February 27, 2020
Leadership Notes
Before I get into what I promised last week, an observation about how culture changes. While this is clearly tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek, there is a ring of truth to it. Could some of the 7 deadly sins be transitioning to virtues?
* Envy - This is the new motivator for social change. If everyone else has more than me, how can I possibly be happy?
* Greed - Rich people are bad because they are greedy, so I should be greedy in return and try to take their money!
* Lust - If it feels good, do it. Wuuuuuu-whoooooo!
* Outrage - Being full of anger and disgust all the time is a great character quality. It shows I really care. Grrrrrr!
These might very well be the four new virtues for the new decade. Who's with me?
Now for what was promised last week. Last week we compared and contrasted church with a cafeteria. A pastor shared online a story about a church member who insisted worship be one-hour and no more. Every Sunday, at the start of worship, he set a timer on his watch. When an hour was up, he got up and left, regardless of what was happening. True story. All kinds of people have all kinds of expectations about what church is or should be.
Today we're going to jump in to three unreasonable expectations pastors have about their churches:
1. Agreement is the same as unity. In other words, it's bad if someone disagrees with the pastor. While this is true of essentials; there must be unity in essentials; it's okay if everybody doesn't agree on everything all the time.
2. Passion is contagious. It would be great if that were true all the time, but it's not. While some areas of church life self-generate passion {think of the things that excite you} others are necessary but don't take much passion. Think cleaning up after a potluck or cleaning up church grounds in the spring. It takes more than just passion to lead. In any area of your life, if you only did what you were passionate about, not much would get done.
3. The bulk of leadership can be done in the pulpit. While exploring and applying God's Word in worship is essential, it is not the only way a pastor leads. Spiritual growth and worshiping in the presence of God are essential but they don't make up the complete picture of leadership. There are things like sharing a meal or a favorite beverage. Engaging in social activities. Talking one-on-one about deep and important things. Doing what I like to call "the art of management by walking around." And so much more. What happens in worship is critically important, but it's not the only thing.
One of the key things I've learned in life is not to have unreasonable and unfair expectations of others. I try not to stray from basic Biblical expectations for when people become devoted followers of Jesus Christ:
* Worship together often…
* Give generously…
* And serve the needs of others.
I thank God that most of us, most of the time, are living within those God-given expectations.
With Love, Respect, and Admiration,
Richard
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