Questions for Church Leaders (7)
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2.1, 2
Where are the leaders?
In the course of my ministry I talk with many ministers. They serve mainly smaller churches and thus have many things in common. One of these is that they never seem to have enough leaders. They can’t take on new efforts because there’s no one to lead them. They can’t organize a shepherding ministry because they don’t have enough elders. No one wants to serve as a deacon. They can barely find enough Sunday school teachers or people to work in Vacation Bible School. There just aren’t enough leaders.
And that means either the pastors have to pick up the slack or opportunities just slip away.
So I ask these pastors, “What are you doing to develop new leaders?” And it’s not that they haven’t tried. It’s just that no one seems interested in being trained for leadership.
Why is that, I wonder?
After all, as J. I. Packer wrote in his excellent book, Finishing Our Course with Joy, for even the oldest members of the congregation, there’s always something to learn and always someone to lead. That is, we’re all leaders, whether we know it or not, and we might become better leaders if we thought and prayed more about it.
It’s a leader problem
Why do so many kids want to be the next American Idol? Or a big-time basketball or football player? Why do young people go to college and prepare for jobs in business, industry, or the professions? Why do they do this?
Because it looks interesting, or fun, or rewarding, or meaningful in some ways, that’s why. These options create a vision for what a young person can become, a vision that is, at the very least, promising.
People don’t aspire to boring jobs. And to many people in the local church, leadership looks boring. Or it looks hard, but it’s not clear if or what the reward of leadership might be. Put another way, among the congregation, there’s no clear vision for being or becoming a leader. Leaders seem to burn out; who wants that? Leaders aren’t appreciated. I already have enough of that in my life, thanks. And, frankly, pastors or church leaders don’t often seem to know much enthusiasm or joy or energy in doing their leadership jobs.
People are looking for more than that. One of the reasons people don’t step up to leadership roles in the church is that they don’t see any reason to. Those Sunday school classes will continue whether or not I volunteer. That program has had the same leaders for years, and there’s just no room for anyone else. And from what I’ve seen in my church leaders, they’re tired of leading, but not energized by it. Until church leaders begin to demonstrate that church leadership actually matters, people won’t pick up on the leadership opportunities in their daily lives, much less look to contribute something that matters to their churches.
It’s a led problem
So this is not just a problem of unenthusiastic, unconvincing leadership. It’s a problem of those who are being led. It’s easier to follow than to lead, especially when we don’t seem to be going anywhere fast. Most church folks are content not to lead because leading takes time, is hard work, doesn’t seem to be much fun, results in more criticism than appreciation, and will wear you out in no time. And as far as leading the people we see each day into some greater experience of Christ, well, frankly I suspect that rarely crosses the mind of most believers.
Church members who learn to lead the people they see each day—with an interested question, a word of encouragement, a life that demonstrates love for God and neighbors, a helpful suggestion—will be more likely to think about larger leadership roles in their church. It falls to church leaders, the shepherds of God’s flock, to draw out those latent leadership skills as part of each believer’s calling in the Lord.
Here’s where church members begin to learn leadership. As we become more consistent in this, we may then be willing to approach a church leader and ask how we can help, whether they need someone to lead, and what we can do to lighten their load. Ask and ask and ask until someone comes along, like Paul with Timothy, and offers to help prepare you for a leadership role in your church. If you’ll take the initiative to seek a leadership role, I’m pretty sure your church leaders will find a way to help you get there.
And as you prepare for leadership in your church, and every day thereafter as you begin to serve in that role, ask yourself:
Who are we?
Why are we here?
What is our vision?
How are we planning to get there?
What’s my ministry?
Are we making progress?
And, How can I help to create more leaders for this church?
Until we begin asking these questions, over and over, day after day, our churches will remain stuck in the status quo, mired in the slow quicksand of spiritual numbness and cultural irrelevance, and cut off from the power of Christ and His Kingdom. We must ask these questions of ourselves, over and over, and we must certainly ask them of our shepherds.
For reflection or discussion
1. Who are the people God has put into your life to lead? How will you lead them today?
2. What can you do more consistently to appreciate and encourage the leaders of your church?
3. If you were called to lead in some opportunity—or merely asked—do you believe that Jesus can supply whatever you might need to fulfill that calling?
Next steps—Demonstration: Take stock of the daily leadership opportunities God has given you. Ask Him to show you how to improve in each of them.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
A good supplement to this ongoing study on the Church is our free PDF book, Pray for Your Church. Download your copy from The Ailbe Bookstore by clicking here. Also, we encourage you to visit our ReThinking Church page, where you’ll see a variety of free resources to help you church.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast is into a new series of readings from our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we begin to examine some of the wonderful spiritual poetry from the period of the Celtic Revival. And in our daily Scriptorium column we are studying the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
