On January 13, 1982, when Air Florida's Flight 90 crashed on takeoff and fell into the icy waters of the Potomac River, Martin Skutnik, age 28, saw the plane go down. He stood with other spectators on the riverbank watching a woman who had survived the crash and was struggling to swim in the cold water. Skutnik plunged into the river and rescued her. He had never taken a life saving course, but he saved the woman's life. He probably didn't use the proper form or technique when he swam to the woman's side, at least as professional swim instructors would teach it. He may not have followed the Red Cross Lifesaving Manual in the method he used to grab the woman and bring her back to the safety of the shore. At that time, Skutnik was a general office worker. He had a wife and two children and lived in a rented town house. He became a national hero on that fateful day by risking his life to rescue that drowning woman.

Most of us don't have the occasion to be a hero. The extraordinary acts of courage are normally done by extraordinary people. When it comes to the more difficult challenges in life we are accustomed to turning those challenges over to the experts. This has become the trend in the Church. More and more, congregations are leaving the work of the church to paid staff rather than lay volunteers.