What boards and pastors need to know about one another

The relationship between senior pastors and their board is a critical factor in the success or failure of any pastor and it therefore impacts the health of the church. It is not always an easy relationship and takes time to build and nurture. Here are some things that pastors and boards need to know about one another.

Boards need to know that pastors see their role not as a job but as a calling. It is one of the reasons that many pastors are deeply sensitive to what they perceive to be criticism. This is their life, not just a job! Board members who are insensitive or critical are likely to get a defensive reaction from many pastors. Yes, pastors (I was one) can be insecure and sensitive. Much of that is that they care a lot about what they do.

Boards need to know that a pastor can weather almost any storm as long as the board is with him. But, if the board is not supportive publicly and privately the relationship is likely to go south. This does not mean that they always need to agree. It does mean that a pastor can count on the board to guard his back and take arrows for him. Boards that are not supportive are likely to lose their pastor as no pastor can effectively minister without the support of his board. Pastors are much more likely to listen carefully to board members who they know they can trust than whose support is tepid.

The job of a pastor is often a lonely one and it brings with it huge pressures. Someone is always unhappy and unlike the workplace you cannot fire your congregants! If a pastor can rely on his board for friendship and support it goes a long way for them.

Boards need to know that pastors resent being micromanaged. Pastors have lots of people who think they can and should tell them how to do what they do. What they don’t want is the board doing the same thing in terms of their day to day duties. Healthy boards don’t do management – they leave that to the pastoral staff (or volunteers). Instead they focus on vision and direction and policy.

Pastors on the other hand need to know that board members are used to having robust dialogue without people getting defensive over direct comments and opinions. That is the way it is in most workplaces. People express their opinions openly and candidly and it is expected that others can take it without it causing angst. Just because board members express differing opinions does not mean they are not in your corner. They are used to candid discussion.

Pastors need to know that board members have a tremendous amount of expertise from their experience and work which can be brought to bear on ministry. And they want to use their gifts in the ministry setting. But they often feel like this is not welcome because “this is a ministry not business.” Good leadership, good practices apply in the workplace and the church. Whenever we give the impression that “business and ministry” don’t match up we disemempower board members who come out of the non ministry world.

Pastors need to know that board members care about bottom line results and getting things done. They are often frustrated by the slow pace in ministry or staff members who don’t have a plan or cannot execute that plan. Return on investment (ROI) is something they value in their business – they want to stay in business. Return on mission (ROM) is something they value in the church. Lack of effective planning and execution on the plan will cause great frustration to good leaders.

Consider having a candid conversation as a board with your pastor on areas that each side sees that cause angst or frustration. You may not agree on everything but at least you will understand one another better and the needs that both have from the other. As this relationship goes, so goes the church.

Disappointments are Opportunities

We all have them. In fact I had one yesterday: disappointments! They are a part of life and no on is exempt. The Apostle Paul had people who let him down, places he wanted to bring the Gospel but was prevented from doing so, physical ailments that God did not take away. Just go down the list of Biblical characters and you will find a trail of disappointments behind them. It is part of the human condition. Some of those disappointments are irritations and some are deeply painful.

But all disappointments are also opportunities because God is the only one who can redeem any and all disappointments for His glory in our lives. Humanly, disappointments are just that. Spiritually, they are an opportunity to see what God intends to do either in the situation, in the lives of others or in our lives through them. That fact does not necessarily make them any easier to endure but it does give us hope that God can take what looks messed up to us and use it in ways we never dreamed of. God is not just in the business of redeeming hearts but in redeeming circumstances as well. And no one is more creative in how He does it than Him.


Consider this: how many ministries on this globe were started by someone who had walked through great disappointment and pain and because of it channeled their energies to helping others in similar situations. That is disappointment turned inside out for God's glory! Ask people passionate about some unique ministry how they got there and you will often find the beginning of the trail at disappointment! 


In fact, ask yourself this question. "What were the greatest disappointments of my life and how did God use those disappointments to make me who I am today?" Most of the major ministry themes in my life can be traced back to disappointments that God turned into opportunities to minister to others. Can you see any of the same trails in your life?


Dealing with disappointments is influenced by how deeply we understand and believe in and trust God's sovereignty over our lives. This understanding does not lesson the pain of disappointments but it does give us a foundation for how we deal with them. I am convinced that nothing happens in our lives, good or bad that does not first pass by the hands of God and which He does not use for his purposes in our lives. That knowledge does not lesson the pain of disappointment. It does give me a reference point of faith in dealing with them. I can say in my heart, "God is up to something in this and He will redeem it for His glory if I let him and trust Him."

Moses had forty years to deal with his disappointment of being a fugitive on the run and then a simple shepherd before God redeemed his situation to lead his people out of bondage. Joseph had disappointments with betrayal from family and employers before God redeemed his situation for His purposes. David was anointed king and then chased for years by Saul and you hear the despair in his voice through the Psalms. The list goes on. I am on the list. You are on the list. God is in the business of redeeming our situation for His glory and our growth.


Yesterday I received one of those nice "no thank you letters" from a publisher who had previously said they would publish what I consider my best book. Disappointment. But then, I began to think "I wonder what God has in mind" because what to me is a disappointment is to Him an opportunity to demonstrate His creativity, His sovereignty and in the end His glory. What it takes from us is to turn our disappointments over to Him and ask Him to take them, redeem them and use them in a way that honors Him. We will often be surprised with what He does.

The cancer of mistrust

Mistrust is one of the most common dangers that organizations face whether it is mistrust of leaders or mistrust of others on the team. It is like a cancer in the organization and by its very nature, when not addressed it becomes larger rather than smaller as the attitudes rub off on other members. In addition, where mistrust flourishes, good ministry diminishes because the emotional energy needed to deal with mistrust issues takes away from healthy energy that could be focused in productive ways. Mistrust is always a lose/lose proposition.

What causes mistrust? It is not what one usually thinks. Often it starts with a perception about another person and rather than going to that person to determine whether the perception is accurate, which means taking responsibility, it is easier to simply believe that the perception is correct and allow that to color their attitude toward that individual. And, as that "perception" is shared as truth with others, the cancer spreads.

Then there are people who intentionally plant seeds of mistrust toward those they don't like or a leadership philosophy they take umbrage to. In both of these cases, the conversations that take place are behind the scenes, often couched in spiritual language (we are ministries after all). Because the conversation is not out in the open, you see the impact of the cancer but it is often difficult to pin point who is responsible.

In both these scenarios, others get sucked into the mistrust when they unwisely take up the offenses of others. So here you have people who have no first hand knowledge of issues that are shared with them, or even their veracity but they pick up the offense and make it theirs. This is not only unbiblical  but it is harder to fix because there was no offense, real or perceived, committed that involves them. How do you solve mistrust issues where one has not  done anything to cause it?

