I pulled open the drawer, looking for a pair of scissors. Inside was a collection of miscellaneous items that were no longer in use. As I looked at each one, I could remember a time in the past 11 years when they had been used in our Church.

There were can openers for when the ladies used to make extravagant fellowship dinners. There was a label maker for when people were fighting for cabinet space, and everything needed to have its specific designated area. There were notecards and a marker for labeling everything for a child with nut allergies. One by one, I was reminded of how all these tools were once necessary for a ministry season, but now they are stuffed in a drawer, serving no purpose.

Every Church ministry is seasonal. There are times when things need to be purchased and maintained to maximize outreach and discipleship. If you visit any Church and look through their drawers, cabinets, and closets, you will find a wide variety of items that are relics of past ministries.

The difficulty in ministry is knowing when to let ministries die when they are no longer needed. Then, retiring the tools that are presently worthless. And keep pushing into the future.

A Church building should be a facility used to take Jesus to new people while developing today’s disciples. It is never to be a museum used to house old relics of a once-vibrant church.