I'd never heard him speak live before, which in itself was a treat, but he made one point in particular that seemed to stick with each of us. It's something like this...One way to think about church, especially for volunteers and staff, is like a kitchen and a restaurant. In a fine-dining restaurant, customers come in to see (hopefully!) clean floors, clear crystal glasses, wrinkle-free tablecloths, and friendly/accommodating staff. Back in the kitchen, however, it's a whole different story. The head chef may be screaming at the sous-chef, who is frustrated that the waiter gave her the wrong order, who couldn't understand the indecisive customer to begin with. Meanwhile, there's a small kitchen fire, a plate that shatters when it hits the floor, and one of the four line cooks called out sick that night.
Sunday morning service, in Jakes' thinking, is the restaurant. But throughout the week (and sometimes on Sunday morning) there's a whole kitchen dynamic happening. It's work. Someone has to clean the carpets and toilets, schedule volunteers, find replacement for the volunteer who called out sick, prepare for classes, teach classes, set up the information table, train volunteers, etc. That's simply the day-to-day of ministry. For department heads & staff you can add to that list: planning for and executing short, intermediate, and long-term goals, implementing a vision, hiring and firing, managing complaints, developing processes and systems, motivating, appreciating, possibly managing other staff or department heads, carrying out the vision of the pastors, etc. The list goes on.
Not to carry this too far, but what I took away from Jakes' point is that one needs a well-oiled "kitchen" in order to have a successful "restaurant".
Does this ring true for you? And... do share any wonderfully taxing "kitchen" stories you have :).
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