Kerux: a portfolio of Calvin Theological Seminary - Volume 43.2 - 27 Oct 2008

Service

A Review of Our Town Hall Meeting

by Gayle Doornbos

"One need not look far to see preachers who do not preach to reach people but preach to reach the top, to become ecclesiastical superstars. They see discipleship to Jesus in terms of rank and privilege. They assume that Jesus is someone who will achieve things for them, and give them status of the lords."
-David Garland

October 2, 2008
Service is a vital part of discipleship, but making service into a way of life is often difficult. Many students within the CTS community participate in community service, but understanding how these acts of servanthood translate into daily life can be difficult-particularly when the demands of classes and the apparent disparity between community service and the classroom create a difficult environment to understand how the two work together. However, as those who desire to be leaders, learning service as a way of life is vital, as David Garland's quote above illuminates.

To help the CTS community contemplate how service becomes a lifestyle, Student Senate hosted a panel discussion at the Town Hall meeting on October 2nd. The panelists were Paul Haagsman, Volunteer Coordinator at a local non-profit called In the Image; Stedford Sims, Pastor of Outreach at Sherman Street. CRC and Lead Pastor at Step of Faith; and Brad Knetsch, a senior M.Div. student at CTS and Middle School Ministry Coordinator at Madison Square Church. They shared their insights, joys, frustrations and experiences about living lives of service.

Although each panelist serves in a different capacity within the Grand Rapids community, for each an essential element of service is the common desire to respond to God's call to serve within the kingdom of God. Because f this desire, Brad noted, engaging in service is both a practice of response as well as a spiritual discipline that shapes us as believers. Moreover, it is something that does not come primarily out of our own desire to do good but flows out of faith. By incorporating regular acts of service into life we already begin to be transformed into people who see service as a lifestyle.

Seeing service as a response is important for leadership not only because it shapes us but also because it allows us to equip others to serve. A large portion of the discussion was dedicated to practical examples of service and volunteers within the panelists' communities. Stedford Sims explained how placing service within the bigger picture of responding to and following Christ's example allows him to lead his two diverse congregations to utilize their distinct gifts to serve others. Sims, as well as the other panelists, also pointed out the importance of recognizing gifts and passion within themselves and volunteers when equipping others to serve. For them, a lifestyle of service will not always be easy or flashy but, as a response, it utilizes the God-given abilities that permeate through people's personalities.

As we engage in service, we are also changed through the interactions we have with those we serve and, sometimes, by those who serve us. Service, according to the panelists, has fundamentally changed the way they think about God and his work in the world. Paul Haagsman described how a lot of the volunteers at In the Image are people who were originally served. This mean volunteers who have never received services from In the Image have the opportunity to work with those for whom service has become an ingrained part of life. The questions, insights and perspectives that we encounter when serving outside one's immediate community change us and make us understand the world differently.

Overall, the discussion was insightful as it explored the ways in which service becomes a way of life. Although the discussion was diverse, it did reveal the importance of service as a practice that is transformative - both for the one served as well as for the one serving. For each participant, service did not remain a momentary exercise. Learning a lifestyle of service involves both hours of service "outside" our normal communities as well as committing to serve within our usual communities daily so that we might all bring glory to God.