Healthy organizations and leaders always walk toward the barking dog when it comes to attitudes of mistrust because of the terrible damage it has in the organization. In fact, the longer one ignores pockets of mistrust, the more damage to the organization. Just as we would not think of ignoring a diagnosis of cancer, we cannot think of ignoring a diagnosis of mistrust.

Pockets of mistrust usually have a common source so one of your strategies is to watch and listen and seek to determine who is behind the distrustful attitudes and who has simply taken up that attitude and made theirs. Given time and attention, you can usually identify the source of the problem.

When one knows the source, enter into a defining dialogue with that individual putting the elephants on the table and indicating that unless the mistrust can be resolved it will not work for them to be a part of your organization. Dialogue about the real or imagined offenses that the individual has and seek resolution. Part of that resolution is that in the future when there are issues they must go to the one they have an issue with and seek to resolve it rather than going to others and talking. What mistrust makers need to know is that their behavior is not compatible with the ethos of your organization so you are going to hold them accountable for how they deal with issues they have. Every time there is a violation of that agreement, a direct discussion takes place.

What about others who have taken up offenses? In our organization we go to every one of them that we know, and in dialogue seek to get to the bottom of the issue. Usually their information is either incomplete or not accurate and their assumptions are not correct. After all, these are not their issues, they have simply taken up the offense of others. Once issues have been clarified and questions answered we ask that in the future they don't take up the offenses of others and always go to the person involved first and try to resolve their real or perceived issues. Because we know how damaging attitudes of mistrust are we will not ignore them ever.

Not everyone wants to be accountable for attitudes or be held to biblical standards of conflict resolution. Where we cannot make progress on resolving trust issues we will take the step of indicating that unless it is resolved, the individual cannot stay with the organization. That calls the question since no one can be productive in a ministry organization where there is a lack of trust in leaders or others. In these cases, some choose to leave and some choose to resolve their attitudes. What is not acceptable is living with mistrust because of its high and negative cost.

Leaders who don't have the courage to deal with pockets of mistrust in an upfront way see the health of their organization or team deteriorate. It is a cancer and needs to be dealt with.

Your church has a financial challenge

As we live through year three of an incredibly difficult financial environment a good number of churches are feeling significant pain as giving is not keeping up with budgets. In many cases, there is reluctance to tell the congregation exactly what the situation is and try to solve the problem internally via spending cuts and even lay offs. 

Perhaps the reluctance to be transparent with the congregation is that we don't want to look like we have not managed the situation well. Yet it is the congregation who are the stakeholders of the ministry and simply laying it out to them often results in many people stepping up to meet the need. Remember that in the typical evangelical church, forty to sixty percent of all giving goes outside the local church so these situations are rarely money problems even in a down economy.

One church I know had a 1.5 million dollar shortfall that absolutely needed to be met. Over a period of five weeks they simply laid the facts out to the congregation and thus far they have seen nearly a million dollars of that need met. And, the leaders were praised for their humble transparency.

Rather than losing credibility in being transparent, leaders gain credibility as they include the whole congregation in seeking to meet the need and solve the problem. At the very lease you don't know what people will do until you lay it out and ask.

If cuts must be made the key is not to compromise the central or core ministries of the church. In good times we add ancillary ministries that are nice to have but not core to what we must do. Those are the places where cuts should take place. In fact, the gift of financial challenges is that it forces us to determine what is central and core to who we are and focus on those things.

Learning quotients

Standard questions I ask leaders are "What have you learned about leadership in the past year?" and "What are the most significant books you have read recently?" Or, "What dumb tax have you paid recently that you wish you didn't have to pay?" 

The responses are interesting - I learn from them. How quickly the leaders can answer the question is also telling. Some have a hard time coming up with an answer while others can tell you immediately. The difference between the two usually has to do with whether one has a mindset of learning or not. 

Life gives us amazing opportunities to grow emotionally, spiritually, relationally and in our areas of strength - if we are intentional about it. What works against us is the pace of life and the tendency to be so busy that we don't have time to reflect on the very things that could make us better leaders or better people. But it is reflection that gives us the greatest opportunities for growth as we intentionally ask ourselves questions about our lives and leadership. One of the reasons I blog is that it allows me opportunity to reflect on issues that I have observed or experienced. It is about learning and growth.

All of us need a strategy for personal growth. Since we learn and process differently there is no one way but there should be a way - practices that are built into our lives or schedules that allows us to grow from what we experience and observe. A helpful question to ask is "How do I best learn and grow?" The follow up question is "Is my life, schedule and practice congruent with how I best learn?" so that the growth curve never slows down.

For leaders, that growth quotient is critical since they need to be on the front end of those they lead. Leaders who are not intentional about growth often have a rude awakening when those they lead become disillusioned by their leadership. Our leadership capital is our ability to help those we lead maximize their gifts and effectively meet the mission of the organization. When we lost that capital our leadership is over. 

Whether you are a leader or not, what is your strategy for growth and are you continuing to grow at the pace you once did? Sloth (a great word) in this area of life is both dangerous and unfortunate but it often sets in in our forties or fifties when we think we have learned what we need to learn and can simply rest on our past experience. If anything it is at this stage of life that intentionality in growth is the most important. No past experience can compensate for what we need to learn and where we need to grow today. 

Take a moment and reflect on your learning quotient and strategy. It is the way of the "wise" in the book of Proverbs.

When bad things happen

Things go wrong in any organization. Sometimes in a very messy way! The question is not whether things will go south but what we learn from them when we do. There are three common reactions to problems when they occur. Only one of them is truly helpful.

A common response when things go south is to quickly blame someone - after all, someone must be at fault. Actually, sometimes this is true and sometimes it is not. There are times when systems need to be fixed and it is not really a people problem. However, blame is not a very helpful response (unless you have an ongoing problem with an individual) because in assigning blame one tends to ignore other factors that may have contributed to the problem. Blaming allows one to ignore other critical factors that may be present. It is a convenient response because once blame has been assigned, one can move on without critical analysis.

A second response to things going south is to simply "move on." Here there is no real analysis of the factors involved which means that leaders don't need to take any responsibility for what occurred.  This happens because leaders are either naive and believe that moving on is the best thing to do, or they don't want to look in the mirror and honestly evaluate the situation for lessons that could be learned. This is essentially a convenient non-response that simply hopes that by moving on the problem will not recur. It is also the reason that the problem will probably recur since important lessons are not learned. 

A third and the most helpful response is to do an autopsy without blame. Here, leaders intentionally ask the kinds of questions that can help them understand why what happened happened and what they can learn from it. Questions like: What contributed to this situation?; What could we have done differently?; What do we need to do differently in the future?; What lessons can we learn so that we grow as an organization?; How do we process the constituency in an honest way?; - all evaluative questions designed to learn from the situation.

This is not about blame but about learning and growing. In fact, the lack of "blame" and the refusal to just "move on" gives leaders the opportunity to grow from the experience. Bad things will happen. The question is whether we will learn and grow from them or repeat them. 

