1546260129_lI’ve been enjoying the conversations with several people about the subject of requiring parents to serve in the children’s ministry. Several of you all shared your opinions here. I shared my opinion here.

Several of you had some amazing comments. However, one thing I kept hearing over and over again was this idea of calling. Several people said that if a parent isn’t called to be in the room, they shouldn’t be in there. This intrigued me and I knew I wanted to discuss it further.

So, let me set the stage. Let’s take the idea of requiring parents off the table. Let’s also not talk about parents we’d all agree don’t need to be in our classrooms. Do you feel the only person who belongs in a children’s ministry environment is a parent or volunteer who feels called it it? Really?

This afternoon I got this in my facebook inbox in regard to the comments on my first post:

“This “Only Serve Where You are Passionate” band wagon has got to stop.
Our desire for people to be “fulfilled” or more honestly, self-fulfilled, has back fired.
It is a superficial high, it is a false Happy Place.
True serving is a state of heart and mind. Not always warm and fuzzy.
It is often a sacrifice where we truly have to lean on God and go beyond our natural human selves.
Self-fulfillment is not what we should be seeking but is often where we find our greatest passion.”

What do you think about this idea of “called” volunteers? What about this idea of self-fulfilled volunteers? I’m really eager to see what you’re thinking.