Transforming a pile of ashes

Think for a moment about your life today and then what Jesus wants to bring to you. You see, Jesus has a vision for your life and it is far greater than any vision we could have for ourselves. Here is that vision:

• If you need some good news, He wants to deliver it

• If your heart is sad and broken He wants to heal it

• If you have an addiction, He wants to free you from it

• If you are heartbroken, He wants to bring you joy

• If you have made a mess of your life, He wants to make it beautiful again.

• If you live in depression or despair, He wants to bring you gladness and joy

This vision for your life is found in Isaiah 61:1-3. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

This is God’s vision for your life! This is what He wants for us and what He offers to us. I had a conversation with a friend just recently where he shared how a few years ago he realized what a mess his life was and how he went on a quest to really understand Jesus and the life that He offers. This was someone who grew up in the church and knew Scripture but was not realizing God’s vision for his life. His life, like Isaiah says in verse 3 was a pile of ashes. Yet, now with God’s help, he is seeing God build something new and beautiful in his life. That is God’s vision for us. A crown of beauty instead of a pile of ashes. 

This is what Jesus talked about in John 10:10 where He says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." You have have grown up in the church and known God for a long time but may still not be experiencing the fulness of life He offers. Don't settle for the ashes when He wants to give us a crown of beauty. Don't settle for loss when He wants to give us fulness.

CS Lewis put it this way in His book, Mere Christianity:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

The result is this great word picture where Isaiah says, we will be called “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Instead of brokenhearted, darkness, mourning and ashes, our lives will look like a magnificent oak of righteousness, planted by God himself in order to display the splendor of what He can and does do in broken and needy people. 

The crazy thing is that God’s vision for our lives is better than any vision we could have. He will take your pile of ashes, whatever it is and craft something beautiful from it. From ashes to an oak of righteousness that brings Him glory. I will take that vision any day. All it takes is my willingness to invite Him to transform my life.

Father, I want to be an Oak of Righteousness, planted by you for the display of your splendor. Turn my ashes into a thing of beauty. Amen.

God's kind and compassionate heart

I grew up with a harsh view of God. Perhaps it was my own lack of understanding - I am not blaming anyone for that perception. But, I was afraid of him and I was sure that I could never measure up and that his view of me was always negative and judgmental. I felt that I always needed to prove myself somehow but knew that I always came up short. I doubted His heart for me and I could not have been more wrong. In fact, His heart is always leaning into us with love, concern and compassion.

Hebrews 4:14-16, says this. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

As a human, Jesus faced all the issues we face. He understands our situations and temptations. He knows what it is to live with doubt and despair or joy and success. He had the same relational issues with others that we have. Some embraced him while others vilified him. In becoming a man in the incarnation, he intentionally chose to step into our broken humanity with all the limitations and issues we face. 

But here is an amazing thing. When Jesus went back to heaven, he took with him his body. Now glorified, but the God who created us, became one of us, and died for us will forever keep his  human form because He chooses to identify with us. 

And here is what the writer of Hebrews wants us to know. The same Jesus we read about in the Gospels is as accessible to us today from heaven as he was in the incarnation. His compassion, concern, understanding, mercy, grace, help, forgiveness, acceptance and love are the same today from heaven as they were from Galilee. His heart was for people then and His heart is for you today. He is for us, not against us. He understands us fully. He is available to us constantly.

 

Therefore, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” What do you need today? He is inviting you into his presence. Where are you broken today? He invites you to come to Him for healing. What sin do you struggle with today? He invites you to confess it and find forgiveness. What fears or concerns do you carry in your heart today? He invites you to lay them at His feet. When we come to Jesus, there is no shame but understanding and forgiveness and help.

Don’t buy into lies about God. He is for you not against you. He is available, not distant. He is loving, not harsh. He gets you and he gets me. He understands our weaknesses and empathizes with us. He cares deeply for you. Today! Right now!

My own journey brought me back again and again to the gospels and to those passages where His heart for us is disclosed. Pay attention to them. Live in the grace found there and know that He is for you.

Don't Quit

The Christian life is, as Eugene Peterson so eloquently put it, “A long obedience in the same direction.” It is a marathon, not a sprint and the finish line is that day when we meet Jesus face to face.

But, there are times of fatigue. Times when we just want to take a break, withdraw into ourselves and put aside our long obedience for a while. After all, it takes energy and discipline to keep going in a marathon and in this quest to follow Jesus. All of us have the temptation to slow down in our followership, take a break from the race and focus on what we want rather than on what God wants. Besides, people let us down, even fellow believers. It is easy to become discouraged and tired.