Give the Gift

Who do you know who is in crisis, who is hurting, who is walking through life having come undone in some way? There are few gifts we can give that are more significant than that of simple encouragement. It costs us nothing except our time and willingness to hurt with those who hurt and it mirrors the character of God who will never leave us or forsake us: who constantly encourages and brings comfort to the hurting. He is called "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Encouragement is not making things OK. Usually we cannot do that. It is coming alongside the hurting, praying for them, staying in touch, giving or sending words of healing and comfort and just being there for them. It is listening and entering into their pain. The word compassion actually comes from a Latin word that means "co-suffering." When we suffer Jesus suffers for us and with us. We can give the same gift to others.

Interestingly, Paul also says that God's comfort to us is designed to spill over to our comfort to others. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

God's comfort to us is intended to overflow to others - but that takes the attitude of Christ who selflessly comes alongside the hurting. There is a price: it is the price of entering into the hurt of others and co-suffering with them. But it is one of the greatest gifts we can give. When we encourage, we become Jesus to others. And, the more we encourage, the more our hearts become like the heart of Christ.

Organizational Renewal or Decline

All organizations including businesses, ministries, missions and congregations have a predictable life cycle of missional growth, a plateau and then a slow slide into decline - unless there is direct and intentional intervention by leaders to renew the organization from within on a regular basis. All of us can name churches, for instance, that were once vibrant and missional but are not struggling to simply exist. In the business arena, General Motors is a great example of this life cycle and without the necessary renewal it ended up in bankruptcy. Denominations face the same laws of organizational life cycles as a recent report, for instance, of the Southern Baptist Convention indicates that they are facing the challenge of an aging organization now losing people and seeing fewer conversions.

If you are reading this and your organization does not face the challenge of plateau or decline, don't get too smug. No organization is exempt from this phenomenon unless there is direct intervention to prevent it. 

There are several factors that contribute to plateau or decline in organizations. First, organizations that start out missional can over time slip into institutional where the institution becomes more important than the mission. Here are churches who never change their bylaws or governance structures (which become sacred) even when they are strangling the congregation from responding to the needs of a new day.


Second, they forget the rule that "what got you to here will not get you to there" and become change resistant. Resistance to change will guarantee decline because what worked in one day will not work in another. This is the trap many missions find themselves in, doing ministry like they did in the fifties when the whole ministry context has changed around them. As a rule, the longer an organization has gone without major change the greater their risk of sliding into irrelevancy. Risk adverse ministries will go into decline.


Third, there is a tendency to worship the past and wish that the future could look like the past. I can think of congregations that were considered cutting edge flagship congregations twenty years ago who are in serious decline today but leaders still remember the good old days and just assume that they can make them come back. It won't happen without major change.


Finally, decline comes when the missional commitments of the ministry get lost in preserving the institution. Survival mode is rarely missional. The focus is on survival rather than moving forward and taking territory for Jesus. 


The only way to arrest this tendency toward decline is to continually renew the organization from within. This takes courageous leaders who care more about the effectiveness of their ministry than their own jobs because the only way to create ongoing renewal is to push the organization to take risks and get out of their comfort zone. Many will not like the discomfort of renewal. Here are some keys to such renewal.


First, there must be absolute clarity on the mission of the organization and what spells success. Declining ministries have inevitably lost their sense of clarity and unless a new and compelling clarity can be articulated renewal will not take place (see chapters two, three and four of Leading From The Sandbox). Can everyone in your organization clearly articulate a common compelling mission and vision? If not you are at risk!


Second, you can gauge your ability to renew by how change friendly your organization is because without regular and major change to meet the needs and opportunities of a new day decline is inevitable. Can you identify three to five significant changes that have taken place in your ministry in the past three years? If not, you are at risk!


Third, is there an openness and a strategy for getting new ideas on the table? This will usually happen when new people come on board and see what you don't see, or with younger staff members who are not stuck in the old ways of thinking. If you do not have an intentional strategy to bring new ideas and new people to the table, you are at risk! Long term employees will often work to guard the status quo which is comfortable for them rather than be initiators of new ideas which will stretch them.


Fourth, do you have the courage to move along leaders who are stuck in the past and who will not go with you into the future? Those who have quit growing and who guard the status quo are anchors to your ministry, holding it back. The mission is more important than job security. If you do not regularly evaluate leaders for their ability to lead the organization forward you are at risk! If you are the senior leader and realize that you have taken the ministry as far as you can, the best thing you can do is to step aside and let someone else lead into the future. Far from being a failure, you are opening the door to organizational renewal.


Fifth, are you annually driving a set of ministry initiatives that all can rally around, will help you achieve your mission better and keep improving the ministry results you are after? We call these the "game changers" that change the nature of the results in a significant way. If you cannot identify those annual game changers you are at risk!


The longer a ministry has been in existence, the more difficult it is to keep renewing it from within so that you don't move into the plateau and decline phase of life. In other words, leadership becomes more complex, not easier and the need for risk, new ideas, critical thinking and creating waves greater as the ministry matures. Take a moment and think about where your ministry is against some of these principles.

Viewing People Like Jesus Views Them

What we really think about people is most often revealed in private conversations about them. And how we choose to think and talk about them spills out in our attitudes toward them, words we use with them and the level of honor we afford them. Thus our private thoughts and conversations impact our relationships. Jesus Himself said that what is in our heart is what comes out in our words. The connection is clear.


Think of how we unconsciously judge people we see by their appearance, weight, mannerisms or obvious social class. In every instance we are looking at a man, woman, or child who is made in the Image of God, has inestimable eternal value and is a potential son or daughter of the King of Kings. Where our evaluation is different from God's evaluation, we violate His heart.


When we call people names to one another - "that pinhead" - we judge them and develop attitudes toward them. When we see only the negative in people, we do the same. All of this is human (fallen) nature as we evaluate people by our standards and against our grid which usually makes us feel good by keeping ourselves near the top. What this is not is a reflection of God's character or His evaluation of people which is one of love and compassion.


There are times, when we judge actions of people which can be wrong, egregious, unhelpful and foolish. But judging actions is very different from labeling people. The former evaluates actions while the latter evaluates a whole person including their heart. 


None of us is exempt from this challenge. But consider for a moment how lucky we are that God does not judge us the way we judge others. From his perspective we are sinful, rebellious, flawed and in  every way deserving of death. Yet God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him John 3 16-17)."


When our attitudes are condemnatory, they violate the attitude of God toward us. His goal with all people is that they would find Him, find eternal life and it stems from His great love for us that wants to see all saved and accepts the unacceptable - all of us from a divine perspective.


It is a challenge, but it will impact our ability to love like He loved and to lead people to the Lord who loves completely and purely.

