Beware the barrenness of a busy life,” warned Socrates. The words of the ancient Greek philosopher ring as true in our generation as they did in his. Spare minutes are filled with Facebook status updates, Instagram photo uploads, and Netflix series marathons. It seems that every few weeks the results of a new study are being published that point out the sad reality that we feel busier and busier while feeling less and less productive. Our generation puts flesh and bones on Thomas Edison’s penetrating observation that “seeming to do is not [necessarily] doing.”

Christians are not immune to the steady onslaught of temptations to unfruitful activity. The Bible warns us that “the discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Prov. 17:24). The Apostle Paul calls Christians to make “the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Martha needed Jesus to point out to her that she “was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40). Busyness is one thing; fruitful labor in the Lord’s vineyard is quite another. Christians in positions of leadership and influence do well to keep this in mind as they spur others in the church on to exercise their gifts in the building up of the body of Christ.

Isn’t some busyness in life simply unavoidable? It is. And those in positions of leadership and influence in the church fall short when they are not sensitive to this reality. Even Christians have soccer practices, dance recitals, dirty dishes, and dusty furniture! Not to mention laundry, home maintenance, and oil changes. And don’t forget child rearing and going to work! This is the world we live in. If members of the body of Christ are going to step up and fulfill other tasks of kingdom and church labors, they are going to have to do so in the midst of all these ongoing pressures. And they are going to need encouragement.

Foundational to all else in this regard is that believers are all on the same page when it comes to the nature of both the church and the Christian life. The Apostle Paul writes: “He [Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–13). The church grows as all its members serve, having been equipped by those in positions of leadership. Equipping is for service. Service results in growth. Growth (i.e., maturity in Christ) is the overarching goal.

But elders, deacons, and others in positions of influence need to ensure that God’s plan for His church, as set forth in His Word, is being articulated on a regular basis. Christians need to be taught that they have been given spiritual gifts in Christ that other members of the body depend upon. And they need to be taught that other members of the body have been given gifts that they themselves stand in need of receiving. They must be shown that true service in Christ is glorious, though laborious. Anything short of faithful biblical exposition of these truths in order to motivate God’s people to serve runs the risk of sounding like “do more church work, because we said so.”

God’s Word comes to the believer and presents him or her with a picture of the glorious body of Christ and the glorious Christ of the body who has a plan to perfect his bride through works of fruitful service in the church. Pastors, are you preaching these truths from the pulpit? Elders, are you bringing these truths up at home visitations? Deacons, are you exemplifying these truths in your own lives?

But as foundational as this regular articulation is, the work isn’t done when the truth has been set forth. God’s people need ongoing encouragement and motivation. Those they look to for guidance must have something to give them. What follows are a number of practical suggestions for applying the truths of Ephesians 4:11-13 in the life of the church.

1. Pray, pray, pray. We too often forget the words of the Lord Jesus that “apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Christ Himself is the great motivator and encourager of His people. If we think we can mobilize the soldiers of Jesus in our own strength, we’ve already lost the battle. Consider the Apostle Paul, who prayed that the love of the Philippians would overflow, with “knowledge and all discernment” so that they were able to “approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:9–11). We might not have because we have not asked (Ja. 4:2).

2. Set before members tasks that are manageable and not daunting. Recognize that many in the church have a genuine desire to serve but are often reluctant to add one more commitment to their pressure-filled lives. Manageable tasks are far more inviting than overwhelming ones. Related to this is the importance of articulating specific tasks clearly. Perhaps nothing serves to keep away or discourage volunteers more than vaguely defined positions that need filling. People need specifics. They want to know what is expected of them. They want to be able to assess the quality of their own work in light of a given task’s requirements.

3. Reassess church needs regularly. Churches change over time, and so will various needs. Consider the role of fellowship meal coordinator—a role that might have been easily managed by a single person at one time in the church’s life. Perhaps that person steps aside. It might no longer be feasible to limit this task to one individual. Unless leadership in the church is taking the time to regularly consider these things, many needs could remain unmet, as members feel overwhelmed at the prospect of taking on more than they can handle.

4. Emphasize quality over quantity. One hour spent with a lonely widow can be better than 10 hours spent preparing that perfect slow cooker dish for the fellowship meal. To be sure, some tasks in the church require hours and hours of labor. But not everything does. The key is to encourage Christians who know that their time in a given day is limited. Jesus had the same 24-hour days as we do, yet He could say at the end of his life, “Father…I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:1, 4). Jesus never ran around frantically. He stuck to the tasks that His Father had given Him. He was not too busy for a brief nighttime conversation with Nicodemus or an even briefer daytime brush with a rich young ruler. For Jesus, quality of service took precedence over quantity of service.

5. Teach members that mere church activity does not necessarily equal fruitful service. It is easy and tempting to equate running around in the name of church service with exercising the gifts that God has given us to use for the upbuilding of the body of Christ. Beware of promoting burnout. No two Christians are identical when it comes to works of service in the church. Capacities differ from one believer to the next. When members know that leadership is aware of this often-­neglected truth, they are far more willing to step up to the plate and offer what they can.

6. Give encouraging feedback. Don’t flatter, but be mindful of the power of sincere encouragement. Members are more likely to step away from roles when they believe their service is not making a difference. Of course, we must always bear in mind that, in the Lord, our labor is never in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). However, it is far too easy for members’ acts of service to slip through the cracks, especially when it comes to the less obvious types of service. It comes to mind easily to thank the tireless organizer of the yearly church picnic. It is not so automatic when it comes to thanking the quiet servant who cleans the church floors every Saturday when no one is around.

God has a glorious plan for His church. It is a plan that encompasses the labors of His children as they work together to attain full maturity in Christ. The priesthood of all believers means that everyone in Christ has work to do. No one is called to be a “bench warmer.” In these busy times, however, God’s people need to be encouraged that their labors in the Lord are never in vain. Leaders in the church must do all they can to work toward the mobilization of the servants of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit, and to the glory of God.