• Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
    • Apologetics
    • Atheism
    • Bible
    • Devotion
    • Church
    • Evangelism
    • Hiddenness of God
    • Leadership
    • Philosophy
    • Religious Pluralism
    • Science and Faith
    • Theology
  • My Books
  • Video
  • Talks
  • Invite Me
No Result
View All Result
Rick Mattson Outreach Ministry
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
    • Apologetics
    • Atheism
    • Bible
    • Devotion
    • Church
    • Evangelism
    • Hiddenness of God
    • Leadership
    • Philosophy
    • Religious Pluralism
    • Science and Faith
    • Theology
  • My Books
  • Video
  • Talks
  • Invite Me
No Result
View All Result
Rick Mattson Outreach Ministry
No Result
View All Result

In the Slot

August 11, 2022

I stood in front of a bunch of college students the other night in Duluth and told them to stay in the church and work for reform.

See, when you’re young and a little cynical, the temptation to ditch the church and just do the Jesus thing by yourself is pretty strong.

But consider: An ancient church father named Cyprian famously declared that there is no salvation outside the church.

Maybe Cyprian was a little extreme, but in my view he leans in the proper direction. After all:

The church is God’s only plan for saving the world.

The option of skipping church and just growing in Christ on our own isn’t really open to us, biblically speaking.

Here’s something that could make church participation more appealing to those on the sidelines:

Find your slot.

By “slot” I mean finding what you love doing and are really good at; then — get in there and dig.

My slot(s) at Grace Church Roseville:

  • Tunes: Once or twice/month I make the big commitment (about seven hours’ worth) to play in the worship band. FYI: At 53 I am still a young rocker!
  • Sermon prep: My buddy Jim and I serve as Pastor Jason’s advisors for sermon prep. As a trio we study the passages together and determine preaching themes. We have awesome discussions.
  • Service assessments: My given assignment is to “write up” the Sunday service from beginning to end — every minute, every inch. Then I email the assessment to the pastoral team. I am supportive, constructive in my comments. 

Those jobs play into my strengths, passions and sense of team.

Are you doing what you love at your church? Doing what you’re good at? Serving the body of Christ?

Tell us your story.

Share120Tweet75
Rick Mattson

Rick Mattson

Comments 2

  1. Jason Stonehouse says:
    12 years ago

    It's true, the very people we need to really make the church what she could be, leave the church and complain or try and start their own thing when we could see some real difference if we worked together.
    Thanks for these good words, and I enjoy the roles you play!!

    Reply
  2. Rick Mattson says:
    12 years ago

    Thanks Jason. Great to be in partnership with you.

    You are a strong, decisive leader, but also humble. I'd like to see more of this kind of leadership in our churches.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me

Rick Mattson Outreach Ministry

Rick Mattson

Evangelist & Writer

Hello & welcome to my blog! My name is Rick Mattson and I'm a traveling evangelist/apologist.

SUBSCRIBE! You'll be notified by email whenever a new post comes out
Loading

Categories

  • Apologetics (152)
  • Atheism (47)
  • Bible (32)
  • Church (67)
  • Devotion (102)
  • Evangelism (52)
  • Hiddenness of God (9)
  • Leadership (65)
  • Philosophy (7)
  • Religious Pluralism (14)
  • Science and Faith (3)
  • Theology (1)

Popular

  • Apologetics for Kids

    Apologetics for Kids

    328 shares
    Share 131 Tweet 82
  • Tradition as a Guardrail

    326 shares
    Share 130 Tweet 82
  • Muslim Dialogue

    311 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
  • Objective Truth is Back

    306 shares
    Share 122 Tweet 77
  • What I’m Working On: Part 1 of 3: Inside-to-Out

    306 shares
    Share 122 Tweet 77
Facebook Twitter

© 2022 Site by 5BCreative

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
    • Apologetics
    • Atheism
    • Bible
    • Devotion
    • Church
    • Evangelism
    • Hiddenness of God
    • Leadership
    • Philosophy
    • Religious Pluralism
    • Science and Faith
    • Theology
  • My Books
  • Video
  • Talks
  • Invite Me