Two lives lived well: One Famous, One Not

It was forty years ago this year that as a youngster of fifteen I sat captivated through a week long series of talks by John R.W. Stott at the St. Andrews Church on Nathan Road in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Never had I heard such a cogent series of messages on Christ by a man with rosy cheeks, unruly hair, easy smile and a warm heart. After the sessions he would mingle and talk to us about matters of faith.

That mission, opened my eyes to what clear, expositional preaching should look like and it influences my preaching to this day. Over the years I have stayed in tough with John from time to time and he always had time to reply. Early I adopted him as one of my heroes and role models for his faith, ministry, simple lifestyle, commitment to evangelism, fine writing, prophetic voice on many issues and his amazing approachability. To this day, "All Souls Church in London reflects the character that he instilled when he became rector at 29 years old.

There are few people I have admired more than John R.W. Stott. Heaven is rejoicing today and I am once again reminded of the kind of person I desire to be. Farewell John to a much deserved reward with a savior you loved and served with your whole being.

And then my friend Honson Lee who died suddenly of a heart attack in China this week. Honson is not well known. He was an engineer for a major firm in Holland for much of his career but took early retirement to come back to his home, Hong Kong, and work with ReachGlobal in reaching Asia for Christ. Placing his faith and followership above comfort and money, he and his lovely wife Manling threw themselves into full time ministry at a time when many others were opting for a life of leisure. 

Both of these men have my utmost honor and respect for their love of Jesus, concern for the gospel, humility, sacrificial lifestyle and service to the King. Not only do I honor them but I want to be like them. I mourn their loss but know that heaven celebrates their arrival.

Sick churches and corporate repentance

It is a fact of faith that when we have engaged in sin, the price of moving forward is always deep repentance, and acknowledgement of our sin to Christ and a commitment to take on new practices. We understand this in the individual arena but what about situations where congregations have sinned. Can they move forward in strength without dealing with their sin and acknowledging that sin publically? I believe not.

In fact, I would suggest that there are many churches who have lived with sinful practices in their midst - gossip, unresolved conflict, negative attitudes, ill treatment of pastors, prideful boards, and you name it - who will never move into a place of spiritual health until they publically acknowledge the sinful practices, repent of them, commit to new practices and seek the forgiveness of those who have been hurt. 

Interestingly, these are the very things that have been key features of revivals when they have occurred. Coming clean, acknowledging failure and seeking forgiveness are hallmarks of spiritual revival. So why would we believe that we can move forward in congregations when such sin has occurred without the spiritual renovation that must take place first?

Why don't more congregations practice confession and repentance? I believe the operative reason is pride. It means that we have to admit we were wrong, that we have accepted sinful practices, that we hurt someone and public hurt must be followed by public acknowledgement and confession. Rather than do that, we would rather take the easy way and retain our pride. 

Years ago I was deeply wounded by a church I served. Years later the leaders asked to meet with me in private. They apologized for what happened but they never did so publically. Yet, the wounds has been public. They took the easy route which did nothing to heal the church nor to heal me. 

Daniel nine gives us a great example of public repentance for public sin. On behalf of the nation of Israel, Daniel pleads for God's forgiveness after enumerating the sins of the people. Public sin calls for public repentance. 

What is the price that congregations and church leaders pay for not being willing to repent of public sins? I believe that God simply withholds his blessing from them. God does not bless proud hearts but humble hearts. Public confession of public sins is a sign of a humble heart. Most congregations won't go there but those who do see God do extraordinary things.

Leadership in Crisis

Unfortunately, every ministry finds itself in a crisis mode from time to time. How leaders lead in times of crisis either gives them added credibility or causes them to lose credibility. Here are some critical elements of crisis management.

First, be utterly transparent as to why the crisis has occurred. As I wrote in a recent blog, spin management does not work because people have the ability to sense whether the explanation is the real story which goes to honesty, openness and the credibility of leaders. I once listened to a leader explain why his ministry had lost a great deal of money in a certain year leading to a financial crisis. He spiritualized the situation rather than simply telling the truth that there had been some bad management and he lost credibility in the eyes of many. Rule one is come clean and while you may take some short term shots, you will be better off in the long run.

The issue of total honesty is important. Many ministry leaders complicate a crisis by not being transparent about the crisis. Transparency creates trust even where mistakes have been made. Lack of transparency creates mistrust which further erodes the leader's ability to lead. If mistakes have been made and leaders are honest about it, people will forgive. If mistakes have been made and leaders try to hide them, people will lose confidence. 


I cannot stress the importance of transparent honesty on the part of leaders enough. Think of the corporations that have tried to deal with their public problems without being transparent - it does not work and causes all kinds of additional problems. Be transparent, take your lumps if necessary but don't tell untruths or color the truth. It does not work and will cause further damage. Falsehoods under any guise cause damage to an organization while truth brought into the light can bring healing. This takes leaders who are courageous enough to speak truth even when it is hard.


One of the results of not coming clean in crisis is that people are left confused. Some know that the story does not add up. Others want to believe their leaders explanation even if it is not totally trustworthy. If on the other hand, leaders are totally transparent, there is little confusion. Truth brings clarity while dishonesty under any guise brings confusion. It is the way of truth and falsehoods.


Honesty and transparency reflect humility on the part of leaders while spin control and dishonesty reflect pride on the part of leaders. People intuitively understand which they are getting and humility breeds respect while pride breeds cynicism.

Second, tell people how you are going to deal with the crisis in clear, unambiguous language. If hard things need to be done, give it to people straight. Stability for them is knowing that someone has a plan and that they are being let in on the plan. Generally there are not more than a handful of key actions that must be taken in a crisis so concentrate on those and leave ancillary things aside.

Third, give people forums where they can talk to leaders so that their issues are clarified and they can share their own perspectives. Leaders need to hear what others have to say and they often know more than leaders think they know (or want them to know). Everyone in a congregation or organization is a stakeholder so after leaders have been forthcoming and laid out a plan, give people a chance to clarify, respond and speak. The only ground rules are that there are no personal attacks or hidden agendas.

Fourth, find some common commitments that the whole group can commit to in order to weather the crisis. If the crisis is financial, there should be financial commitments. If it is spiritual, there should be spiritual commitments. If it is a result of leadership mistakes there should be leadership commitments. The commitments should reflect the reality of the reasons for the crisis and an organization wide response to it. This is possible only if leaders have been upfront initially.


Crisis is the ultimate test of leadership courage. All too often, leaders fail the test because they want to protect themselves. When leaders do what I have outlined above they gain credibility even if they have made mistakes along the way. People respect honesty and despise dishonesty.

Giants and Grasshoppers

“There are giants in the land” was the report of the spies who went in to spy out the land of Canaan for the Israelites prior to their infamous mutiny from God and subsequent wandering in the desert for forty years (Numbers 13-14). For ten of the twelve spies, those giants were insurmountable barriers to taking the land. Only Joshua and Caleb saw the giants in light of God’s power and ability to take them. The rest of the spies looked at them through human and therefore fearful eyes.

