There is a term that I have used frequently in regards to the church world over the past couple of decades. That term is “The Silent Majority.” Actually, I guess I haven’t used it nearly enough in the past few years but that is another story.

Obviously the term is taken from the political term “Moral Majority.” A term which of course is stating the majority of Americans are moral people. This term is also not being used nearly enough today.

The term “Silent Majority” lets us to understand that it isn’t always those who are the most vocal that are the majority. Neither is it those who are the most visible that are the majority. We have found in the past that many times those who don’t say much and those who are somewhat “invisible” are actually the majority.

It is usually because they are too busy just taking care of everyday life that they don’t either have the time or else they don’t take the time to be vocal. In many cases they just know what is right and they have made up their minds they are going to do what is right, no matter what anyone else says. When the time comes, they do what needs to be done. They do it without fame, fortune or fan fare. They don’t need flag waving or pompoms nor do they need a marching band. They are the “Silent Majority.”

I have found in thirty seven years of ministry the same is true in the church. As a pastor there were people who no one else realized were there, yet I was well aware of their importance. These were people who were never in the “lime light” (I am really dating myself using these old terms). They might not lead worship. They might not sing specials. They might to run the aisles or tear up a few rows of chairs shouting. If someone were naming the important people in the church, most people would forget to mention their names. Yet as a Pastor, they were the first names that would come to my mind if you asked me who was important. They were the “Silent Majority.”

Some of these people were prayer warriors. I knew that if I, as a pastor, had a need I could call them any time, day or night. They wouldn’t just bow their head and say, “Answer his prayer Lord.” No, they would hit their knees and I knew they wouldn’t stop praying until there was an answer.

I was talking with some family members about a church I pastored for a while. It seems like the services we had and the miracles that took place in that church have become a reference point for everywhere we have been since then. It dawned on me, just recently, why they were so powerful. It was because of the “Silent Majority.”

Each service, they would meet with me before the service to pray specifically for that service and for the preacher. When the preacher stepped to the pulpit with his Bible, no matter who it was, two of them would slip into another room and intercede for that preacher until the altar call. He never fought the battle alone, there was always the “Silent Majority” fighting with him.

If there was anything in the church that needed done, they would do it. It might be that they were needed to run errands. They would cook dinners for guests. It could be a special cleaning of the church, they would be right there. They might be asked to sit in or even teach a Home Bible Study, they were right there. Whatever it was that they were asked to do, and many times they didn’t need to be asked, they did it.

I have been blessed to have a woman in my life that is a member of the “Silent Majority.” In fact, this woman is one of the reasons I began to use the term. She is the reason that I have used it so often.

I have been Margie’s pastor for the biggest part of the past twelve years. I have known Margie very well for the past forty four years. Through those years I have never seen Margie run the aisles. I have never seen Margie shout her hair down. I have never heard her sing a solo. I have never heard her preach a sermon. I have never known her to teach a Bible Study alone. Yet she has always been a member of the “Silent Majority.”

Although she did not feel she could sing well, when she first started coming to our church Margie would lead songs. You could tell she was not comfortable with that responsibility at all. Yet the church was small and so that the same person wasn’t doing everything, she led songs.

Only eternity will tell how many pots of peanut brittle she has stirred. We will never know how many miles of streets Margie has walked selling that peanut brittle. One week they would drive a hundred miles north selling peanut brittle. The next week they would drive a hundred miles south selling peanut brittle. The next week they would drive about 50 miles south selling peanut brittle. The next week they would sell it locally, covering about 50 miles. Our local town of three thousand just wasn’t big enough to sell in every week. This paid for revivals. It paid for repairs on the church and gas for the bus. It sometimes was used to keep the lights on when several people were out of work and the offerings were down.

Oh I could go on talking about this precious member of the “Silent Majority.” Margie and her husband were faithful. They never failed to pay their tithes and offerings. It didn’t matter if the income came from a well paying job or if it came from an unemployment check they paid fifteen percent. You see, they believed that their ten percent already belonged to God, so they returned that to Him. Then they believed they should always give to Him an offering, so they added another five percent for Him. In fact they not only practiced this, they taught their children to give the same way.

I watched as Margie and her family dealt with the tragic death of their second child. It was a terrible time. Yet they never wavered in their faith and confidence in God. They kept trusting him and relying on His comfort. I remember Margie saying, “She had the Holy Ghost and I know she was saved. She might not have lived for God later. I don’t understand but I would rather she go to heaven than be lost.”

I watched Margie deal with another terrible blow from life. Just prior to their twenty-fifth anniversary Margie found out that her husband had terminal cancer. Her life was totally changed! Within weeks, he was gone.

Friend, this will rock your world! I watched as Margie’s world was turned upside down. Once again, she set her eyes on heaven and steadied her course. There was no fan fare, just doing what needed to be done.

As her pastor, she was my number one fan. She was always there for my wife and me. Once a month, on a Sunday afternoon, she insisted on taking us to dinner. During the month of October, she and another widow shared in taking us to dinner every Sunday. This was just their way of saying thank you to their pastor.

I could go on and on about Margie and others who make up the “Silent Majority.” Margie never has said a lot. Yet I know that she has always “had my back” in prayer. In fact I would have to say that Margie has “made the name of the Lord known to my generation and to the generation of my children.” She has been an example of how to serve God from a different perspective.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that Margie is my mother-in-law? Yes, I can speak with love and respect for this woman who has been a tremendous influence in prayer and faithfulness for many, many years. It is with great confidence that I say, “The name of the Lord has been made known to my generation and to the generation of my children.”

I thank God for allowing this Godly woman to be a part of my life! I also thank God for the “Silent Majority!”

God Bless!