And yet it seems that doing a poor job at church discipline overall—of both workers and lay people—becomes an avalanche of saints going out the back door. It’s no use disrespecting workers once they get out there. Likewise, it’s no use for workers to not care for the congregation so that their opinions are totally ignored or looked down upon. A friend with decades in the LCMS recently called these problems “our accumulated garbage.” Clean that up. Empower reconciliation among the saints, and discipline where needed.

A healthy fellowship is a natural vehicle of church worker recruitment.