All of us have giants in our lives – those people, circumstances or situations that cause fear and anxiety, wake us up at night and which we struggle with. Those giants are real; they often pose a significant threat and are not to be discounted. 

The game changer for giants, of course, is God himself, who is not intimidated by those things that cause us fear because He has the power to deal with them. His words to His disciples are encouraging to us. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).” Wow! We know of the “many troubles” but do we live with the daily knowledge that He has “overcome the world and therefore we may live in peace?” His overcoming power trumps any trouble we could face. Not that he promises to take those troubles away but that He gives us what we need to deal with them no matter how fierce they are. 

I have a friend who recently received the devastating news of a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Not only is this an incurable disease of the lungs but it’s typical progression is rapid and its symptoms are terrible. There is nothing nice or comforting about that kind of “trouble:” and absent God’s miraculous healing it is a one way street. This friend and his wife are not despairing of this giant, as great as it has invaded their world. Rather they are facing it with courage and faith and his whole focus now is preparing to meet Jesus who he has served for many years.

Giants create fear while God gives peace and divine perspective if we will allow Him. We confront giants when we give them to God and press into Him with faith knowing that there is no giant he cannot overcome. Ironically the spies reported to the Israelites that compared to the giants “we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them (Numbers 13:33).” What they did not realize is that compared to God’s power, the giants they faced and those we face are mere grasshoppers in God’s eyes: fearful to us, grasshoppers to Him. As Jesus said in John 16:33 it is all a matter of perspective.

I recently confronted one of my giants. The details are unimportant but realizing that God’s power was greater than my giant was everything. It was not without much prayer and faith on my part. Today the giant has been put into its proper perspective (a mere grasshopper in God’s eyes) and for that I am grateful. Our giants are very real. Only God can put them into proper perspective. Are you living with giants or grasshoppers?

Rupert Murdock and a failure of leadership

Rupert Murdock failed his ultimate leadership test this week when asked whether he was ultimately responsible for "this whole Fiasco" in British Parliament. He tersely replied "No." When asked who was he said "The people that I trusted to run it and then maybe the people they trusted (The Nation, Thursday July 21, 2011)."

Murdock failed his leadership test on three counts. First leaders always take responsibility when something goes south in their organization. His explanation that he has 35,000 employees and cannot keep track of what they do means nothing. Leaders take responsibility when there is trouble. They do not point fingers at others and blame them for ultimately the buck stops a the senior level. Further, if you are going to  blame others that you hired, who is ultimately responsible if not the one who did the hiring! And, if your senior leader ducks the blame, why should not everyone else down the chain?


This is not only a failure of leadership but a failure of courage. It is like a kid getting caught and pointing his finger at another kid and saying, "He did it." Leaders man up! They don't blame others.


Second, Murdock failed his leadership test by hiring and keeping individuals who did not have a strong moral compass. Perhaps they made money for him and that was enough. Leaders lead through the quality of the people they hire - first their moral convictions and second their business expertise. He certainly had business expertise but he failed to hire people with high moral convictions. If there is one failure common to many such situations it is that corporations have filled their ranks with many who have no moral foundation allowing the widespread practices as in this case of immoral and illegal behavior.


Third, Murdock failed as a leader by failing to set a high standard to ethical, legal and moral practices that were the expectation of all those who worked for him. It strains credulity to believe that he did not know that corners were being cut - all he needed to do was to read his own papers and it would be obvious that there was something going on. If others could figure it out, so could he. But the company lacked a moral compass that only he could both model and insist on. Obviously it was possible to work in a culture where illegal and unethical practices were either ignored or accepted.


These three failures of leadership are fundamental flaws that would sooner or later have come to light. Those of us who lead ought to take notice and ask if we share any of these three threats to our own leadership.

Spin control

We hear it every day on the news channels. The government, businesses or individuals who have something to explain engaging in spin control. At its best, spin control is designed to get your facts out in as favorable a light as possible, knowing that others will spin your story in highly unsavory ways. At its worst, and perhaps all too common, spin control is used to rewrite the actual facts when they are not in our favor which amounts to dishonesty and lying. It is one of the reasons that many are rather cynical when listening to people who are obviously "spinning" reality to try to convince us of an alternative reality.

It is sad that many churches and ministry organizations do the same thing when confronted with situations that they need to explain and the simple facts of the situation will make them look bad. It is sad because truth is one of the fundamental characteristics of God's character and deceit or lying is one of God's all time "hates" (see Proverbs). 

I am not suggesting that all facts about all situations must be shared. What I am suggesting is that what is shared must be consistent with the truth and would stand up to scrutiny if all the relevant parties were present. Church leaders who are not as candid as they ought to be - either because it will make them look bad - or because they don't want to deal with the fall out find that their spin goes out of control when people start to realize that they have not been given the full story - or even a truthful story. Even when done in the spirit of "we need to protect the congregation" it does not work - and that is often an excuse not to be truthful.

I know of a recent situation where allegations of sexual abuse in a mission agency's past came to light. Rather than bringing it into the open, the board simply fired the chief executive (who had nothing to do with that era of mission history). He became the scapegoat and the agency tried to hide the facts of the past. The latter will not work.

I know of a pastor who recently left his pastorate over deep conflict with his board but the situation was spun all ways to Sunday rather than simply acknowledging what many in the congregation already know - leaving the board with even less trust than they had before.

Why are we afraid of truth? Again, not everything needs to be said but people are not stupid and truth, no matter how hard builds trust while lack of transparency kills trust. Organizations that engage in dishonest spin find that they get caught in that spin for years rather than just being honest, taking the lumps and moving on. Even secular consultants will tell you to get whatever is going to get out on the table quickly, apologize where necessary, share your next steps and start to move on and rebuild trust. It is always the best way.

Covering up has to do with our pride. Transparency has to do with humility. 

Courage

Courage is one of the essential traits of anyone who desires to make a difference for Christ. Courage to follow His leading. Courage to go to places that are uncomfortable for us. Courage to change when God points out areas of our lives that need such change. Courage to try things for Him that we have not tried before. 

Why is courage so important? Because most people are adverse to change and love the comfort of the status quo. I have had people tell me in my own organization, "Do what you want to do but don't expect me to change." That is a failure of courage! Others have said, "It is hard for me to go there but I will go with you." That is a victory for courage. People fit into predictable categories of innovators, early adapters, middle adapters, late adapters and laggards (they will never change). While these may be standard responses to change, courage says, "If God calls me out of my comfort zone, I will go, no matter what." 

Those who lack courage will never make much of an impact for Christ and frankly don't belong in full time ministry. God does not take His people to predictable places but to the unpredictable. The game changer is that He never leaves us to our own devices but continually says, "Do not be afraid for I am with you." If I cannot move forward with that promise, what will help me do so?

