Tuesday Re-mix –
…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15
Am I the only one who thinks “Pastor” should be one of Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs” episodes on the Discovery Channel?
Thinking about another truth my Dad taught me about the church.
Those of you who know Dad know that he is certainly capable of “stirring the pot” even to the point of conflict. That capability is, I think, actually a reflection of a particular leadership skill he possesses…he is capable of having the hard conversations in a church. You know the conversations I mean: the ones nobody else on the staff wants to have, the ones which may prove to be a bit awkward, even painful. I have watched him in ministry for all of my 52 years on this earth and, whether as a pastor or a denominational worker, or even as a Sunday School teacher, I have known Dad to step up to the plate many, many times when a hard thing needed to be said or conveyed.
This is not a lesson he has ever spoken to me, at least not that I can remember. Rather, this is a lesson I learned from watching him all these years. Real church leaders, the ones who are genuine influencers, are the ones who are willing to sit down and have that very difficult conversation which nobody else wants to have. The pretend leaders, on the other hand, will avoid those conversations at all costs.
You know well the conversations I mean…
…that volunteer who needs to be “counseled out” of a particular ministry position…
…that employee whose gossip is becoming a problem…
…that Sunday School teacher …
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