On Call

Today I was "on call" at my church in Pittsburgh, which meant that I had to sit in my office at the church from 9am to 5pm.  Our POC (Professional On Call) system is a way to make sure that if people from our church have a need, they can get in touch with someone to help them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by either calling the church or visiting the church office between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday.

Being "on call" at my church is kind of funny to me for several reasons.  First, let me say that I think that the POC system is a well-thought-out, efficient way for a large church to make sure that they are meeting people's needs.  A lot of us on staff take turns being on call, so it all works out well.  That being said... as a person who is involved in urban ministry in a troubled neighborhood, I am seemingly on call (or available to help people in my community) all the time.  I don't know if there is such a thing as being "off call" for urban ministry practitioners who work in vulnerable places with vulnerable people.  Often, my most significant work does not happen during traditional 9-5 hours during the week or when worship services are happening on Sunday mornings.  I'm generally with kids and their families during evenings and on weekends.  Also, I hardly ever minister to people in a sterile office building environment.  Most likely, I'm with people in the urban lab of the streets, or in a public school cafeteria, or in somebody's living room (mine or theirs).  I really struggle if I have to sit still in an office for too long!

So, this reflection of mine begs the question... what does it mean for a Christian leader to be "on call?"  This is a tough one.  Do we wait for people to come to us, which has been the most popular mindset of recent attractional model, church growth movement evangelicalism?  Or do we go to where the people in "the world" are to minister to them on their turf, which is more representative of the missional church movement that is gaining significant traction in modern evangelicalism?  I think the answer depends on the type of church and who you talk to.  Some Christians think that we have the corner on how to be successful in life, and that hurting or lost people should come to us.  Others think that Christians should go to where the hurting people are to bring light into darkness.  I think the answer depends on the context, and I think both methods are needed in order to be "on call" as Christians.  We need to care for people within the church, and we need to care for people outside the walls of the church.

One of the biggest takeaways from this on call discussion is the power of presence for leaders.  As Christian leaders, we cannot be effective from afar.  We must enter into the ministry context to which we have been called.  We must enter into people's pain.  Too often, Christians want to make a difference in this world, but we are afraid or unwilling to go where God is calling us.  That is sin.  Just read the book of Jonah.  And guess what?  Just like Jonah's story, we don't get to control the outcomes.  God is God.  He will do what he will do.  Our job is to be obedient.  Obedience to God means that we are always on call, no matter how he calls us, or when, or who, or what, or why.  In the meantime, I'll be fine as long as God doesn't call me to my office too often!