The 80-20 Principle

There is a principle in leadership that says that 80% of the people do 20% of the work. This is called the Pareto Principle. For many situations, this is truth. I remember when I was involved with a church in our area. The church met in a gymnasium. All of the Sunday morning chairs, stage pieces, speakers, sound table, and other materials had to be packed into a storage room that was about 25 feet long by 15 feet wide. To add to the hard work after the service, the gym was supposed to be ready to be used by the public by 1:00pm. This gave the people about one hour to get all of the resources packed into the room.

When I attended this church, there were about 450 other people attending as well. However, when the service was over, less than 30 people remained to help clean up. This is three times less than needed to achieve the 20% of the Pareto Principle. In fact, of 450 people, only 6% remained to help.

As I talk to friends in ministry and seminary, I realize that this is common in nearly all organizations, including churches. Why is this so common?

I see two reasons why this lack of service and involvement is so common.
First, it is a cultural inheritance. We live in a western culture, built on consumeristic and individualistic principles. We live in a culture that advocates being served and degrades those who serve.

I waited tables for more than three years when I was in my twenties. A few things that stand out from that experience are how impatient, rude, and degrading people are to those who serve them. In fact, Sunday afternoons were the most dreaded shift to work. We would actually pay other servers to work for us on Sundays so that we would not be abused by the “God-squad.” This group includes those who have just attended a worship service where they learned how to go out and love others and treat their fellow humans with dignity and respect. Somehow, from pew to table, these people were able to lose their focus and direct their interests back upon themselves. They were self-centered and had an enormous sense of entitlement.

This individualistic, “me-first” perspective is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Somehow, we are able to disregard those examples and lessons that Christ gave. We instead behave more and more like the Pharisees (the religious leaders who thought they had it all figured out). Somehow we pay more attention to what our culture tells us than to what Jesus has said. Here are a few thoughts that Jesus gave to those around him:

Luke 23:11-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Matthew 25:35-40 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
37"Then these righteous ones will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 40And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'


Jesus saw things from the bottom of the power structure. In one of his public messages he spoke of those who are blessed by God. One of those groups was the poor. Not only did he tell them that they were blessed, but he told them that their blessing was the Kingdom of God. Without going into a huge anthropological discussion on the cultural and political climate of Jesus’ time, let’s just say that there was only one kingdom that anyone thought of at the time: The Roman Empire. With the empire, you were both well off and powerful, or poor and without. For Jesus to imply that there was another, even a better Kingdom would have put him in direct opposition to the political power system. He did die on a cross, a death of an enemy of the state.

Today, however, we in the West are less Christian and more Capitalist. We worship money, fame, fortune, and power. And that brings me back to the Pareto Principle. Why don’t more followers of Christ serve in a way that is selfless and without a personal agenda? I would argue that it is due to not taking the words of Jesus seriously.

I said before that I think there are two reasons for the lack of service. The first: ignoring the teachings of Jesus. The second: not being taught the appropriate stance to serve.

As I said before, our culture influences us to seek to be served, not to look for opportunities to serve others. If you go into many churches, it is almost like going to a restaurant. You are greeted at the door, handed a menu (bulletin) and directed to the main seating area. Then you are entertained and “fed” by the speaker. You are asked to financially give to the church and then you go home feeling full….of something. My point is this: WE are not the ones who are supposed to BE served. WE are the ones who are supposed to BE serving. In many churches, there is no emphasis on actually going out and impacting the community. If there is an emphasis on this act, it is usually tied to self-promotion for the church. We are called to love everyone, period. No agenda, no exclusions.

Many ministers do not effectively teach the posture of a servant. To teach such a lesson might risk a hit in the offering plate. So instead, we placate the wealthy, influential members with lessons titled, “a 5 step plan to a healthy marriage” or “3 steps to getting along with your kids.” Not that these are bad, in and of themselves, but those are seminar or classroom discussions. We need teachers who are willing to push and challenge us to be more Christ like, not more self-centered. I am sure that there are some out there. In fact, I know of a few. But they are far outnumbered by complacency, comfort, and consumerism.

Anyway, I just get frustrated when I see people who identify themselves as followers of Christ yet do little to nothing to serve others. In my opinion, the Pareto Principle of 80-20 is generous. It is probably more like 95-5. That is one (of many) reasons why non-Christians view us with such distrust and cynicism. I don’t blame them. I blame us.