Carl, Bob and Tim know tedium. At our church, these good men are our offering counters. Week after week, though most people never know it, they count and double check what hits the offering basket. Every church has and needs this ministry. But since you don’t see you, maybe you don’t think of it too often.
I have seen scores of good men serve in churches, including my own, but I have this trio in mind today for some very good reasons. First, at our church,
you don’t serve in this capacity unless you are a faithful giver. All money is the Lord’s. Men who serve in the ministry must live that truth. My guys do. You may have heard of somebody stealing money from the offering – it’s terrible – but I’ve heard of exactly two such cases in all my years. The “normative” integrity of the Carls and Bobs and Tims of the world is an amazing constant in the lives of our churches. Real men minister this way. And in my church, and yours, they do.
There is so much more to this monotonous, every-week, ethically-essential ministry than just stacks of cash and checks. Counters see what everybody gives. And what they don’t! And they love the people of our church just the same. In the process, they’ve become a team – for accountability nobody ever counts alone. And the better things are, the more work they have. So when you start your Sunday lunch this week thank the Lord for that food, and for the guys who are still back at church doing the ministry of counting. Three good men and their trusty calculator.