Crankshaft and camshaft sensors. I didn’t know that these sensors existed until we spent a few hundred dollars replacing them on my step-daughter’s car. For quite some time those sensors went about silently doing their work, along with the others parts of the engine, ensuring that her car made it safely down the road. They did their task so well, they went unnoticed; that is, until they ceased to work.

In spite of my shortcomings in automotive knowledge, I think I comprehend enough to notice some very real parallels between the workings of a car and the church. You see, each and every day there are people in our churches who are ministering. Sometimes they minister out in the open, and their skills are praised. The public observes those individuals’ capacities, their importance, and the impact of their work, just as everyone knows the significance of the engine. Others however, labor tucked away in an obscure location, with most people oblivious to how vital their work is to the purpose and mission of the church. Like the crankshaft and camshaft sensors, they perform a task whose importance is less than apparent. They clean, cook, mail letters and notes of encouragement, decorate, visit, and do a host of other things that offer little to no audience and very little opportunity to be appreciated. We show up to church and see the bulletin board has been changed, that the bathrooms are clean, that the dwindling coffee supply has been replenished, without thinking that all of this is because of someone’s service.

To those who struggle, wondering if anyone appreciates what you do for the church and others, know that your efforts are valued, even when taken for granted. Know that the worth of your labor is not diminished in any way because it is less public than the work of others. Some in Corinth clearly felt that their place in the body of Christ was dependent on the importance or visibility of their roles within the community. Paul rejects such thinking, stating:

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Cor 12:14-20 ESV)

In fact, the persistence with which you labor, often unnoticed, reveals the pure motives of your heart. When speaking on our obligation to give to those less fortunate, Jesus reminded his listeners that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:4). We labor not for the praise of others, but for the glory of our God. While this doesn’t excuse us for failing to notice all you do, it ensures that the most valuable recognition of all, will always be forthcoming.

To those of us whose ministries are more public, perhaps it’s time we shared the spotlight. Paul goes on to say in that same chapter, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:26, emphasis added). While many of the people who labor secretly would be extremely uncomfortable with public acknowledgment, they would most certainly appreciate a private word or note of thanks from those of us who probably get more recognition than we deserve. No one knows how relevant their work is more than we do. The truth is, we work better together when we realize how valuable each of us is to the effort. Somewhere in your church there is a camshaft sensor, quietly going about its business of helping your ministry move down the road and make progress. Don’t wait until it ceases to work to recognize its importance, because while its work may be hidden, its importance should be recognized by all.