ministry, The Church
In my last post, I made the observation that great leaders love to learn. They read, attend conferences, and keep growing as a leader.
I was talking with a friend recently. He’s a professional counselor and works hard to be able to give his best to his clients. In fact, he has to prove that he’s investing in his professional skills with something he referred to as CEUs (Continuing Education Units). He explained to me that this is a common requirement in the fields of counseling and medicine.
This makes perfect sense! Think about it. If your doctor graduated from medical school twenty years ago but hasn’t picked up a medical journal or continued to learn new and better methods since then, would you have a whole lot of confidence in him or her? I know I wouldn’t! I want to know that the guy treating me or my children is prepared with information and methods that are more effective than the ones used twenty years ago.
So if it’s so important for people who work with temporary things (our bodies) to keep educating themselves, then why shouldn’t those working with eternal things (our spirits) be required to keep learning? Honestly, I don’t understand how someone can obtain a minister’s license and never even have to pick up a book from that day forward!
So that’s my proposal to credentialing bodies and denominations: make ministers have to prove that they are investing in their growth as a minister and leader. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complicated. Submitting a list of books they’ve read each year would be better than the current system. Hold them accountable to grow or lose their license.
I know that proposal might make me unpopular. That’s OK with me. As a credential holder, I’d be held to the same standard. I just feel that the people we minister to are worth it. Don’t you?
Let me know what you think. Should this type of accountability be in place?
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Christ Following, ministry
Over the years I’ve noticed that, if the devil can’t get you to leave the ministry, he’ll use tactics to render you completely ineffective. The evidence of this is great, just look around and you’ll see many churches stagnant, dying, and irrelevant. Or they simply implode. In the driver’s seat of the majority of these ministries there is a common thread. It’s like these leaders have been bitten by the same bug. This nasty malady can be difficult to detect and almost impossible for the infected to recognize, let alone do anything about it. They have been bitten by the double-headed snake of pride and insecurity.
I know you might be thinking, “Aren’t pride and insecurity opposites?” The answer is “Nope. They’re not.” In fact pride feeds off of insecurity and insecurity is fueled by pride. This demonic duo just keeps on going and it’s a hard cycle to break. Let me give you a few examples:
Insecurity whispers inferiority and discouragement when attendance is consistently low. Pride comes along and says, “I don’t know why we’re not growing. I’m just as good of a preacher as the guy at the mega-church.” Instead of evaluating and making course corrections, we assure ourselves that we are not the problem and nothing changes.
We really need to keep growing and reading, but pride convinces us that “all we need is the Word” and those authors don’t really know what they’re talking about anyway. Then insecurity makes us believe that we have to prove that we have nothing to learn by acting like a know-it-all idiot.
Our group starts growing and making a difference, then pride kicks in and we start drinking our own cool aid. Suddenly, our spiritual leadership doesn’t seem to know anything. Eventually things fall apart and insecurity drives us to manipulate the people we used to inspire and lead.
What ever the case, we’re all susceptible to this wicked pair. We all have to make a deliberate effort to stay humble and teachable. How? Here are a few tips:
1. Have people in your life that will shoot straight with you. Ask them to critique you as a leader and let them be brutally honest.
2. Don’t defend. When criticism comes, let Jesus be your defense attorney. Always ask God to show you what you need to learn from each criticism.
3. Pray, pray, and pray some more. A lifestyle of prayer is conducive to humility because it reminds us of our true power source.
4. Stay teachable. Keep reading a diverse selection of books. Don’t just stick to your favorite authors. Listen to those who have gone before you even if your ministry has the outward appearance of greater success.
Remember pride and insecurity may not get you out of ministry, but it will severely limit your ability to produce true, Godly fruit.
Proverbs 11:2 says, “Pride leads to disgrace,but with humility comes wisdom.“
Christ Following, culture, life, Media, The Church
America is obsessed. We’ve become so enamored with celebrities that an entire industry has been built around providing cosmetics, weight-loss products, and clothing lines to help the common person “look like a star”. We pay film actors the GNP of a small country, and like that’s not enough we hold awards ceremonies that take great effort to sit through without aging several years. Meanwhile, the names of the award winners are reported with the urgency of a presidential election. Why do we worship these people and why do we care so much about how they decorate their homes, take their vacations, or behave while having a night out?
