Hide and seek

i got to spend some time in a hospital the last two days. A friend of ours (also serves on staff with us) got food poisoning and was taken to a hospital near downtown Miami. He's out and doing great.

I was talking with the nurse about a few things and heard her mention to a friend about their new "locators". She obviously wasn't discreet, so I asked the big question. "What is that thing?"

The nurses of this particular hospital must wear "locators". This is just what it sounds like, a personal gps tracking system for each nurse. Each nurses' station has a plasma tv or a computer that shows where every nurse is all the time. There is no question about anyone's location when they are wearing a "locator".

So...I had to ask. "What's up with that? Why do you have to wear this?" The nurse explained that many nurses disappear for long periods of time and won't account for where they were. Some nurses were going outside for a while, some stayed in the restroom for over 30 mins, etc. They didn't feel like doing their job, so they just "hid". Patients and other nurses would grow frustrated with the inability to reach that person.

If what this nurse told me is true, it's unfortunate with the cost of healthcare that we now have to spend money to keep tabs on people who should just be doing their jobs. Is there a lesson in this for us? I think so.

People can "hide" in ministry in two ways, which are different than just disappearing, although I am sure some do that as well.

1. Volunteers can hide in ministry if we aren't careful. It's one thing to be "at" church and another thing to be "in" church. At CF, we encourage all of our volunteers to go sit in a service. If they serve through every service, when do they get fed? Serving and sitting aren't the same. If a volunteer only serves and never sits, we rob them of their opportunity to hear the Word and grow. It appears like everything is great because they are at church...but they miss hearing the Word. We must be careful not emphasize serving over sitting.

2. Staff can also hide. But usually, it's a different situation. We can hide in ministry by being comfortable; by letting things become routine and blah because we can. We can say it's for a bunch of other reasons, but truthfully, we know it's because we can be comfortable and no one will think otherwise. We must be careful that we don't hide in ministry from lack of accountability.

I'm not throwing stones. I couldn't; I just know what I have experienced and what we see. let's purpose to be the type of people that would never need a "locator" whether we serve in ministry or anywhere else.