What a Broom Has to Do with Serving God

It was a Wednesday evening when Dan made his way to church.

It was a large congregation with many staff members and a bustling community. Pulling into the parking lot, he noticed a solitary figure sweeping the sidewalks. Perhaps it was a church employee, the groundskeeper, or the custodian. But as he looked closer, he realized—it was the senior pastor.

Broom in hand, the lead pastor of a church with over a thousand members was making sure the sidewalks were clean and ready for those coming in. He could have easily delegated the task to someone else, but it never crossed his mind. He saw no job beneath him because he genuinely considered himself the least important person in the congregation.

I once heard a sermon titled “The Least Important Person in the Room.” The preacher explained that this mindset of humility is the key to ministry. This concept shows up in Philippians, where we are called to consider others as more important than ourselves. This humility appears again in Colossians, a virtue that the pastor with a broom lived out daily. 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” –Col. 3:12 (CSB)

Who do you consider the least important person in your church? In your home? In your neighborhood? Is it someone other than yourself? Perhaps it’s time we all pick up the broom.

And by the way—that pastor was my father-in-law. His life was defined by genuine humility. May we all learn to serve as he did.