The really troubling thing to me is not that the entertainment industry keeps churning out the “next big star” while incessantly celebrating itself. After all, it’s a business built on vanity. There’s no hidden agenda there. It’s to entertain us while making obscene amounts of money doing it. The thing that troubles me is the spilling over of the celebrity culture into christian ministry. We put on conferences and think hard about which “big name” to bring in, otherwise people might not come. We put up with demanding riders and pay large sums so that “the word can go out”. Young people line up for autographs after their favorite christian band has played and we even attaboy our favorite singers with their own awards show. Something doesn’t feel right about handing someone a trophy for a song they supposedly wrote for an Audience of One.
The disturbing thing about this trend is that it distorts the expectations of those called to christian service. Success in ministry stops being equated with obedience and fruit bearing and begins to mean getting your picture on a conference flier or landing a record contract. In other countries, stepping into ministry rarely means a paycheck and can often lead to losing your family or even your life. What have we done to the next generation of preachers, pastors, and minstrels by choosing to show favoritism, special recognition, and “star treatment” to this generation of celebri-ministers? I think we’ve unintentionally communicated that, unless your ministry is broadcasted, recorded, or performed in front of a large audience, it’s insignificant.
Occasionally I receive an invitation to step back into the “green room” at a conference or concert. The atmosphere is generally the same in each one. Friends and hangers-on of the various musicians and speakers all camped out, laptops open, cell phones texting. The band members and guest preachers are usually friendly and upbeat, but the aforementioned “support players” generally carry an air of self-importance that can’t be ignored. It’s a tangible arrogance that should be foreign among believers. I’m not alone in this perception either. A good friend of mine spent some time traveling with a well known Christian band and could hardly tolerate being in the green room.
In sharp contrast to the green rooms of christian conferences and concerts, I’ve had the privilege of being on the set of a couple of major Hollywood motion pictures. I stood next to some of the most well known actors and directors in the world. The difference? Everyone was so nice! With the exception of a few grumpy assistant directors, there was a general sense of comradeship. I vividly remember some great conversations and a genuine sense of caring as we swapped stories, sunscreen, and shared umbrellas. We were all working together to invest in something bigger than ourselves.
I think that’s where we in christian ministry fall short and succumb to a celebrity mentality. We’re building our ministry aren’t we? Fame means a bigger paycheck so we can keep doing our ministry so we can get another paycheck and keep doing our ministry and… you get the picture. Instead of humbly coming together and uniting under the greatest vision of all, we’re comparing units sold and venues played. Instead of seeing ourselves as blessed to receive the love and favor of God, we classify and rank ourselves by public recognition. It’s funny how we can borrow from the Hollywood way but not even get it right.
John chapter 13 tells a story about Jesus, the most famous and influential man who ever lived (not to mention almighty savior of the world). In this story He tied a towel around his waste and, one by one, he washed his disciples feet. It was a chore reserved for the lowliest of servants. When he was done he said, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” I think maybe, just maybe, if we took His example and served instead of seperated, humbled ourselves instead of expected special treatment, we might just produce an epic together that’s greater than any story ever told through a Hollywood film camera.
Christ Following, culture, life
“He Drove a Corvette”. I don’t recall ever seeing those words on someone’s headstone. I’ve also never seen “He Wore Abercrombe”, “She Always Looked Nice”, or “HALO Champion”. While I’m at it, I’ve never seen “Rotary Club Member”, “Rock Star”, or “Pastor’s Favorite” either. In fact I’ve seldom, if ever, heard about a person’s possessions or positions when their life is being remembered.
I got to thinking about the people I know who have had the greatest impact on my life. I mean people who helped to shape who I am today. For the life of me I can’t remember what kind of car they own. I couldn’t tell you whether they use a Blackberry or an iPhone. I have no idea where they shop for their clothes or what kind of cologne they wear. I honestly don’t know how popular they were in college or if they were any good in sports.
The thing I do know about them is their character. They’re caring people, compassionate people. They have a way of making you feel important even though many people would like their attention. They have great attitudes and seem to see the positive in just about every circumstance. They have integrity and follow through with their commitments. What you see s what you get with them and there’s no room for doubt about their love for God and people. It’s their character that leaves a legacy, not their ability to preach, run a program, make money, or look good.
So why do we spend so much time and resources on things that fade? I don’t know, but I do know that, when it’s all said and done, no one’s going to care if I owned a Mac or a PC. At my funeral the kind of car I drove probably won’t be discussed. The only one who will remember where I got my hair cut will be the woman who cuts my hair. The memories I leave will be of my character, my attitude, how I treated others.
The Invisible Church member knows this and is aware of how their character and attitude speak to those around them. To quote St. Francis of Assisi, “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.“
