The 80/20 Rule
The Twenty Percent
Jesus appointed seventy of His disciples to go before Him to proclaim His message, “The Kingdom of
God has come near to you” (10:9). Jesus told His disciples: “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the
laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest”
(10:2).
“The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Isn’t that true! It is true, in part, because most
of the work seems to fall on a few people. It seems that the Pareto Principle applies in churches as aptly
as it applies anywhere else.
The Pareto Principle is named after an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who studied agriculture in Italy
and noticed that 80 percent of the land was owned by 20 percent of the people. That isn’t too surprising,
is it – 80 percent of the land being owned by only 20 percent of the people. We may not like it, but we
acknowledge that it could be true.
But then Pareto noticed that 20 percent of the pea pods in his garden contained 80 percent of the
peas. That’s more surprising. Others noted Pareto’s findings and began to apply them elsewhere. They
say, “20 percent of the people will do 80 percent of the work” – or “20 percent of the people will come up
with 80 percent of the good ideas” – or “80 percent of profits come from 20 percent of the
customers.” They call it the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 Rule.
The 80-20 Rule applies in churches, doesn’t it! In churches, the 80/20 Rule says that 20 percent of the
people do 80 percent of the work. I haven’t done a careful scientific study to verify that, but it seems likely
to be true. In most churches, a small cadre of committed people do a great deal of work, while the
majority sit on the sidelines.
Jesus understood that was likely to happen when He told his disciples: “The harvest is indeed plentiful,
but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his
harvest.”
In our congregation, even though I am new on the scene, I wonder if the 80-20 Rule applies. I’m guessing
some of our people do work harder than others, but I’ve also seen a lot of people lend a hand in one form
or another. In my short time here, I am fairly confident that we have more than 20 percent of the people
working. I found myself thinking recently about the choir – how hard they work. What you hear from the
choir in our worship services is just the tip of the iceberg. To sing well on Sunday morning, they have to
practice. Singing in the choir is a lot of fun – but it’s also a lot of work.
Other people worked hard all this week preparing lunches for those who are hungry in our
community. Others contribute to our coffee-hour refreshments. Jim and Meredith help by keeping the
grounds looking nice. Bucky and Vonda spend quite a lot of time keeping our building in good
repair. Gilma does a lot of cleaning. I apologize for failing to mention everyone, but that would take quite
awhile. My point is simply that we do have lots of people involved in the work of the church – and that’s
the way it ought to be.
Pray to the Lord
And for those of you who aren’t involved, I invite you to consider whether there might be some way for
you to contribute. Jesus said: “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to
the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.”
So maybe you could start by praying – by praying to the Lord “that he may send out laborers into his
harvest.” A minute ago, when I mentioned the work that goes into the choir and the bag lunches and the
building repairs, I didn’t mention anything about prayer – but the congregation that is undergirded by
prayer is guaranteed to be a lot more healthy than a congregation that is not supported by
prayer. So whether you are one of our hard workers or not, consider praying to the Lord “that he may
send out laborers into his harvest.”
And then pray that the Lord will show you how you could fit in. It’s actually easier than it looks. Think
about some of the things that you enjoy doing. Think about some of the things for which you seem to
have a gift. Then look around to see where your gifts could be of service here at Emmanuel. What Jesus
said two thousand years ago still applies today. “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are far
too few.”
The Harvest is Plentiful
What did Jesus mean when He said, “The harvest is plentiful”? At that time, He was sending seventy
disciples to surrounding towns. What were they to do? They were to preach, “The Kingdom of God has
come near to you” (10:9). They were to tell people that God was the king of the universe – and they were
to call people to let God become the King of their lives.
We have that same mission. That’s what we are about as Christians. Do you remember the Great
Commission? The Great Commission was Jesus’ parting words to His disciples as He prepared to leave
them forever and ascend back into heaven. Just think about the significance of that! Just as parents
spend years preparing their children to live independently, so also Jesus had spent years preparing His
disciples for the moment that He must leave them. You can be sure that He considered His parting words
very carefully – that His parting words were important – more important than anything else He could have
said. Jesus said:
“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. GO, and MAKE DISCIPLES of all
nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING
them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the
age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
That was what Jesus wanted His disciples to do. That’s what He wants us to do:
– Go!
– Make disciples!
– Teach!
– Baptize!
GO! Go where? In some cases, Christ calls people to go to Africa or South America or Asia. But in other
cases, He calls people to go to their neighbors – or to the many other places where they find themselves
rubbing shoulders with other people. Prayerfully consider where God has called you to go – and then go
there.
MAKE DISCIPLES! What is a disciple? A disciple is a student. Jesus calls us to make disciples – to help
people to learn about Jesus – to learn from Jesus – and to put that learning into practice as followers of
Jesus.
TEACH! Well, that’s part of making disciples, isn’t it! There are a thousand ways to teach. We can teach
people about Jesus in a classroom – or we can teach people from the pulpit – or we can teach people by
example … by the lives we live.
BAPTIZE! Baptism is the entry rite into the church. It symbolizes cleansing. It also symbolizes leaving
behind our old life and taking up a new life – as disciples – as learners – as people who intend to let Jesus
teach them and guide them.
– Go!
– Make disciples!
– Teach!
– Baptize!
That’s our mission. Jesus says, “The harvest is indeed plentiful” – and that it is. There are any number of
people in this community whose lives would be ever so much better if they would only become disciples –
learners at Jesus’ feet. There are so many spiritually needy people – so Christ calls us to go and make
Him known.
Jesus says, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.” That was true then, and it’s true
now.
Today, ask yourself if you are doing your part. Ask yourself if you are doing what you can. Ask yourself if
you are part of the 20 percent who do the work – or the 80 percent who sit on the sidelines. If you are one
of the people sitting on the sidelines, move down to the field. Become part of the team. If you do, Christ
will bless your efforts – and He will bless your life. Trust me. You’ll be so glad you became part of the
team.