Motivate congregants to be godly, responsible citizens.

Some of the “Why” regarding the role of the pulpit in addressing current events was covered in the previous section, however the vital effect of motivation warrants separate focus. Simply put, when a lay leader asks individuals in a congregation – or the entire congregation – to do something, it will have limited effect. Exceptions may occur if the lay leader has a unique and prominent role of respect and credibility within the church, but that will be rare. With few such exceptions, the Senior Pastor is the “E.F. Hutton” of the congregation, for those of us old enough to remember those commercials. The slogan was, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.”
The dynamic difference between a request for action given by a lay leader or even another pastoral staff member and one given by the Senior Pastor is quantifiable and dramatic. Some pastors may respond by saying, “Boy, do I wish my congregation would do what I ask!” The fact remains however, that where there is a healthy relationship between pastor and congregation, the pastor is committed to a vision and is willing to exert leadership, many more people will respond and act. A pastor may ask:

• How can I give my congregation a compelling ‘Why” to be Biblically responsible citizens?
• How do I create an environment in which a balanced approach to citizenship is fostered?
• How do I motivate “the troops” without unnecessarily creating fear and anxiety?
• What are the foundational principles that will help me motivate them long term?

We will address these and other issues in this section. The truth is that if we don’t have a compelling “why”, we do not care about the “how.” Training and equipping volunteers to do something that they are not motivated to do is at best frustrating and at worst a counterproductive use of valuable time and resources. Motivation, therefore, is directly linked with the subsequent section to Educate.

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