Here's the problem with finding good church people:
The ones actually doing God's work usually aren't making a lot of noise about it.
They're not posting on social media about their latest mission trip.
They're not wearing their volunteer work like a badge of honor.
They're not competing to see who can pray the most eloquently or quote the most Bible verses.
They're just quietly helping people. Week after week. Year after year. Without fanfare.
And that makes them hard to find.
I'm Pastor Jon at St. John's Presbyterian, and I want to talk about the difference between churches full of people trying to look holy and churches full of people actually walking in Jesus’ footsteps.
The Ones Making Noise vs. The Ones Making a Difference
Walk into most churches and you'll meet people eager to tell you about their spiritual accomplishments. How long they've been Christians. Which Bible study they're leading.
What mission trip they took last summer. How much they give to the church.
Nothing wrong with any of those things. But sometimes the people making the most noise about their faith are doing the least actual work.
Most of the people really making a difference? They're harder to spot.
→ They're the woman who shows up every Tuesday to sort donations at the food pantry without telling anyone about it.
→ The man who quietly pays utility bills for families about to have their power shut off.
→ The couple who've been fostering kids for fifteen years and never mention it unless you ask directly.
→ The grandmother who teaches English to refugees every Saturday morning and considers it the highlight of her week.
These folks aren't trying to impress anyone with their godliness. They just see needs and meet them. They don't need recognition or applause. They certainly don't need to win spiritual competitions with other church members.
They're too busy actually helping people.
The Pageantry Problem
Too many churches have turned faith into performance art.
Who can dress the nicest for Sunday service.
Who can volunteer for the most visible committees.
Who can pray the longest during prayer time.
Who can act the most spiritual during worship.
Who can make their family look the most perfect.
It's exhausting. And it's exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught.
The people caught up in church pageantry spend more energy managing their image than serving others. They're more concerned with how their faith looks than what their faith does.
Meanwhile, the real servants slip in and out of church quietly. They don't need the spotlight because they're not performing. They're just living out their faith in practical ways.
You might sit next to them for months without knowing they run a ministry that feeds dozens of families every week. They don't bring it up because they're not trying to impress you. They're just doing what needs to be done.
Why the Quiet Ones Are Hard to Find
The people actually doing God's work don't advertise it because that would defeat the purpose.
Jesus was pretty clear about this. When you help people, don't make a big show of it.
Don't blow trumpets. Don't make sure everyone sees how generous you are.
Just help quietly and let God worry about the recognition.
The problem is that quiet service doesn't attract attention. So churches fill up with people who like attention more than they like service.
The woman who organizes meal trains for every family facing surgery doesn't get elected to committees because she's not campaigning for positions. She's too busy cooking.
The man who drives elderly members to doctor appointments doesn't get asked to speak about his ministry because he doesn't think of it as ministry. He just thinks of it as helping neighbors.
The family that always opens their home for holiday dinners to anyone with nowhere else to go doesn't get featured in church newsletters because they don't think what they're doing is special enough to mention.
These are the people you want in your church family.
But you have to look for them because they're not promoting themselves.
What St. John's Attracts
St. John's Presbyterian has somehow collected a bunch of these quiet servants. People who care more about results than recognition.
Not because we planned it that way. Not because we have better people than other churches. But because we've created an environment where service matters more than status.
We don't make a big deal about volunteer recognition. We appreciate what people do, but we don't need awards ceremonies or volunteer appreciation banquets. People serve because they want to help, not because they want applause.
We focus on actual impact, not impressive programs. Our community garden feeds real families. Our single parent housing helps real people get back on their feet. Our support for the orphanage in Uganda helps real kids get educated. The work speaks for itself.
We don't compete over who's most spiritual. People here have different political views, different backgrounds, different levels of biblical knowledge. What unites us is commitment to helping others, not performing our faith for each other.
We make space for people to serve according to their gifts. Some folks are great with kids. Others prefer working with their hands. Some are good with money management. Others excel at hospitality. We need all types of help.
