naive - having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: (Websters)
Just 8 months into my first lead pastorate, much of what I thought I knew, proved to be only partially correct. In college and in my associate roles, I was schooled on the basics of being a new pastor.
"Don't change things too fast."
"Work with established leadership."
"Believe the best in people."
"Be a part of the people"
"Lead from the middle."
These are just some of the things that I thought I knew or that I thought would serve me well. All of these hold some truth, but not all of these are the whole truth, all of the time and in every situation.
In the past 8 months, I have experienced some of the greatest joys of my life. I've watched as individuals gave their lives to Christ. I've watched as they take steps that are more and more like Christ everyday. I've celebrated God's provision and blessings. I've marveled at how God knits people together for His unique purposes. I've watched as person after person started "Getting It". I've watched as this expression of Christ's Church grew. It seemed as if we were climbing higher everyday.
But, there has been something in the pit of my stomach since day one. As each new height was attained, I was acutely aware of that height and the speed at which we were attaining it. I remember telling myself, "This can't be real." "This shouldn't be happening this fast." "We don't have the foundations or structures in place to support this growth." That's what I was thinking. However, the whole time, I was speaking, "Praise God, look what He is doing."
A roller coaster's initial hill can only be as tall as the support system beneath it can handle. When a building is built quickly on a foundation that isn't ready to support it, the whole building collapses. When a church grows beyond that of the leadership structure, it collapses.
As a pastor, I read and hear leadership quotes and principals from books and during training conferences all the time. However, until I became a lead pastor, I shrugged off most of those as being arrogant and self-centered. During the last few months, my thinking on the matter of leadership has changed. I've often pondered the reason why so many churches grow and decline, numerically and spiritually, over and over again. Knowing what I know now, I can say with near absolute certainty, the reason for this sickening roller coaster ride is leadership structure.
My error has been in moving too slow in developing leaders so as not to offend people. When the situation called for strong leadership, I opted, at times, for a more passive approach to protect individuals and avoid confrontation. I wonder now if God was offended. I was naive in thinking that we would continue climbing as a church, if I didn't exert much of my authority as a pastor.
I've ridden several roller coasters in my life. I don't like them. I'm often told that going down the hill is what makes a coaster fun. However, in our churches, the track ends when we stop climbing - we stop discipling, we stop establishing leadership and delegating responsibilities and begin descending. When a church starts to descend, people are thrown in every direction as individuals as well as entire families take offense, over step Biblical boundaries and ministries collapse.
John Maxwell has stated that, "Everything rises and falls with leadership." While I still struggle a bit with the word "Everything", I am closer to accepting the truth of that statement than I have ever been before.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman Church said this.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Romans 12:4-8 NLT
I recently heard a pastor at a conference speak on leadership. He said that, "Whenever we are influencing people, we are leading." So the question is, will God consider me a good leader or a bad leader?
I still do not like roller coasters, but I am loving the people on this ride called being a pastor.
Less naive, leading God's people and climbing higher with my eyes on Christ.