The opposite of courage is cowardice. No one likes to have that word used for them. Yet, when we say no to God, when we refuse to go to new places, when we will not leave our own comfort zone, it is cowardice that characterizes our lives. God's workers are never called to live in cowardice but in courage. After all, we never go alone, but always with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Many congregations and ministry organizations live with a lack of courage. There are mission agencies I know that will not pull the trigger on change because of fear. There are missionaries who will not go to new places because of fear. There are congregations who will not change what they have been doing for fifty years (mostly unsuccessfully because of fear. It is a failure of courage that results in a failure of effectiveness. 

As a ministry leader, I do not apologize for looking for courageous people. Nothing of substance is accomplished when we are unwilling to go to new places, to risk for the sake of the Gospel. And that courage must start with me as the senior leader. Are you willing to risk for the sake of the Gospel? Are you willing to live on the side of courage rather than the side of cowardice? OK that is a strong way of putting it but it is the choice each of us must make.

The Power of Unity and the Cost of Disunity

A spirit of unity is one of the most powerful forces that any team, organization, congregation or board can foster. Unity includes a common direction, great cooperation, knowing that others will support and protect you and a refusal to allow situations or people to divide you. 

In the ancient armies of Sparta, the unity of the troops gave them a powerful advantage over their foes. The lines would be closed, shield tip to shield tip. Behind the front line, the second line of shields literally fit in the small of the back of the soldier in front to support him and keep him moving forward even in the collision with the enemy. The lines could go twenty or fifty deep, moving in lockstep forward and there was no surrender and no retreat. The only way to win and survive was to fight side by side with those on your right and those on your left while being supported by those behind you. No army in the ancient world wanted to meet the Spartan troops! Even if they were to win, the cost was going to be very high.

This real life picture of a unified front illustrates the power of unity. Here is the team that sets aside its differences to move forward together toward a common goal. Here is a congregation that is willing to live up to the admonition of Ephesians 4, living in unity and love in the power of the Holy Spirit in order to see the cause of Jesus advance and His reputation held high. Here is the board that forges direction, relationships and common commitments rather than members insisting on their own way: humble cooperation rather than needing to win. 

Disunity can be characterized by lack of common direction, a higher concern for my interests rather than the interests of the group, a spirit of independence rather than cooperation and often, critical spirits toward others in the group. Disunity diffuses momentum, elevates personal agendas over a common goal and hurts rather than protects others in attitudes and words. It destroys missional momentum and is a sign of immature and pride filled believers. At its worst, Paul describes the characteristics of disunity as quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder - and he is talking about church members and leaders (2 Corinthians 12:20).

Disunity need not be malicious to be dangerous. The lack of unity is by definition, disunity. And whether caused by lack of cooperation and independent spirits or by the unwillingness to do the hard work of forging unity, the result is the same: a diffusion of impact.

If anyone doubts the theological issue inherent in unity one only needs to look at the picture of the Godhead - three in one where unity and love always reign supreme. When we live in disunity we not only hurt the mission we are committed to but we dishonor the Lord whom we serve who is the ultimate example of unity.

Paul puts the issue of unity this way. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your interests but to the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4)."



Here are some indicators of unity:

• We have a common direction
• We are moving together
• We don't allow anyone or anything to divide us
• We will never hurt those we serve with
• We submit our will to that of the common good and goal
• We cooperate with one another
• We pray for one another
• We guard our attitudes toward one another
• We look not only to our interests but to the interests of others 

What makes the difference between those who live with faith and those who live with fear?

For believers this is a profoundly theological and personal question. Just think about conversations you have or hear: fear about the economy; fear about illnesses; fear that one won't have enough money in retirement; fear of travelling because of terrorism.

Then think of how amazingly cautious we can be in ministry settings from taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zone. What if we fail? We've never done that before! It's too risky! We don't have the money! And the hundred and one objections that often meet a new idea for ministry.

Why do so many people live fearful and cautious lives? Why do so many like to live in their comfort zone? Here is what they don't get. There is much to be fearful of in this world. All kinds of things can and will go wrong - I can attest to that many times over. But, when we are living with the Lord of the Universe resident in our hearts through the Holy Spirit we have no need to fear - ever. After all, we have in our lives, dwelling in us, the all powerful, all sovereign, all knowing, all loving God of the universe. There is much that we cannot handle. He can handle everything!

I said that this is a theological issue and it is. The most repeated command in Scripture is "fear not," "do not be afraid," and it is often accompanied by "for I am with you." When Joshua took over from Moses God told him "Be strong and courageous - three times. Why? Because "the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 16:6-9)." When Jesus gave us the great commission, he finished with these words, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

The bottom line is that fear is a denial of God's presence, power, promises and plan for us and our world. It is a denial of His divinity and sovereignty. It is a statement that we cannot trust the One who made us and saved us. If we cannot trust him with our situation today, how can we trust him for our salvation? He is either trustworthy or He is not.

How do I combat fear and live more fully in faith?
First, acknowledge the fears you have - whatever they are. Give them to God, ask Him to forgive you for not trusting and ask Him to help you live in faith rather than fear.
Second, memorize a few key passages from Scripture that tell us to fear not for He is with us.
Third, when your mind goes to fear or doubt intentionally and immediately ask God for the faith to trust Him.
Fourth, Ask God for situations where you are forced to trust him and grow your faith. The more we learn to trust the greater the faith we have.

A word to ministry leaders. Congregations and ministries take their faith cues from those who lead them. When they are courageous their followers will be courageous. When they believe for great things, their people will believe for great things. We set the tone for the level of faith or the level of fear. Where we live on this issue will determine where our organization will live as well.

The paradox of Christian leadership

Good Christian leadership has built within it a divine paradox. Think of the qualities of a good leader: self confidence; clarity of direction; good emotional intelligence; ability to task and empower others; courage to make hard decisions; faith that God can do amazing things; and ability to chart a strategy for success. All of these qualities are marks of a good leader and they are the qualities we ought to concentrate on if we lead.

The apostle Paul exhibited these leadership characteristics. But, he also added another characteristic of great leadership which would surprise Fortune Magazine: humble weakness.

We who lead often accumulate experiences and success that fuel our confidence and that confidence allows us to lead even better. But it can also bring with it pride and the tendency to rely more on ourselves than on God: after all our success is proof of our skill and gifting. Thus the very skill that is needed to lead well can take my eyes off of the One who gave me that skill and move my inner leadership compass from God to myself which will ultimately compromise my leadership. It is a paradox and a threat to my leadership.

Paul faced the same temptation. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 he recounts amazing experiences he had including being given visions and revelations that would make any of us prone to pride. And good leaders all have experiences and successes that could lead them to pride.

Which is why we read this significant passage that impacted and formed the very best of Paul's leadership:

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in  my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)."

I believe there is a pattern here for Christian leaders. Those He uses to lead, He humbles through circumstances of life. Lead well and one will experience pain - a gift from the Father who does not want our leadership success to move our focus of confidence from Him to us. Confidence in myself is simply pride. Confidence in Him and His power keeps us humble because we realize that He is the source of our success and it is His power that allows us to see that success.

