“OUT SOURCING”

By Scott Jacques
 
    In today’s business environment we hear a lot about “out sourcing” a term that refers to the practice of using outside sources (businesses or individuals) to provide services or products that traditionally would have been provided or produced “in house” such as accounting, recruiting, engineering, maintenance, manufacturing of parts, etc;   The practice of “out sourcing” has proven to be very beneficial and successful in controlling cost and the need for capital, by eliminating equipment cost and the need for skilled personnel, along with the high cost of employee benefits and training, thus enabling businesses to compete in today’s competitive fast paced business world.
 
    The practice of “out sourcing” which became very popular in the 1980s has proven to be very profitable in the short term but its long term effects can be detrimental to a company. History has shown the benefits of promoting from within an organization, taking full  advantage of  training, experience and loyalty, however “out sourcing” has proved to create a lack of trained, experienced and loyal leaders within a company therefore has created an ongoing dependence upon outside sources, thus giving control of the company’s future to those outside rather than those within, while still assuming all liability and responsibility.
 
    In the past several years we have seen a similar practice of “out sourcing” in many congregations of the Lord’s church, when the majority of the benevolent work is focused on supporting organized Children’s Homes outside the local area, the majority of the evangelistic efforts focus on mission work in foreign lands by organized mission teams instead of local members going house to house in our own communities, our classroom curriculum and teaching materials are produced by Publishing Houses rather than by our own teachers studying and teaching from the Bible, the responsibility of Bible study is left to the preacher hired to do the teaching and preaching, and it is often left to the preacher to do the visiting of the sick, the shut-ins and those who need encouragement. Putting the work and responsibilities of the congregation in the hands of others.
 
   Let us as a congregation, as well as individual Christians, look within ourselves and give a diligent effort to study and to grow in knowledge, in good works, in our love for one another and for all mankind as we seek opportunity to fulfill our responsibilities in seeking and saving the lost, helping those in need and to build up and edify the church insuring a strong future for generations to come by GROWING AND BUILDING WITHIN.

- Scott Jacques may be contacted at smjacques@centurytel.net  He serves as an elder for the Curry St. Church of Christ in West Plains, MO. Larry Yarber preaches for the congregation, and he may be contacted through the church's website: http://www.cocacs.org/index.html