| Christian disciples are more than mere volunteers  By Edward Grove Volunteerism is a good thing. I applaud volunteers who work in area hospitals, at soup kitchens and senior centers, with Scouts, the Salvation Army and Little League. Volunteers save the community money, provide valuable services, provide opportunities for citizens to share skills and express a spirit of caring and sharing. However, Christian disciples are not volunteers. To claim ones work in Christian community as one more volunteer experience misses the message of Holy Scripture. Christians are members of a holy family. Christians are members of a faith community. Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians commit themselves to living a God-centered life together. The Old Testament is told against the background of family family responsibility and commitment. God spoke to the entire community and called them to a God-centered life. They were not volunteers. The Gospels are emphatic about Jesus intimate relationship with God and with disciples. The disciples were called to adopt a new way of life and enter into a profound Christ-centered community of faith. They were not volunteers. The letters of Paul reflect one who was called to new life. His new life and work was a consequence of God calling him into community. Paul was not a volunteer, and he was clear with his audience that they were not volunteers either. Yet, I hear many Christians defining their Christian discipleship as volunteerism. Phrases like, Let the pastor do it, Im only a volunteer, or They dont appreciate all the volunteer time I give the church, reflect a loss of Christ-centered community. Personal choice to give money and time to charities rather than ones faith community illustrates the loss of discipleship as an intimate, personal relationship. To claim that Christian discipleship is one more act of volunteering dilutes the church to being another social service agency. The power of Christian life has always grown out of a holy, intimate God-centered community. It is the sacred environment where disciples feel safe, secure, nurtured and loved by God and one another. The work and ministry of disciples are born out of our commitment to honor and cherish God and one another in the community of faith. Our labors, great and small, are for Gods initiative to reform a broken world. I appreciate volunteers for all they do, but disciples are called to live every moment of their lives in commitment to holy, sacred, God-centered community. The Rev. Edward Grove is pastor of Trinity UMC in Martinsburg, W. Va. | 
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