Five Things
Susanna Unruh was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, where she lives with her husband, Joshua. A mother of three, she grew up in Door Church’s Kids Ministry and has continued serving there for over 30 years. She currently leads Faith Sprouts preschool classes, Quest 119 Bible Hour midweek classes for Pre-K through 8th grade, and Vacation Bible School each summer. Susanna earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona. Her heart & passion is to lead children and their families to Jesus through engaging, biblical instruction.
“List five things that you accomplished this week.”
All federal employees in the United States recently received this directive in their inbox as a pulse check and reflective exercise.
News of this prompted me to jot down five things I accomplished during that same week.
Just for fun, I framed my work as Children’s Ministry Coordinator in political terms, as a government employee might have replied to the email.
Here’s my list:
Negotiated a diplomatic agreement between opposing ministries A and B (and in so doing, possibly avoided WWIII).
Provided humanitarian aid to the teacher whose class materials we did not have on hand that evening.
Secured supply chain demands for ministry badges and shirts on schedule.
Appropriated VBS budget funds to maximize efficiency and cut waste.
Directed scheduling changes to fill various roles when unprecedented numbers
of staffers called out sick. (MAHA!)
Then my thoughts trailed off in the direction of my co-staff members and their accomplishments.
Conducted high-level security surveillance operations. (Security team)
Documented international impact and intelligence. (Media team)
Directed funds for mission-critical support. (Finance team)
Addressed a joint session of congregants, compelling them to cross down both sides of the aisle. (Pastoral team)
Drafted press releases. (Administrative team)
Strategized PR campaigns. (Creative team)
Coordinated ceremonial wedding proceedings. (Events team)
As my wandering thoughts came into clear focus, I realized that while our work at Door Church may not make national headlines, it does directly impact our congregants and reflects our mission as a local church.
Consider the impact each worker contributes:
A single mom is blessed to drop her children off on Sunday morning because our leaders ensure that there are enough volunteers to work in each class.
A family dealing with legal issues is grateful for the watchful eyes of the security team.
Our missionaries overseas can pour their hearts into reaching their communities, assured that support funds are being sent out each month.
These efforts all fall into the category of good God-honoring and Kingdom-building work.
“Our missionaries overseas can pour their hearts into reaching their communities, assured that support funds are being sent out each month.”
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who authored the now infamous Five Things Email, has as one of its stated goals to root out government waste due to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies that award employment, college admissions, scholarships, grants, and more based on personal identity factors rather than on merit.
Pastor Warner recently put a new spin on DEI to communicate the Kingdom service policy outlined in Romans 12:3-8: Diligence, Excellence and Innovation. This passage encourages members of the body of Christ to use our diverse spiritual gifts “according to the grace given to us,” then offers a biblical standard to evaluate the merit of our ministry and work.
Diligence - Leaders are called to lead with diligence.
Excellence - Phrases such as “in proportion to our faith,” “with liberality,” and “with cheerfulness” inspire excellence that pushes beyond the status quo.
Innovation – Effective ministry, teaching and exhortation require innovation to meet the various needs of those entrusted into our care.
“This divine accounting has far greater repercussions than any DOGE audit. ”
The implication is that individual members are responsible for cultivating their gifts to serve, edify, and build up the body as a whole. Scripture teaches that we will each be held accountable for the gifts entrusted to us. In the Parable of the Talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30, the master was pleased with the servants who were given five and two talents because they worked to double their value, while the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness.
This divine accounting has far greater repercussions than any DOGE audit.
It is important to note that our gifts may operate outside an official ministry or public capacity. Our daily acts of service to our family, friends and neighbors also matter. God is all-seeing and all-knowing, and in the end we are told that our:
“work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work” (1 Corinthians 3:13).
As sober-minded members of the body of Christ, we must not boast in our spiritual gifts. We understand that our abilities and positions were graciously given to us by our Supreme Commander-in-Chief to serve His people, His plan, and His purpose.
David confidently rushed towards Goliath with five smooth stones in his shepherd’s bag, not boasting in his own strength or skill, but boldly declaring, “The battle is the Lord’s!”
God does God-sized things through our best yet feeble efforts. We are simply to be faithful.
A young boy placed five loaves of bread and two fish into the hands of Jesus, and a whole multitude ate and was blessed.
Our humble lists of five things done as unto the Lord accomplish more in His hands than they ever will in our own.
