The Hard Questions

So last week I attended a little leadership vision casting meeting for the leadership in our church, maybe you were there too. Our pastor gave us a few things to think about and do some self assessment in the area of leadership.

I'll give em to you just in case you are wondering....
- is your calling sure?
- is your vision clear?
- is your passion hot?
- are you developing your gifts?
- is your character submitted to Christ?
- is your pride subdued?
- are you overcoming fear?
- are interior issues undermining your leadership? (referring to emotionally healthy spirituality)
- is your pace sustainable?
- is your love for God and people increasing?

Now I don't know about you, but some of those questions straight slapped me in the face. Most were pretty easy to answer...Yes or no. Some were a little harder to be honest about. And it wasn't so much the yes or the no that bothered me, it is the "hmm, why is that?" that followed that got my attention.

Am I overcoming fear? Well, let's see, my fear of roaches is firmly in tact, I'm assuming that's not what Chuck was looking for. How's my fear of singing adlibs holding up? How about that fear of speaking in front of people? What am I doing to overcome those? I sang some adlibs last week by the way, but they weren't anything like how Jeannie does em!

Is my pace sustainable? I've recently discovered the answer is no. It's such a tough deal to balance family, friendships, work, kid's soccer, church, and extra leadership roles. Sometimes we'll be more effective if we are willing to prioritize and scale back where needed. I'm one of those people that tends to think that if things are going to be done well, then I need to do them. Which begs the question, "Is my pride subdued?" Ouch. I'd venture a guess that most people who really burn out quickly struggle with this too. As leaders one of the hardest things to really grab on to is delegation. We need to constantly be raising up other leaders that can do what we do. Then our ministry ceases to be about us and what we do and it starts to look like Jesus and what He wants to accomplish using us. Creating opportunities for other leaders to rise up is the key here. The more people there are serving alongside you, the lighter the burden on everyone.

These were some of the areas that really got my attention. I'm sure there are some that may slap you around a little to. Let me encourage those of you in ministry (that would be all of you who are Christ-followers) to consider your current role. Sit with those for a while, pray through them, let God shine his light on you and reveal some things. I hope that he'll get your attention and spur you on to change and grow. I think if we'll take the time to be attentive, he can do great things through us.