By Pastor Tim Beltz Time for a little more speed? From your college heap of yesterday to your dream sports car of tomorrow, all vehicles use a gas pedal to regulate acceleration. Mars Hill Church, as a functioning machine, has a vast number of parts working together on mission. Getting all those parts to run exceptionally well for the same common goal can be a challenge. Paul trains us in Ephesians 4 that to work properly, efficiently, and effectively, church leaders have been commissioned by God to equip the saints for the work of ministry and it’s not until we can individually speak and then grow that the whole body can grow. If any one piece of a car isn’t functioning well, it could easily cause the vehicle to be rendered useless from its original purpose. On the other hand, a well-engineered ride with all parts working together can far exceed the expectations. When an automobile is running, there is actually vacuum pressure created by the engine as it pulls in oxygen to burn. The gas pedal controls the amount of oxygen that the engine can get to; otherwise the engine would race out of control. MH Operations team works hard to make sure the structure, engineering, people and parts are in place to achieve maximum performance. With all the performance parts that make up the machine we call Mars Hill, you can imagine what could happen if the organization raced out of control! Essentially, Operations functions as the "gas pedal" of Mars Hill, monitoring the performance of the overall operation, while at the same time making sure that enough structure is in place to ensure the most efficient and effective production. So go ahead and step on it…we’ll all enjoy the ride! Pastor Tim Beltz leads and manages all facets of the Business Operations Team and serves as pastor of families and leadership development at the West Seattle Campus.