You’re unlikely to see Gordon in your pulpit but is any of his wisdom transferrable to life in your church?
In a previous thought I reflected upon the encounter between Joseph and an unnamed man in Genesis 37. Although the man is not identified as a man of God in any way, God uses the words he speaks to redirect Joseph and keep him on the path that will eventually lead to Pharaoh and the means by which many, many people in the region will be saved from starvation during a seven year famine (Genesis 45 v. 4-8). Can God speak to us using the words of Gordon Ramsay?
Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of episodes of Gordon’s Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares TV series and I’ve noticed four common themes in the guidance Gordon gives to restauranteurs and their staff. The first of those themes had to do with atmosphere and we considered it in a previous thought. Today we are looking at the second of those themes – Capacity.
If he can, Gordon first appears at a restaurant during the less rushed lunch time setting and, after assessing the general décor, welcome and vibe of the place, proceeds to order several dishes from the menu in order to sample the food. At this stage he will, time and time again, point to the size of the menu as being too large. Why, you might ask, is this a problem? Isn’t it good to give customers a wide choice?
That may well be true but the point being made here isn’t about choice but about quality. Most restaurants don’t have huge kitchens and lots of staff. They don’t have the capacity to cope with a huge variety of dishes and ensure that each one of those is produced to high standards. Better, says Gordon, to reduce the size of the menu to a more manageable level that fits the capacity of the kitchen. That way you can more easily ensure that everything served up is to the highest possible standard.
It has been said that many small churches overstretch their capacity for ministry because they think they have to offer everything that a big church can offer. If we follow the advice above, we might find it preferable to ‘simplify our menus’ and consider whether we are overstretching the capacity of our church family. Would we be better off concentrating on fewer things but making sure that we serve them up really well for the benefit of all involved?
Prayer: Lord God, your Spirit speaks in so many different ways and in so many different voices. We want to live not by human wisdom but by your wisdom but sometimes the two can overlap. Help us to discern when your Spirit is speaking to us even when that comes from what might appear to be the unlikeliest of sources. Amen.