The Buck Stops Here

The 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, has always been my favorite president.  While an obvious reason that he is my favorite has to do with our shared home state, another reason is the tremendous level of responsibility he took in his job and in life in general.

Harry Truman served his country during World War I and he tried to reenlist during WWII while he was already serving the country as a congressman before he was tapped to be Roosevelt’s VP.  When Harry Truman became president after Roosevelt’s death, he was famous for placing a sign on his desk.

The sign read, “The Buck Stops Here”

This sign served as a reminder to Truman and his entire staff that they did not have the privilege of “passing the buck” on to someone else.  If it reached his desk, then he had a duty to address the issue and find a resolution.

It seems like this has become more an exception than the rule in life.  Most people want to “pass the buck” onto the next person in hopes that they can avoid doing anything that may be hard or cause them to miss out on something else.

This is also true in the church as well.  Most of us have a pretty good ideal of what the church “ought” to be doing

The church ought to be witnessing.  The church ought to be teaching the Bible to her members.  The church ought to be meeting the needs of her community in order to share the love of Christ.  The church ought to be on mission in her community, surrounding areas, and across the globe.

But who is supposed to do it?

Should the pastor?

Yes he should.  There is no question that the pastor should be sharing the Gospel with the lost, ministering to the congregation and the community, and taking care of others. 

But there is a problem here.  If a church delegates all ministry duties to the pastor, then the church cannot grow, many ministries and opportunities will be missed, and the pastor will eventually burn out and/or give up.  In other words, the church’s ministries will be severely limited, and it is highly likely that people both inside and outside of the church will perceive that the church still is not doing what it ought to be doing.

Should the gifted?

Another idea is that only the spiritually gifted should do the work of ministry.  Thankfully, this does not place all the burden on the pastor, but it still limits the church’s ability to do all that it ought to be doing.

Usually when we think about “the gifted”, we mean people who are natural teachers, extroverts, and people with the gift of gab.  But God uses several other gifts in accomplishing His mission.  1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  This tells us that ALL OF US are gifted to accomplish the mission of church.  If you think that the work of the church is only for the “gifted”, then you may have to realize that YOU are gifted and called to serve in the church.

Should I?

This is the heart of the matter.  When it comes to ministry and felt needs in the church, we can be tempted to “pass the buck” onto the pastor, the deacons, or some other gifted individual.  But the reality is that God has revealed that need TO YOU!!!

Do you see a group in our church that is being neglected?  Start a ministry!  Have you noticed a community in our county that is unreached for the Gospel?  Recruit an outreach team!  Do you have a burden for people who are lost?  Pray for them!

Jesus said in John 20:21, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  I hope and pray that you will take this commissioning seriously.

So where do you see God working in your heart and life?  How will you respond?  Will you pass the buck, or will you own it like our former president and say, “The buck stops HERE!”