Jump directly to the Content

Using People

The dark side of efficiency

Efficient. Practical. How often we hear these words applied to ministry. This may reflect our desire to be wise stewards of what God has entrusted to us, or it may reflect the influence of a culture that values ROI (return on investment) above all else. Maybe both.

Scripture warns us about money. It is a tempting master, promising omnipotence—the power to control one's life and circumstances. We all know stories of pastors lured into wealth's maelstrom. We also know of ministries that mismanaged their finances and slowly disappeared beneath a tide of debt. Such tales keep church leaders vigilant. They provoke us to be efficient and practical, but might these values carry a hidden danger even more perilous than wealth?

When efficiency becomes a primary value, we're tempted to become utilitarian. Rather than seeing people as inherently valuable, we rank them by their usefulness. We tap them for money, volunteer energy, or influence. As pastors our goal shifts from serving to using. From ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Are You Emotionally Depleted?
Are You Emotionally Depleted?
Determine if you need to recharge your emotional reserves.
From the Magazine
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
As I attended my second funeral in three weeks, two Christians showed me a kindness I couldn’t explain.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close