Who should do the work in a local church? “Why, the preacher of course. That’s why we pay him a salary.” Most of us would not like the sound of that statement, but I have heard it. However, there are many fine Christians who are willing and ready to serve, and they want no pay for serving.
About twenty years ago I went to Connecticut to visit a congregation to whom we were sending some support. I was to preach that morning, and as I got up to preach, a family walked in that I had not seen in more than thirty years. John and Gerry Dillman had been members of the North Side church in Fort Worth where I grew up, and he was one of my Bible teachers. But he was much more.
Our group of young people was blessed in many ways, partly by the makeup of our group. We were a very close-knit group, and we went to many places together. To this day I remember the work we did as young people. And much of what we did was just that – work. We were not merely entertained. We mowed a lot of lawns, cleaned out a few garages, and cleared weeds from some people’s yards. We did not get paid a penny for it, but we learned how good it feels to really be of service to others. It was good for us, and a way for us to serve the Lord with other Christians in a place that did not say “church” on the sign outside.
A major reason for our efforts was that man, John Dillman. He was not a preacher, an elder or a deacon. He did not get any pay for his work with us. His professional situation was such that he did not need funds from the church, but he made a big difference in the lives of many young people, including myself.
I was so pleased to see John and his wife, Gerry, and I discovered that his work included some time in the northeast part of our country. He and Gerry just happened to be in Connecticut that morning and came to hear me preach.
By that time I had come to realize how much he meant to me and to all the others in our group. He made a big difference in our lives, and that “difference” was such that none of us will ever forget the Dillmans.
As I recall, John was neither a spectacular teacher nor did he have a dynamic personality. It would have been easy to overlook him in a crowd, but I know of people whose lives were impacted because of his influence.
I’m afraid that we took the Dillmans for granted. It was years after our association with them before we began to realize how much they meant to us. On Sundays after our morning worship assemblies he took us to the Tarrant County jail. There we sang and read scripture. On Tuesday nights we visited young Christians who needed a little boost in their attendance.
Oh yes, we had picnics and an occasional “party.” We played miniature golf and we enjoyed being together. “Six Flags” and ski trips were not invented yet, but we learned what a Christian is and does while under the influence of a difference-maker.
What does it take for a person to be a “difference maker”? Do you need a college degree, or to be “ordained” a youth minister? How old must you be? Can a youth be a difference-maker? Or must you be middle-aged? Do you need a college degree in Bible or must you be a graduate of one of our schools of preaching? You can have – or be – any or all of these, but there are no technical or educational requirements for a difference-maker.
Really, there is only one hard and fast requirement for this kind of work, and that is that you be a faithful, dedicated Christian! If you possess that qualification you will surely be interested in the spiritual welfare of the youth of our congregation.
There you are! That is the quality possessed by the Dillmans. They were INTERESTED in our future. They cared. That trait is contagious. Once you are privileged to be around someone who is truly interested in your future as a Christian, it will be hard for you not to follow.
Then you can look for ways to help those who need
your help or your encouragement. You can be a genuine Christian, a “difference-maker.” And you don’t have to be a preacher.