I think this is a special temptation as we age, thinking, we have done our time, done our ministry and now we can relax. Actually it is in these years when we have the most to offer given our experiences and history. It is not the time to slow down in doing good. It is the time to continue our long obedience in the same direction.

This is why Paul writes to the Galatian church with these words during those times when we are tempted to slow down in our long obedience. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10).

I find Paul’s words helpful here. He wants us to continue to do good and not give up in doing good for all people but especially those who are believers - our spiritual brothers and sisters. One of the things that Christians should be known for is Tov - the Hebrew word for goodness. Unfortunately that is not always the case. In fact, the amount of vitriol and unkindness among believers can be very discouraging. Just read social media.

But you and I should be known by our goodness and kindness toward others. Acts of kindness toward one another is a character trait of God whose kindness toward us is never ending. When we engage in acts of goodness toward others we follow the example of Jesus who never tires of blessing us in too many ways to count.

This week, think about how you can practice Tov or goodness toward those around you. In fact, pray daily that God would give you at least one opportunity to do good to others in practical and tangible ways. Paul says that if we do, “at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up.

Don’t quit. Keep going and you will be blessed as you bless others.

Jesus never tires of blessing us. His faithfulness to us ought to spur our faithfulness to others. Be a source of goodness to someone in your world this week. Encourage them as He encourages you.

The Paths of our Lives

All of us are on a path in life. This is certainly the case in our walk with God. That walk starts with some small step toward Him which leads us to take additional steps toward Him. Each step we take gives us the courage and strength and faith to take another further step in our followership of Him.

Growth in our followership of Jesus does not all happen at once. In fact, there is a profound verse in Proverbs that describes this process. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:16).

I love the first gleam of dawn. You know that a new day is arriving. In the darkness there is a glimmer of light after the darkness of night. Think about the first time you chose to move closer to God. What was the first step you took? What was it that prompted you to take that first step? How did it feel to let go of your own life and choose His life over yours? What stirred in your heart as you took what was a real step of faith. What was it like to take that first step toward him? Why did you choose to do so?

In taking that step of faith you started down a path of followership, but where we started is not where God wants us to end. He wants us to walk down a path that shines every brighter till the full light of day. That is a beautiful description of growth in our spiritual lives. It starts small, like the first glimmer of dawn and keeps getting brighter till it is like the full light of day. That is God’s vision for our lives. It is not static but growing and expanding and getting ever larger.

What is the key to moving from that first glimmer to the full light of day spiritually? Simply put, it is that we follow Him more closely each day. That we delight in His presence more regularly, take greater risks of faith and obedience and are even willing to change our lives to bring them into conformity with His. Each new step takes us from the first light of dawn to a place of greater light.

None of this happens overnight. And that is the point of the writer of this Proverb. In fact there is something deeply beautiful about that first step of faith and obedience we take toward Jesus, no matter how small. It is like the first glimmer of light in the morning that promises a new day. That first step, no matter how small, is something to celebrate.

But even more beautiful is each step we take after that first step because our lives move from a glimmer of God to the full light of God as we choose a long obedience in the same direction. Those who keep pressing forward and go deeper in their love and followership of Jesus shine like the full brightness of the day.

That is what I want and I suspect that is what you want. Let's go from the glimmer to the full light - a little more each day as we press forward in loving Jesus and allowing Him to transform our lives. It is a beautiful path. Not always easy but beautiful.

Father: Thank you for this beautiful picture of my own life. Help me to follow you closer each day so that I move from that first step of followership to a deeper and deeper followership. From the first glimmer of a new day to the full light of day. Amen

A word that has always bothered me

It has always made me wonder when I read a certain word in the New Testament. About God, I understand the meaning of the word. About you and me, especially me, I don’t. That word is “saint.” 

In Philippians, 1:1, Paul opens his letter to the church at Philippi with the words, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi.” In his letter to the Colossians, he says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.” In Ephesians 1:1, he writes, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.”

The very thought that I am a saint makes me feel uncomfortable because I know me. I know the broken, messed up version of myself, some of which others see and some that I alone see. In either case, I don’t deserve the title “saint,” but there it is in plain sight as Paul writes to the churches. He calls God’s people saints. 

The word “saint” is hagios in Greek and it means “different, otherness or holy.” It also means “set apart”. God is hagios, something we understand, but us? Here is the reason that Paul refers to us as saints. Listen to his words in 1 Corinthians 2. “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours.”

