“God buries His workmen but carries on His work.”
The saying is often attributed to Charles Wesley (1707-1788), the great Christian hymnwriter (brother of John Wesley) and co-founder of the Methodist movement. You can see it in London at Westminster Abbey, where it is inscribed into the base of the monument dedicated to them.
When the influential Wesley brothers died, many Christians in the English-speaking world wondered what would happen to the Methodist mission. The answer was that though great missionaries and influential Christian leaders die, the mission continues, and God faithfully raises up new leadership. No one individual is indispensable except our eternal savior.
You see this theme in the Bible as well. Think of Joshua: “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses’” (Joshua 1.1-3 ESV).
When the extraordinary 19th-century preachers Charles Spurgeon and Dwight Moody passed away, people asked the same question: “What will happen to the work now that they are gone?” When Billy Graham died in 2018, people asked the same thing. Billy Graham himself was often asked who would take his place when he was gone. His standard reply was that there will never be another Billy Graham because God does not duplicate people in that way. Rather, he raises new leaders in every generation, each with their own unique gifts and callings. That is why in his later years, he poured himself into training young itinerant evangelists worldwide. He envisioned thousands of young Billy Grahams proclaiming the Gospel with boldness.
On a personal note, one year ago this week, my own father, George Sweeting, who previously served as president and chancellor of the Moody Bible Institute, went to be with the Lord at age 99, after many years of ministry. As our friends ask the same question, we must remind ourselves yet again that “God buries His workmen but carries on his work.”
The truth is, we get used to people’s voices and presence, yet they all fade. We forget that even the most beloved leader is at best a flickering light. The apostle Paul compared us to clay pots. But then he added, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4.7, ESV). Look carefully at the life of any one of these leaders and you’ll find that they become tired and frail at the end of their lives.
Not only that, they are also flawed — all of us are. In our funerals, we are often prone to over-eulogize. But the truth is, there is only one who is righteous, and all the rest of us need a savior. This truth should humble every leader.
Nevertheless, God in his goodness has given and still gives people-gifts to the Church — evangelists, pastor-teachers, who, as the book of Acts said of David, “served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13.36). The apostle Paul contrasts this with the Lord Jesus, the only incorruptible one whom God raised from the dead.
So, in days of grief, let us remind ourselves that only one leader is indispensable, and that is why we call him Lord and Redeemer. We should cherish those among us who are faithful to the call, all the while remembering that our time of service is short, the worker is temporary, yet the work goes on. Consequently, it is imperative that we pour ourselves into raising up leaders of the next generation and say to them: “Now it is your time to stand up, serve God’s purposes in this generation, and be faithful.”
Dr. Donald Sweeting is a noted educator, minister and author. He currently serves as Chancellor of Colorado Christian University. Previously he served as the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and prior to that he served as a pastor for 22 years. He holds a BA from Lawrence University, BA and MA degrees from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. from Trinity International University. He is the author of several books. His writings have been widely published by Townhall, Fox News, The Washington Times, The Jerusalem Post, and many other outlets. Dr. Sweeting and Christina have three adult sons and a daughter. He regularly posts his thoughts at donsweeting.com and can be followed on Twitter @dsweeting.
