completely changed the order of worship and service in the New Testament church? Now, instead of having an earthly High Priest we have a heavenly High Priest in Jesus Christ. Instead of having a select few to be set aside as priests, we who believe and are baptized are all priests to God. We are all to provide service to the church either spiritual or physical. Contrary to what some people think, spiritual gifts are not limited to what is written in Ephesians 4:11-13 This passage  names the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastor teachers as gifts to the church. We all have gifts to do service to the church, either spiritual service or physical service. All appropriate service is acceptable to the Lord's church even the seemingly mundane. The list of potential, material, service is endless, from A to Z. The spiritual service is a small part of the work that needs to be done for the church. We also need, just to name a few, lawn mowers, cleaners, greeters, typists, go-fors, fixers and painters. Some larger congregations need drivers and helpers. Then we need counselors, chaperones and go betweeners. This church and all churches, not only, need preachers, teachers and leaders but we need watchmen to ward off the false teachers. Every member has at least one gift and needs to be working in the service of the Lord in that special gift. Many people have more than one gift and can overlap others in their specialty, helping where they can. There are a few that have only one or two gifted areas. These God has usually given a specialty such as a great pianist or singer. There are great preachers who couldn't tell you anything about a screwdriver. Their one tracked mind keeps them focused on their gifted area. The rest of us must serve in the areas where they lack. I, as an aircraft mechanic, can also preach, clean, mow and replace a broken light fixture. I have truly been given many gifts. Or, as some might say, "Jack of many trades, master at none." Our work of the service in God's church will have many rewards. For every worker in the church there are equal results in the souls of the people that see them work.
    That brings me to the topic of the small church with a preacher that needs outside support for his ministry. That is a special needs church. Some of their wives work outside jobs and make enough to adequately support the family while he preaches and ministers full time. I am finding many wives do not work outside the home for one reason or other. Some few of our preachers are not married. These last two kinds of small church preachers usually need to work to support themselves and possibly their families. These preachers that work outside the church to support their ministry and family are called tentmakers because of the way the Apostle Paul made tents for years while he went around the Mediterranean area preaching the Gospel. Even Paul had helpers that went from place to place with him giving aid and supporting him both financially and in physical labors. Just because a preacher in a small congregation is getting outside support doesn't mean he doesn't need help with the physical work of the church. The work of the tent-making preacher is hard enough with help from others. It is overwhelming without help. If he cannot get the help of those around him and especially in the congregation he is serving, his work has the high probability of being doomed to failure. It will have a high potential to fail, not because he has failed to work (unless he has failed to work) but because he does not have the help and support of those in the congregation. That lack of help and support shows. The visitors see it and know he is alone in the work. The community sees it because they see only the preacher or the preacher and his family doing the work around the grounds. People need to see the church involved and people busy about the work before they want to become a part of any church. We don't need titles or an office to do the work of the church. We need to just get busy.
      Do you have a concern for lost souls? Do you have a concern for the Lord's church? Your concern, or lack of concern, will show with what you do to serve your congregation. Giving up a little time to mow lawns or clean is valuable service to the Lord. Will the congregation you are involved with survive or fail because of you? You are involved as long as you are a baptized believer and regularly attend a local church. Have the preacher or other church leaders called for more workers recently? Have you responded to the call with an offer to help in some way? Remember, all of the New Testament writers, one way or other, called the church (the members of the Lord's church) to serve (do work for the local congregation). We are not exempt from that work no matter what our primary skills are. Small congregation or large, lets get busy and help make it a place of activity and productivity.