There are two things that stand out here. First, when we come to salvation in Christ and make Him Lord of our lives, he sanctifies us. He cleanses us, wiping away our sins of the past and making us new creatures. And then, He calls us to be holy, to be set apart, to be like Him in our character and our life. So there is the reality of His divine work in our life and then there is the call, on the basis of that gift of cleansing and renewal, to become like Him.  Remember that hagios means otherness. We are different because of His work in our hearts and we in turn are called to live differently. In the words of Paul, we are “called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are not sinless but we are called to sin less. We are called to become more and more like the Lord Jesus who saved us. Through the help of the Holy Spirit this is possible because that Holy Spirit is God who dwells in us. Therefore Paul says in Ephesians 4:1, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Wow. He says later in Ephesians 5:1-2, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

In those words we see the key to living like a saint. It’s very simple. We imitate God. We live a life of love toward Him and others just as He did toward us. We bring our attitudes, words, thoughts and actions into alignment with His. We are saints by definition. And we are called to live as saints by imitating him.

“Father. Thank you for the work you have done in my heart and life. You have made me a saint, one set apart for yourself. Today, help me to imitate you so that I also live like a saint. Amen”

For all who are disillusioned with the church today

 

There is always a good reason to be disillusioned with the church. Congregations can be judgmental, uninviting, selfish, inward-looking, self-righteous, and the most unsafe places to be transparent with one’s own struggles. In many congregations, you are not welcome until you meet the standards they have set up for themselves, which is antithetical to Jesus, who welcomed anyone and everyone into His presence no matter how broken they were. In fact, the gospels say that He was a friend of sinners, something not many congregations can say today. 

Let's be clear that this is not a new problem but one that has confronted the church from the very beginning of its existence. Churches are made up of “saints” who are deeply flawed, sinful, and at various levels of spiritual maturity. The journey from brokenness to spiritual maturity is often messy. I have no further to look than that of my own life, and I am sure that is true for you if you are honest. In fact, many of the letters that Paul wrote to churches, whether in Rome, Corinth, or Galatia, were letters to rebuke or rectify dishealth in those churches. 

The Galatians had allowed legalism to crowd out grace in their teaching and practice. In Corinth, there were power players who wanted people to follow them even as they overlooked egregious sin in their ranks. They were also darn proud of themselves as an educated, cosmopolitan church. In Rome, there were racial tensions between Jews and Gentiles. Such racial tensions have been true from that day to this.

None of these examples nullify the church or the need for a community of believers to grow in grace together. We grow in a community, and it is always a flawed community because we are there. But together, we learn and grow and are challenged by the believers around us to either go to the next level or, in some cases, resist attitudes and actions that don’t please Jesus. Everyone has a right to be disappointed with a church because all of us are in the messiness of moving from the sinful place of our past to greater maturity in Christ.

And here is something to consider. There is no more powerful example than when people see us move to places that are healthy. When we extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us. When we trust God, when the chips are against us. When we choose the hard but obedient road over the easy and expedient road. When we choose to be friends of sinners rather than stay in the comfort of the believing community. Whenever we choose to follow Jesus personally, we challenge those around us to do the same. And that is how the body as a whole matures and becomes like Jesus. Each of us plays a part in that.

There is a short book in the New Testament called Ephesians. It is only six chapters long and is the book where the church is called the Bride of Christ. Take a few minutes this week to read those six chapters, and you will see what God’s vision for the church is. Then, ask yourself how you can live out that vision. You will never be the same, and your church will not remain the same.

If you are a church leader, study Ephesians and read A Church called Tov. While all of us are responsible for healthy churches, no one is more responsible than church leaders. You shepherd under the leadership of the Good Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, and unless our leadership and congregational culture reflect that of the Chief Shepherd, we are abdicating our leadership.

While there are many reasons to be disillusioned with the church, we should not be contributors to those disillusions. What is amazing is that Jesus Himself does not give up on His church. It is His bride, and He continues to work in our lives and the world through His church - and will till He returns. We may abandon the church, but He never will.

Where Jesus tells us about His own heart for us

 

I meet many people today who have burdened hearts. In fact, I am often one of them. The cares and corners we carry around, the failures that lurk in our backgrounds, the regrets we have or the present challenges we face all conspire to burden our hearts and weigh us down. Even as you hear this, I am sure your own struggles and burdens come to your mind.