Why is God's power made perfect in weakness? Because it is in weakness that we put our chips with God and humbly ask Him for success. In strength we put out chips with our ability. Here is the paradox again. When we lead out of our weakness and are forced to trust and rely on Him, His power rests on us. And it is His power that makes us the best leaders.

All this led Paul to make a statement that every leader ought to consider: "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

One of my leadership heroes is a pastor who has walked through amazing health challenges for many years. In those seasons when he was bringing the most change and spiritual renovation to his church those health challenges increased. Over the years I have also watched his leadership ability, courage and faith grow exponentially. Physically he could be seen as week. As a spiritual leader he is a gentle, courageous giant! He is a recipient of Paul's paradox: When he was weak he became strong. His hardships forced him to rely on God and His power rather than his skill and leadership acumen. 

So we add to the list of characteristics of a great leader: humble weakness that results in powerful strength as we lead in His wisdom and power. If you lead, embrace the paradox.

Amazing Grace

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me"

Few songs are more deeply loved and more theologically true. It is not just grace: it is amazing grace! Every one of us in our deepest heart know our own depravity. Some of which we have never admitted to others. The older I am the more of that depravity I understand. Yet I know that all of that is covered by the amazing grace of Christ which far exceeds my deepest failures, sin or depravity.

Now multiply that amazing grace by every member of your congregation. Hundreds of people that have been immersed in the amazing grace of Jesus. It is an ocean of grace. If we even remotely understood the amount of that amazing grace represented by our local church family we would be astounded: in fact we could never comprehend it.

Now think of an unbeliever or broken individual who comes into that ocean of grace. If they meet people who understand and live out of grace. Have you ever walked into a church where you just felt you had entered an ocean of God's grace through His people? I have. There is a felt presence, a deep love, an unconditional acceptance that can only come through being in the very presence of the holy, forgiving, merciful, grace filled God. In the acceptance and love of His people you experience the acceptance, love and amazing grace of the Father.

Why are there not more congregations like that? I think it is that we often don't understand the grace of Jesus in our lives. The more I understand what that amazing grace has done in my life, the more I naturally extend that grace to others. Too many believers who have experienced that amazing grace lack that grace toward others because they don't understand, don't remember what God has extended to them. Legalism, harshness, critical spirits, anger, and lack of forgiveness reflect a poor understanding of our own depravity, our deep need and the amazing grace that God has extended to us.

Interestingly it is as we take the time to understand our own depravity that we better understand grace because we continually are reminded of our deep need - daily - for the amazing grace of Jesus. If I need that grace daily, if I am dependent on that grace daily, how can I not extend that grace to those I come into contact with - loving them as Jesus loves on us.

The purpose of this blog? To remind me what amazing grace looks like and to remind me to extend that amazing grace to others. And, hopefully to remind others what churches look like when the amazing ocean of grace welcomes the hurting, the sinful and the lost. Or even that member who irritates us deeply!





 

church renovation

On a regular basis some of the most read blogs on this site have to do with dysfunctional boards and unhealthy churches. I am sure that this comes out of the deep frustration of leaders who want to see greater health and congregants who are tired of the lack of leadership, health, intentionality and missionality of their church. 

There is a deep yearning among people I meet to see the church live up to its Biblical expectations where life change takes place, people find Jesus, there is safe and supportive community and the power of the gospel of Christ is found in a grace and love filled environment. But such churches don't just happen: they are led by leaders who have charted an intentional course toward congregational health and missionality.

So what does it take to see an unhealthy church become healthy and vibrant? 

First it takes leaders who have the courage to face the reality in humility that there is a problem. This is not easy. It takes a large dose of humility to admit (if you are a leader) that a problem exists in your church and that change is deeply needed. But until leaders are willing to name the elephant in the room (dishealth) and articulate what needs to change, renovation cannot come.

Spiritual pride is the foremost issue that keeps leaders of unhealthy churches (the vast majority in the United States) from moving toward health. We simply don't want to admit that we have a problem even in the face of intractable evidence. There is no chance for greater health in a sick church until leaders set aside their own pride and humbly admit that there is a problem, that they are part of the problem and that they need God's help in solving the problem. I cannot say this strongly enough: Until leaders humbly admit their need, there will not be change.

In cases where there is deep dysfunction on the board and the board has faced reality and wants to get its act together I strongly suggest that they ask for outside help: a coach to walk them through a process toward health. An outside voice can speak truth, sometimes painful that insiders often cannot. Further, an outside voice can hold board members accountable for their own health as a board.

Second, leaders change first. Generally, unhealthy churches are simply a reflection of unhealthy leadership - staff or boards. So, divided boards generally yield a divided congregation. Lack of spiritual passion among leaders yields a congregation with a lack of passion. Lack of intentionality in leading yields a lack of intentionality of the congregation as a whole. Congregations do follow the example of their leaders so until leaders choose to change and to get their act together spiritually, relationally and in their intentionality, the congregation won't. When they do, the congregation takes notice. 

Third, realize that this is a spiritual issue. The church is the bride of Christ. Unhealthy churches, churches in decline or that are plateaued, churches with conflict and a spirit of criticism or simply malaise are not just unhealthy, they lack spiritual vitality. There needs to be both recognition of this and a deep sense of repentance on the part of leaders. God immediately pays attention to the humble repentance of His people and His leaders. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.


Fourth, talk publicly, openly and candidly to your congregation about the spiritual issues in the church, the need for change and the commitments that the board has made spiritually, relationally and missionally. Naming the issues and calling a congregation to a higher level of spiritual citizenship is a powerful move. Some will naturally resist because they are used to the status quo but if leaders are together and committed, the vast majority of folks will agree and follow their lead. 


Fifth, call the congregation to prayer, repentance and humble obedience. It is amazing what happens when we simply humble ourselves before God and ask Him to show up in power as we commit to healthy relationships and focus on becoming a healthy body of believers.


Sixth, chart a clear course of intentional ministry. Health and missional effectiveness does not happen by accident but as leaders intentionally help the church do what God intended it to do: introduce people to Christ and help them experience the full transformation that Jesus wants to bring - impacting then their community and the world. 

Seven, realize that people are used to living in an unhealthy church environment and some will resist moving toward health because it means they need to change their behavior. When sick churches become healthy, some folks actually leave because they don't want to live in a healthy environment. For leaders charting a course of change, chapter twelve of my book, High Impact Church Boards, Negotiating the Whitewater of Change can be helpful. In fact, the book is all about healthy, intentional and empowered church leaders.

Want renovation in your church? It starts with leaders and it starts with humility. It starts with hearts that are willing to humble themselves before God.

Disappointment in Missions

We often hear spectacular stories of large numbers of people coming to faith around the world. Yet, many missionaries literally labor for a lifetime seeing only a few people come to Christ. How do we deal with our disappointment when we have given years, perhaps decades to the spread of the gospel and so few have responded in our context?

