From time to time we see volunteers to whom God has given such magnificent ability that the local church seems too small an arena. It's not that any local church could not use such a man or woman. But the leadership and long-term members do not always know how to respond to this mega-talent. One of three things usually happens.

• The most common solution is to refuse access to the resources of the church and thus restrict the person's ministry.

A young staff member was invited to a church and quickly discerned that the young marrieds desperately needed help in managing their relationships and finances. He put together an elective Sunday school class on this theme. Immediately, class attendance jumped to four or five times the size of most other adult classes in the Sunday school. More than two thirds of the class were worship attenders who hadn't been coming to Sunday school, but the rest were migrants from other classes.

After thirteen weeks or so, the senior pastor simply ordered ...