There are 89 chapters in the four gospels but only one place where Jesus explicitly tells us about His own heart. And what He says about His own heart has a direct connection to our own burdened hearts. His explanation of His heart is found in Matthew 11:29-30.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Did you see what Jesus says about His heart? “I am gentle and humble in heart.”  These are two characteristics of Christ’s heart that we don’t often think about. The word gentle describes a savior who is kind, compassionate, understanding and gentle in his dealings with us. He will never hurt us or treat us badly. He is a God of mercy and grace for all who approach Him.

The word humble or lowly means that He is always accessible to us. Think of the adjectives that describe God like holiness and righteousness and there are many more. Here is the God of the universe saying to us, You can approach me at any time with any issue because my heart is a heart of humility. Gentleness is who God is. Humble is who God is. It is what makes it so inviting to come to him with our burdened hearts.

And what does He do for our hearts? He gives us rest as we allow Him to carry the burdens that we cannot carry. He invites us into a life of obedience so that we literally find rest for our souls. And because of his gentleness and humility, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In fact, He loves to reach out and embrace, to heal and lift up the most broken people, the most broken life and come alongside those who carry around loads of pain. His gentleness and humility brings healing and rest for our souls.

Where do you need rest for your soul today? Would you simply come into the presence of the most loving and gentle God and ask Him to give you rest? He will. It is His promise and it is His desire to heal your wounds, carry your burdens, lighten your heart and give your soul rest. 

Staff development: Build a system and culture where success is inevitable rather than merely possible

 

We often say that our organization is only as good as our staff. It is a value that most leaders would embrace but one that many ministry leaders often ignore. Developing staff requires that resources, people, and energy be devoted to that development, and many organizations are too busy or have too many other priorities to see it happen.

The cost of a lack of development is that we eventually lose our best staff, pay a price for a lack of engagement, and leave a ton of talent on the table. My organization wants to surround people with so much development and support that their success is inevitable. In other words, the very culture creates an environment where success is inevitable rather than merely possible. 

Five areas of development are essential for every staff member. Five areas of health: Physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and skill. Each of these domains has implications for how successful one will be in the work they are called to. Deficits in each of these five areas can keep otherwise brilliant individuals from success and, indeed, set them up for failure.

In addition to these five personal areas, three leadership areas require attention. Self-leadership - how individuals give leadership to their own lives; Team leadership - how those who lead others lead healthy teams, and Organizational leadership how higher-level leaders lead from a perspective of the whole rather than their particular area. All three are vitally important to a healthy organization, but they don't take place by themselves. In fact, if one desires an aligned culture, having standard practices and training in all three areas is critical.

There are five realities to keep in mind in any development process.

First, someone has to own and give direction to staff development. Creating a culture where success is inevitable rather than merely possible means we have a comprehensive plan, a delivery system, and buy-in at the highest levels. This means that a senior member of the organization gives leadership since they have the authority and influence to ensure a plan, along with buy-in and cooperation from all supervisors. In some organizations, this is called the Chief Culture Officer.

Second, this is an art as much as a science. People learn differently, have different areas of strength and weakness, are all wired differently, and come to the workplace with various areas of experience and personal baggage. 

Thus, while there ought to be a common framework around critical areas of testing, learning, and growth, it is also an individual process that requires unique conversation, dialogue, and coaching. That means that not only must there be a plan at the macro level, but there needs to be personal coaching with individual staff members on an ongoing basis. 

Unless the plan includes both standard pieces that all participate in and individualized dialogue and attention, you are unlikely to see the results you desire. 

Third, accountability for personal development needs to be part of the picture. A culture where success is inevitable rather than merely possible means that development is not optional but the responsibility of all staff. Like any other job responsibility, staff members need to have their own plan and be accountable for that plan. In other words, this is not optional, but development is raised to the highest level in any list of job responsibilities - for all staff. 

The development issues should be wrapped into that process for the growing number of organizations that use scorecards and 90-day win cycles. 

Build a system and culture where success is inevitable rather than merely possible with an ongoing paradigm for staff development and growth. You will never regret it.

The Unmasking of Evangelicalism by Scott McKnight

 

The Unmasking of Evangelicalism

Scott McKnight

You may or may not agree but this is a cogent article on the state of evangelicalism as the SBC meets this week in Nashville and conducts its business for all the world to see. 

Questions to ask your staff - and yourself

 

There is a wealth of information at the fingertips of leaders if they would take the time to ask their staff key questions. They know things you don't know and they can help your organization get better - much better if you and your leaders will take the time to ask key questions - and listen to the answers. Those questions can lead into rich dialogue, suggestions, ideas and insights that can literally change your organization. Here are some of the questions that I ask.

