Six Reasons for Unemployment

Discussing on how to mobilize a congregational team, Aubrey Malphurs refers to a problem of the church as “the church’s unemployment problem.”[1] Only a few are employed; the rest of them are unemployed. He points out six reasons why people are without a job in the church:[2]

1.      A faculty recruitment process is used that is based on emotion and coercion.

2.      The leadership has a lack of knowledge as to how to mobilize the congregation for ministry.

3.      Some people are waiting for a personal invitation for involvement.

4.      Some pastors feel threatened when laypersons are involved in ministry.

5.      Many people are simply too busy doing things outside the church.

6.      Most congregations are convinced that ministry is the pastor’s job.

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[1] Aubrey Malphurs, The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting: A Guide for Starting Any Kind of Church (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011), p. 153.

[2] Ibid., p. 154.