One response that I have observed is that we simply quit expecting God to do anything significant. We literally give up hope, downsize our expectations and in live with quiet sadness. In some cases I have seen workers become cynical of God who promised that we would see much fruit (John 15). It is easy to ask in these contexts whether it is worth the effort we have made.


I believe that Paul would give us another answer. He would tell us that God can do far beyond anything we could expect or imagine (Ephesians 3:20 ) but would then remind us that some water and others reap (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). I also think he would remind us that God's timetable is not always our timetable. When we are promised fruit we are not given a timetable for the fruit.

The early missionaries to China labored for decades without seeing much fruit. What they did not know was that even as missionaries were forced to leave China in 1949 that the church would explode. They watered and went to their graves without seeing much happen but in God's timetable their labor and the seeds they watered came to amazing fruition.

I remember the many times I visited the grave of Robert Morrison as a child in the cemetery in Macao (1782 - 1834). Morrison was the first protestant missionary in China and in his first 25 years he translated the Bible into Chinese and baptized only a handful of believers. Having lost a wife and a child, he worked in circumstances we cannot easily imagine today, and he never saw this side of glory the result. But in eternity he did. How many millions of Chinese will be in heaven whose true spiritual father is Robert Morrison because of his tenacity in cracking hard soil for the gospel?


"In June, 1834, he prepared his last sermon on the text, 'In my Father's house are many mansions.' It was to show how much of the joy of the eternal Home would 'consist in the society formed there ; the family of God, from all ages and out of all nations.'"(Wikipedia).
The same stories could be told about countless places where the gospel took long to gain a foothold but once it did, it flourished - long after those faithful workers had left the scene. 


Morrison took comfort and encouragement from Revelation 7:9 which talks about those from every nation, tribe, people and language who will inhabit heaven. That includes those places where the soil is hard today but where one day there will be a wonderful harvest. We don't control the timing but we can trust God's promise that there will be a harvest and often when it comes it is far greater than we could ever ask or imagine because we labored in the hard years.

Here is the lesson that can be learned from mission history: We will see a harvest, perhaps here, perhaps in heaven but the harvest will come. We are optimistic about what God will do, even if He does not do it on our watch. Those who harvest later stand on the shoulders of those who worked so hard in the lean times. They will have a great reward for persevering when the soil was hard, planting seeds that later sprouted in large numbers.

To those who labor today among the Islamic peoples, often deeply resistant to the gospel I would say, hang in there. Their harvest will come as well and we are seeing perhaps the first trickle of what God intends to do among a billion Muslims prior to His return.


Our disappointment can be mitigated by believing God's word that the gospel will prevail, that there are those who sow, and water and those who reap and that His power working through us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead! If we believe Him, the harvest will come whether in our day or in a future day. Our human disappointment is not divine disappointment because nothing can stop the spread of the Good News and the power of the Gospel.


Morrison was buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau. The inscription on his marker reads:

Sacred to the memory of Robert Morrison DD., The first protestant missionary to China,
Where after a service of twenty-seven years,
cheerfully spent in extending the kingdom of the blessed Redeemer
during which period he compiled and published
a dictionary of the Chinese language,
founded the Anglo Chinese College at Malacca
and for several years laboured alone on a Chinese version of The Holy Scriptures,
which he was spared to see complete and widely circulated
among those for whom it was destined,
he sweetly slept in Jesus.
He was born at Morpeth in Northumberland
January 5th 1782
Was sent to China by the London Missionary Society in 1807
Was for twenty five years Chinese translator in the employ of The East India Company
and died in Canton August 1st 1834.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth
Yea saith the Spirit
that they may rest from their labours,
and their works do follow them

God is still looking for the Robert Morrison's of this world who will go to hard places where the Gospel has not been shared and who will persevere knowing that the harvest will indeed come. 

Every congregation is one leadership board away from trouble and decline

I am grieving for another pastor who is leaving his church because of pain inflicted by some members of the congregation and an unhealthy board.

Like so many church boards there is deep dysfunction on this one. It is a passive board that does not lead but simply reacts.  Members feel free to come and air their complaints and criticisms against the pastor leaving him bruised and beaten up - often without even knowing the facts. Meetings that should be confidential are not always confidential. It has no ability to hold board members accountable. Staff feel free to go around their senior pastor directly to board members and some board members have developed alliances with members of the staff that are counterproductive. All of this with a church that has already been in serious decline and trouble for some years.


Pastors can take a lot of hits if they know their board is behind them. But when they don't have a unified and healthy board, they are left vulnerable and unprotected. I have been in that situation and many other pastors have as well.

This is not a renegade pastor. He is well trained, a good expositor and wise (despite his young age) but he has been sabotaged  by a board that does not have its act together, is divided, and cannot chart a common course either for the church or for its support of the pastor that they called just a few years ago.

Divided boards create a divided congregation and that is just what has happened in this situation. Time after time, this board has been tepid in its support of the one they called and were then surprised when he resigned. The ineptness of the board has damaged an already damaged congregation by its actions. In fact, I predict that this congregation that has already suffered deep pain will go even deeper into decline by the actions of its board. Further, any wise candidate in the future will read the writing on the wall and decline to come leaving them with an undiscerning candidate who wants a job. Thus the cycle is likely to repeat itself.

When confronted with their actions, some members of this board refused counsel. The prediction of that counsel has now come to pass. Another pastor is gone, the congregation is divided and further losses are inevitable. They live with an attitude that things are well and healthy. Unfortunately because of their past actions, many of the healthy leaders have have already migrated out of the church, unwilling to live with the dishealth they observed.


Here is the principle. Every congregation is one leadership board away from trouble and decline. This congregation is paying the price of poor, unhealthy and dysfunctional leadership. And, the end result will most likely be a long period before the congregation is healthy if it every regains health - which is an open question. When the leaders don't understand their lack of health, there is little chance for congregations to become healthy.


My concern is both for the congregation that suffers from the poor leadership of its board and for another pastor who is temporarily or permanently out of ministry. The pain of the congregation is high, and for the pastor - exceedingly deep. And in the end, it is the board that is responsible for both. 


Board members are under shepherds of the Lord of the Church. They will one day answer for their their actions, their decisions, their decisions and their wisdom. Many will receive a reward from Christ as "good and faithful servants." Others will receive hard questions as to their lack of faithfulness, wisdom and ultimately poor care for their flock. I bless the former and fear for the latter. 

Too many boards and board members of local churches take their mandate too carelessly. They often do not understand good leadership, lack wisdom and in the end hurt rather than help the people they lead. Such is the case in the church I am watching at the moment. It makes me sad and I am certain it makes the Lord of the church sad as well. It is also why over eighty percent of the congregations in the United States are either plateaued or in decline. Guard the gate of your leadership. Hold your board accountable for healthy practices and pray for wisdom on their part.