What is your happiness faction on a scale of 1-10 in your job. Follow up and pay close attention: What would make it higher?

If you could change three things about this organization, what would they be?

Are their things that you could be doing that you are not?

Are their any individuals in the organization who you believe are not positioned properly or who create significant issues for others?

What are the things that bring you joy and fill you?

What are the things the deplete you?

Tell me what a perfect day looks like for you?

If you were a consultant to this organization, what suggestions would you make and why?

How would you define the culture of our organization? Follow up: What would you like to change about our culture? Follow up: What are the best pieces of our culture? What are the worst pieces of our culture? Are their any pieces of our culture that you would define as toxic and unhealthy?

Is there something that you have always wanted to talk to a leader about but never had a chance? 

What would be the perfect role for you? How does that role compare to what you do currently? 

If a ministry: What do you think the spiritual temperature of our organization is? What would you recommend to see the spiritual temperature higher? 

What is your greatest joy in working here?

What is your greatest frustration in working here?

If you were advising me, what would you want me to know?

Do you believe that we are a highly empowered organization where people have the freedom to act without permission, or highly controlled where you need to ask permission before acting?

Do we have a culture where we can have honest and gracious conversation or are their issues that we cannot broach?

How innovative and entrepreneurial so you think this organization is? Give examples.

Why getting people into their right lane matters

 

Too often, especially in ministry and non-profit organizations we are lazy in ensuring that people are in their lane of gifting and wiring in terms of their job responsibilities. The end result is a significant loss of energy, joy, effectiveness and return on mission. Often the individuals at issue are bright and competent but we have placed them in a position where their brightness cannot be utilized and their competence is equally lost. We are only competent in the lane we were made for.

I believe this happens for three reasons. First, we don't take the time to really understand our staff: Their wiring, effectiveness or lane. Rather we take good people and slot them into a role that we need (in our minds) to fill. We put them in our lane, not in their lane. The result, ironically is that we don't get what we could get if they were positioned properly, and they live with responsibilities that don't bring them joy.

Second, we don't engage in honest dialogue with our staff to understand where they are and where they want to be. One of the basic jobs of supervisors is to understand people's wiring and gifting and ensure that they are in the lane where they will be most effective. This takes extended dialogue and trust but in my experience, leaders are not willing to give this kind of attention to their staff and everyone loses. In many cases, bright people don't even stay with the organization because of their ongoing frustration. Such conversations take time and honest dialogue and that is an investment that many leaders are not going to make.

Third, we have forgotten that in any organization the most important decision we make is getting the right people on the bus - in Jim Collin's words. This comes before we slot them into a specific task, or define their actual job description. In hiring, the order of sequence is "right people" and then "right seat." We often reverse that order and pay the consequences.

Ironically, when a bright individual is not in their correct lane, those around them often either know or sense this to be the case. The fact that they see it and their leaders do not is a function of the second issue above. We may have to change the org chart or reposition others when we need to position individuals properly. Better that if you have a highly competent individual rather than ignoring the issue and losing either the person or the competence that they could be bringing to the organization.

In my experience, it is the highly entrepreneurial and innovative organizations or ministries that get this issue right. They are flexible and nimble and able to revise the org chart in order to take advantage of the skills of key people. Of course, these are the organizations that great people gravitate to and which will make the greatest difference in their mission. Bright people will take a chance on highly entrepreneurial organizations because they see the will to get things done and the flexibility to find and retain good people by getting them in their lane. 

Don't underestimate the power of getting good people in their lane. It is where they will make the greatest difference for your organization. And if you wonder whether someone is in their lane, all you need to do is initiate a conversation.

A theology of time and patience

 

I meet many individuals in ministry who are in a hurry! A hurry to make their mark. A hurry to have influence. A hurry to prove something to someone that they are somebody and something. In their hurry, they often get out in front of God, circumvent what He wants to build in their lives, and end up being less of what they could be had they been patient and waited for God to do His work in them.

While we are often in a hurry, God is not. He is more concerned with what He wants to build in our lives than He is about what we can build for Him. We are focused on what we can build for Him, while He is focused on what He wants to build in us. Those are two very different concerns. 

