Leadership

After undergoing several months of challenges in our church, God recently stirred my heart with a simple book by Andy Stanley.  The book, "Deep and Wide" has captured my attention and my imagination, and awakened something that God Himself had planted inside of me a long time ago.  In the book, Andy noted that the primary role of the pastor isn't to preach or teach, but to lead.  I had been taught in Seminary how to preach, how to run meetings, how to manage people.  But I wasn't taught that leadership would be my primary role and my key responsibility.  In the book, he noted that leaders ask the question, "What is the best way to do this?" as opposed to the managerial question, "how do I keep the ball rolling."

Our church has languished for most of my eleven year tenure as pastor.  It wasn't that I never provided leadership, but I often substituted consensus for actual leading.  We have gone through numerous conflicts of values, beliefs and practices and have turned over more than our share of members over those years.  It never occurred to me that we were joined together (and conflicted) by what each person wanted or preferred.  A lack of cohesive vision was missing, and as a result, there were always some who were at odds with the musical style, the use or lack of small groups, the kinds of fellowships and outreaches we did.  We had never united in a common vision to accomplish God's purposes in our church to reach our world.

As I began to preach a series on love this month, I made a statement that got me thinking about the power of vision.  "Love gives up something we need to meet someone else's need."  With a vision grounded in love for God and for our neighbors (who don't know Christ or are unchurched) we will far more united and willing to set aside what we "want" to meet the needs of others (the unsaved).  Musical style, decor, even the programming will become secondary to the vision itself of engaging those God has called us to reach.

Tonight, as I tossed and turned in my bed before arising to write this, God brought back memories of the many times I have asked the question (before entering the pastorate), "What is the best way to do this."  I realized in this time of reflection that God had planted this in me, that God Himself had prepared me for this moment in time to take the reins of visionary leadership and to be a catalyst for reaching our community.

I hope to cast a clear vision for our church the first Sunday in March, one that we can grab a hold of and pursue with all of our creative passion for the King.