Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1477164
Two Kinds of Members Marty Edwards Growing up, I went to a new school almost every year. Sometimes I would spend one grade in two or even three different schools. (Dad moved a lot!) It wasn't until my sophomore year of high-school that I completed one and a half years in the same school. When the Mormons in Ogden, UT (i.e. the high-school administration) told me I HAD to take LDS seminary, I walked away and never went back. I completed my GED a few months later.. Due to my family's constant moving, I got a poor (pre- college) education. Never the less, even moving a lot as we did can teach a young boy something, like learning to make friends easily. I learned to re-invent myself in each new situation; whatever it took to fit in and how to adapt to different situations quickly. But the thing that I learned most was how to appreciate the value of true friendship and camaraderie. I could survive as an independent, but I was a joiner! I relished the idea of belonging to a group or a team. I also enjoyed having a purpose and a mission. We can see in people whether they are joiners or loners. As kids we were likely to join a team or else look for ways to perform better as an individuals. I was thrilled when we started Black Sheep and eager to ride with HOG. Both groups offered mission and friendship. Some of our members choose to not ride with HOG because of personal preferences, but THAT is when the loners need to see beyond their own "preferences" and embrace the MISSION! When you join BSHDFC you pledge to become a missionary. Missionaries don't go into the jungle, pitch a tent and enjoy their solitude. Missionaries are ALWAYS in search of others and opportunities to embrace them. Missionaries are agents of CHANGE. Loners don't change much of anything. In my 42 years of ministry, I can look back and see the independents and the team players. Let me quickly say, there's nothing wrong with either except when we refuse to adapt. Black Sheep needs team players and we need those who can "go it alone." The latter are better at starting a chapter but sooner or later (if they are to succeed) they will need to adjust and learn how to "play well with others." If they don't, that's where the problems begin. I would suggest that even Jesus didn't try to make it alone. He had a team of twelve and even a larger group of supporters. I'll never forget a book that I read in college by Dr. Ruben Welch: "We Really Do Need Each Other." It was a significant part of my preparation for ministry. If you're a Black Sheep AC (area contact) you will likely do well as a "loner" ...until the time comes for you to embrace new BSHDFC members or HOG or IMRG (Indian Motorcycle Riders Group). Then you will need to learn to "play nice with others." (See "The One Anothers" in the Black Sheep mentorship notes.). We have BSHDFC members who are a part of a local chapter but refuse to engage with their fellow Black Sheep let alone HOG. This should not be! We are a ministry, something much greater than a riding group. We have work to do! We have been put into a place of serious responsibility to embrace people and lead them to Christ! We have been called to "ENGAGE!" (The Gathering 2022) Loners: • Do their own thing. • Resist social contact. • Resist community rules. • Don't stay with anything very long. Joiners: • Look for a team and teammates. • Embrace opportunities to connect. • Keep the rules for the sake of unity. • Can be involved with a group for decades. 100% Wool joiners are those over the top members who rarely miss a meeting or a ride, pay their dues, follow the rules with a smile, look for opportunities to serve and stay in the ministry "until death do us part." Which of the two do you think BSHDFC needs the most: loners or joiners? Which of the two do you think will make the greater difference for Christ? Which one are you? You may need to re-read our mission statement and pledge and re-evaluate your effectiveness in ministry. Disclaimer: One of the dangers in being a joiner is over- extending ourselves. Our first priority must remain Christ, then our family and then the local church. Everyone needs to weigh carefully the opportunities before them and ALWAYS seek the Holy Spirit's council. But if you're going to serve in a ministry, serve with all of your heart. Join...embrace...and engage! Serve in such a way that you can look back and almost audibly hear the Holy Spirit saying, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" ô www.BlackSheepHDFC.org - 3