospel, seldom volunteer for anything that is evangelistic in nature, do not bring friends with them to the assembly, and have never offered any innovative ideas for reaching the lost around us. These non-recruiters suddenly spring to life, however, when they are finally motivated – motivated to leave and find a new church. Then they become super-recruiters. Phone calls, letters, and continual harassing of their friends back in their old church are the new order of the day. They go from being fearful and effectiveless to doing everything in their power to get people to leave our church. Why couldn’t they have put that kind of energy into reaching out to the 70% of people in our city who do not attend church? Now some of them drive 30 miles or more to go to another church. Why couldn’t they have put that much interest into the church here while they were here? There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. [Proverbs 6:16-19] This kind of recruitment sickens me. When people in one church attempt to recruit from another church, it is a kind of spiritual cannibalism. It is a destructive kind of self-justification. It is a denial of everything we know about how the church should function. It is anti-kingdom, anti-family, and … well … anti-Christ. Troubled times Caught between confusions and pain, pain, pain Distant eyes Promises we made were in vain, vain, vain If you must go, I wish you love You'll never walk alone ---Separate Ways, Journey