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In the limited experience that I have, it was always encouraging to see our pastor doing the same labors that we (usually the men, but sometimes women) did. If we were roofing a house, he was right along side us, if we were on a missions trip to another country helping other Christians, he was there too. That had a tremendous effect on the us beacause we could see that he was actively living out his faith and this encouraged us to do likewise. He always said that it was our duty to do these things for Christ because we love Him, and therefore it became second nature for us to do them. So by his consistent (though not insistent) gospel teaching and life many people were transformed to take action.

I think BOB has hit the nail on the head here. We do have an obligation to our Christian duties, but we never felt obligated to do them!! Does that make any sense?? The people wanted to be there doing these things. I can only say it was because they wanted to serve Christ out of love, and not due to some task that has been forced upon them.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and admit that before my conversion, the idea of going to Church on Sunday was never seen as an obligation and that if one didn't go that it was a mortal sin. Believe me though when I say that that aspect of the protestant church is very dangerous as it can lead to a laxidazicle attitude about church attendance.
I don't know....there must be a fine line of showing that we should be at church and doing works, but it's out of love for God that we are there. Maybe that has to do with parental instruction as well.....??...."Train a child in the way he should go, and when his is old he will not turn from it"..???

As John mentions above, it can be difficult to get people to lead or volunteer to do things, but if I remember correctly the pastor usually appointed someone who had been in the parish for a long time and then that person recruited people. Of course, you have to have enough of a congregation to actually do those things as well. And that seems to be a problem that's been discussed on other threads here (diminishing #'s in churches).

So I'd have to say that in combination with a vibrant clergy and a few willing congregants, one just might be able to move mountains..

Just my 2 cents.
In Christ,
Aaron

AARON:

Well said. Thank you for your input.

I have, lying open on my desk under the computer screen, my copy of The Desert Fathers, translated by Helen Waddell. On of my favorite sections--highlighted to catch the eye is

Book XVII: Of Love

i. Said the Abbot Antony: "I do not now fear God, but I love Him, for love casteth fear out of doors."

Whe we see our commitment to Christ and to the Father's Will in the same way He did, then we will understand "love affair." Head over heels in love with Christ means that even His commands in the Gospel are no longer commands but the REQUESTS of the Divine Lover of us all. If you love someone so intensely, how can anything that comes from Him be anything but a loving request, and an invitation to join Him in following it?

If we had people take this attitude, we would have churches jammed, charity flourish to such an extent that there would be no want in the world, and holiness abounding all over the place. Then who would worry about minimalism or anything else that suggested grudging obedience?

In Christ,

BOB