We don't require people to justify their service with spiritual language. If someone wants to help in the community garden because they like plants, that's fine. If someone supports our refugee assistance because they remember their grandparents being immigrants, that works too. Good motives don't all have to sound religious.
Real Mission Work Looks Different
People expect mission work to look dramatic. Short-term trips to foreign countries. Big fundraising campaigns. Elaborate service projects that get covered in the local news.
Those are all worthy of high praise.
But a lot of God's work actually happens in smaller, steadier ways.
The woman who brings homemade soup to every new parent in the church. She's been doing it for twenty years. Hundreds of families have been fed and felt cared for. She doesn't keep count.
The man who fixes things around the church building without being asked. Leaky faucets, squeaky doors, burned-out light bulbs. He sees problems and solves them. The building runs better because he pays attention.
The couple who've been visiting homebound members for fifteen years. They don't just drop by once. They build relationships. They remember birthdays. They become family to people who might otherwise be forgotten.
The teenager who helps elderly members with their smartphones and computers. She spends her Sunday afternoons teaching people how to video call their grandchildren. It's not glamorous, but it connects families.
The group that quietly pays utility bills for families facing disconnection. They don't ask for testimonials or thank-you letters. They just keep people's lights on during tough times.
This is what mission work looks like when you strip away the publicity and focus on actual help.
The Committee Meeting Reality
Look, we have committee meetings at St. John's. Churches need coordination. People need to communicate about shared projects.
But our meetings focus on getting things done, not on who gets credit or control.
When the Caring Committee meets, we talk about which members need meals, rides to appointments, or hospital visits. We figure out who can help and when. Then we go help.
When Faith in Action meets, we discuss which community needs we can address and how to do it effectively. We plan practical responses to real problems.
When the Property Committee meets, we prioritize repairs and improvements that help the church serve better. We're not trying to impress anyone with fancy renovations.
The difference isn't that we avoid organization. The difference is that our organization serves the mission instead of serving egos.
Finding Your People
If you're tired of churches where people compete over who can appear most spiritual, St. John's might be where you find your people.
People who care more about helping than being seen helping. They show up consistently, work hard, and don't need their names on plaques.
People who understand that faith shows up in practical ways. Visiting sick people. Feeding hungry families. Teaching kids to read. Listening to lonely neighbors.
People who don't need to perform their Christianity for others. They're comfortable with their faith and don't need to prove anything to anyone.
People who find joy in service itself, not in recognition for service. The work is its own reward because the work makes a difference.
People who believe faith communities should make the world better, not just make themselves feel better. The point isn't personal spiritual feelings. The point is loving neighbors in tangible ways.
These people exist in Houston. They're just harder to find because they're busy doing the work instead of talking about the work.
The Challenge of Quiet Faith
Living out faith quietly requires more maturity than performing faith loudly.
When you help people without getting credit, you have to be motivated by something deeper than applause. When you serve consistently without recognition, you need internal conviction rather than external validation.
When you practice faith without making a show of it, you discover what you really believe versus what you think you should believe.
The people attracted to St. John's have generally moved beyond needing their faith to impress others. They've discovered that following Jesus means focusing on others, not on themselves.
This doesn't mean they're perfect. It means they're honest about their imperfections and more interested in growing than in pretending they've already arrived.
An Invitation to Real Service
St. John's Presbyterian brings together people who want their faith to matter in practical ways. We don't spend much energy on spiritual competitions or religious performances. We spend our energy helping people.
If that sounds like what you're looking for, come see what we're about. We worship Sundays at 11:00 AM at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue in Houston's Westbury neighborhood.
But don't stop with Sunday morning. Come during the week when our single parent families are learning life skills. Visit our community garden when members and neighbors are working together. Ask about our Anchor House ministry or our support for international programs.
Better yet, come ready to join the quiet work. We need people who care more about results than recognition. People who find satisfaction in service itself by doing God's work in the real world.
The world has enough people trying to look holy. It needs more people actually being helpful.
If you're one of those people - if you're tired of spiritual show and ready for practical service - you'll fit right in at St. John's.
We're real people doing God's work quietly.
The way it's supposed to be done.
