Leaders, We Need to Get Out of the Way

One of the great things about a church community is the different gifts and callings that individuals have within it.

God has given some people a knack for thinking and academics.

God has given some an intuitive and uncanny ability to lovingly listen to needs of others.

God has gifted others with an ability to organize people and “get things done.”

Others have an uncanny ability to think way outside the box and push boundaries and question the status quo.

Still others pray and are deeply spiritual in ways that I only dream.

Far too often leaders respond to each of these by trying to balance the amount of emphasis we give to each of these important things.

Wait, what did I say? Hear me out here.

Balance make me feel like a leader is giving just enough emphasis to appease while not really giving it all it needs.

I think we need to stop seeking to balance the different passions and instead seek to have all of them emphasized like crazy.

Those who think need to strongly advocate that we intellectually understand our faith.

Those who listen well must listen well and call and teach us how to do so.

Those who organize need to do just that.

Those who push, must keep pushing (even when it drives the organizers crazy).

Those who pray must pray and teach us all to pray.

But, what usually happens is that the “leader” controls the discussion and tries to give ample time to each.

When everything goes through one leader, balance means cursory attention is all that can be given. Its like putting a ton of cars on a two lane road. Traffic can only move so fast, no matter how important the people’s destination is. Perhaps the road system is the problem.

Perhaps the “leader” needs to get out of the way and let each of these people advocate for what they are passionate about and stop being cause of the bottleneck.

Far too often these people get frustrated that their area of expertise isn’t emphasized enough. Is this because they haven’t been given the freedom to advocate for it? Or because one person is holding the key to the attention of the community?

Of course, leaders aren’t the only culprit here. When someone stands up and advocates for something that is not your passion. How do you respond? Are you frustrated that your thing isn’t being spoken about? Or, do you realize that you are lucky they are advocating for that idea. Of course, at the same time they are lucky you are advocating for your idea.

That’s the beauty of community.

Each person brings their gifting and passion to make the community more whole.

This is most effective when each person is able to passionately evangelize their idea while at the same time realizing that if the community only lived out their idea, it would be incomplete.

So, let’s pretend you are passionate for social justice and I am passionate for corporate worship?

I hope you’ll encourage me to advocate for corporate worship, realizing that if I do, your advocating for social justice will be that much more complete.

There is diversity in community.

I need you and you need me.

We both need humility.

Humility doesn’t say that I fall on the sword and don’t talk about what I am really passionate about.

Humility says that I advocate for what I am passionate about while realizing that I am only a piece of the puzzle.

Oh leaders, humility means you don’t get to control everything yourself.

Oooh, that’s scary.