the eye of vilfredo pareto

the pareto priciple...commonly known as the 80/20 rule...this is a principle/rule that can be applied to about any facet of life, however it is most commonly spoken of in business/economics circles...

for instance...my good friend wiki gave me these examples:
80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers
80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers
80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend
80% of your sales come from 20% of your products
80% of your sales are made by 20% of your sales staff

i would say that this is a general principle which most of the time is evident...

so how about the pareto principle applied to the church fellowship...

80% of your work comes from 20% of your congregation
80% of your complaints comes from 20% of your congregation
80% of your encouragement comes from 20% of your congregation
80% of your growth comes from 20% of your congregation
80% of your outreach is done by 20% of your congregation
80% of the money given is by 20% of the congregation
ETC...ETC...ETC...

a few years ago i heard someone talking about james river assembly calling people that were members who were not tithing (from what i could gather, it was somehwere between a light and harsh rebuke)...i immediately thought this was false...so i asked a few people who would be able to verify whether this was true...and it was...for a new believer they need to be instructed...for someone who knows they should give and doesn't it is in direct disobedience to God...

James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

so people that sit in a pew, who never do anything...how is it that they are comfortable...being a part of the "80%" is sin...in the context of the local church...

i am studying I Corinthians, i will be teaching thru the book this fall and winter...most of the letter is paul responding to "issues/problems/sin" in the church at Corinth...some of the issues i am amazed that the believers in Corinth were letting slide...or turning a blind eye to...but all can be simply categorized as SIN...the same SIN as sitting in church and doing nothing...and by nothing i speak of not only a neglect of service, but also ministry...

if paul was writing us a response for the problem at hand...perhaps his answer would be to call the individuals on the phone and see why they are not involved...perhaps he would tell us to address it from the pulpit more often, or in face to face meetings...i am sure however, that neglecting it would not be a pauline solution...

if you know someone who is a part of the 80%...try to get them involved, if they refuse through word or deed, then move on...time spent on trying to get a caterpillar to fly is folly...perhaps someday they will become a butterfly...

later from 3rd St.