Leadership, sometimes it’s a bummer!

"But Lord , " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." Judges 6:15 NIV

We had to cancel church today because of the weather. It always bothers me when we have to do that. I only get three chances a week to speak to the entire congregation and those three services are very important to me. Missing them under any circumstance is bothersome. I remember the first year we came to New Harvest, after we went to my sister’s wedding in Washington I didn’t miss another Sunday service for a whole year. I felt so guilty taking that Sunday off (an anniversary trip) it was hardly relaxing! Point is, that making the decision to cancel services is not an easy one. There are so many things to consider when dealing with weather like this. The question of safety is the first thing that comes to mind. Not just the safety of getting to the church, but is the church grounds safe and will it be safe going home? Not only for the congregation, but any visitors that might come. In the litigious society that we live in, we have to err on the side of caution. Not only that, but if I wrestled with the decision and then someone did get hurt – don’t even want to think about that! Point is leadership is so much more than what we see. It seems that many people are fascinated with the public side of leadership, but only a few are willing to embrace the ugly side of leadership. When everything is great the leader gets the praise (that’s what people are in love with), but when things don’t go as planned, the leader better look out. By this time you might be wondering where I am going with this one. Well here it is.

Leadership – better defined as servant hood. I remember when I submitted to the call of ministry. I didn’t ask God to make me into something great. I didn’t tell Him I wanted to be this or that or like some well-known minister. I just wept at the thought of God asking me to do something. I was humbled that He would even call me. I really didn’t know what He was asking me to do. I just knew that I had to serve Him and by serving Him I was to serve His people. That experience has given me a totally different outlook on leadership. As a pastor, you’re not always the most popular person. Sometimes, people are mad, downright angry, unhappy, or even disgusted at decisions you have to make. Decisions, mind you, that very few people want to make. That is the ugly side of leadership in a ministry role. Those that love you one week are capable of chasing you out of town the next. It’s a package deal. You can’t have all the greatness of leadership and none of the baggage. You take it all, even when there’s more ugly than good. As I grow in the ministry, I find myself mentoring and discipling others. Sometimes it is a great experience and sometimes it’s a bummer. It really depends on their view of leadership. If they are all about the good side of ministry the acknowledgement, the rush, the attention, the sense of fulfillment and not aware of the ugly side, it’s tough to work with them. You see our view of leadership has an effect on every aspect of our ministries. Leadership is not for our benefit; it is for the benefit of those we are leading. It will always be that way. God is calling many people in our church into leadership roles, but statistically not everyone will be chosen for leadership. Potential and talent don’t mean a thing to God if the heart is in the wrong place. Take a moment and reflect on what you think leadership is and compare that to servant hood. Do you think the Apostles loved their leadership roles when they were being chased and beaten? No, they weren’t, but they loved the opportunity to serve Christ and His church. It’s all about the heart, is it pointed to Christ or to self? Be sure your heart is in the right place and God will take care of the rest.

God Bless