Consider the characters we read of in Scripture. Jacob, for instance, who was impressed enough with his abilities and dreams that he angered his brothers, who sold him into slavery. Once in Egypt, he ignored the advances of his master's wife and ended up in jail - for a long time. He, who would become second only to the Pharaoh of Egypt, lived in obscurity for many years as God built him into who He wanted him to be. He was in a hurry when he was young, but God was not. And what God built in his heart during those years was amazing.

Moses was a guy in a hurry when he was young, and his encounter with an Egyptian slave master whom he killed caused him to run for his life at forty. For the next forty years, he tended his father-in-law's herds till at 80, he was ready for his greatest assignment. By then, Moses was not in a hurry, but God knew he was ready and drafted him over his many objections.

This week, I heard of a pastor who, years ago, took members of the church he pastored to start another church. He was not patient enough to work hard to bring all his people along, so he split. Today he says this. "I was in a hurry when I should have been patient. These past years have not gone well, and it is all my fault. Had I waited, things would have worked out in the original church, but I had something to prove, and it didn't work out well." He had tried to get ahead of God and in a moment of humility, admitted that he should have waited and allowed God to work. His new church never worked out well, and they will probably not survive much longer. 

Don't try to outpace God. Even Paul, after his conversion, had some years of obscurity as he was coached and prepped by God for his major assignment of spreading the Gospel among the gentiles. 

When we are in a hurry, we miss out on what God wants to do in our lives. Depth takes time. It cannot be hurried! Many leaders mistake short-term success for long-term effectiveness. This is often true of highly gifted ministry leaders who are so driven to prove they can succeed that they do not take the time to develop a deep core. They settle for surface wins.

We may be in a hurry, but God isn't, and His timetable is the one that will allow us to have the greatest impact. 

Five attitudes that need to be addressed with staff for a healthy culture

The culture of your staff will determine the health of your organization. Culture eats everything else for breakfast. Poor culture creates poor everything else. Healthy culture creates healthy organizations, relationships, and outcomes.

We often think there is not much we can do about staff culture, but that is not true. In fact, leaders control the culture of their staff through the training they do, the messages they convey, the example they set, and the honesty of their interactions. You can train your staff toward health, and you can remove staff who will not cooperate as their dishealth spoils the health of the rest of the team. That act in itself sends a very clear message about one's commitment to health.

Five attitudes need to be addressed with staff if you want a healthy culture.

One: Cynicism

Cynicism is deadly to a healthy culture because cynics stand outside the team and throw grenades into the team with snide comments that question the motives, direction, and decisions of others without contributing anything productive to the conversation. 

Cynics stand outside the circle and criticize those inside the circle. How do you counter it? You call it out and declare cynicism to be an anti-value because it does not build but detracts from what the team is trying to do. It is OK to say, "Look, we believe in robust dialogue, but we won't put up with cynical attitudes." The former is constructive, while the latter is destructive. Call it for what it is and declare it illegal on your team.

Two: Lack of buy-in 

These characters also stand outside the circle and refuse to give their wholehearted energy to what the organization is trying to do. Essentially, they withhold key parts of their energy, emotion, and heart from the organization's mission. I often tell staff, "If you cannot serve here with a happy heart and a clear conscience, you must find another place to serve." It's that simple. Those who withhold themselves from fully embracing the mission and vision of the your ministry don't belong there. Say it, have a conversation, but don't allow it to go unaddressed. It is a spirit that kills.

Three: Those who always see the downside

It is good to know the unintended consequences of what one does. It is good to plan for various eventualities. Still, those who always go to the downside and the negative literally rob the rest of the team of joy, possibility, mission, and enthusiasm. 

If you want a healthy culture, you must help those who would throw cold water on new ideas that it is unacceptable behavior.  Innovation, risk, and new paradigms are the coinage of healthy organizations, and they require staff who see possibilities rather than all the negatives in a new idea. There is always a reason not to try something, which keeps organizations from moving forward. Can you help those who always see the downside to see the possibilities? Sometimes. But, if not, they don't belong on a healthy team because they won't produce healthy culture.

Four: Complainers

There is a difference between those who offer constructive observations and those who merely complain. Constructive criticisms are observations that come with a potential solution, while complaints offer no solutions and are simply shots at someone or something. Constructive criticisms are vital to a healthy organization, but complaints as an attitude are deadly to organizational health. Here is a principle to consider. Unless you have a solution, don't come with a complaint. 

Five: Idealists

This one may surprise you. After all, don't you want idealists on your team? It depends! Some idealists exhibit traits of the first four of these attitudes because the team does not meet their expectations. As such, they can resort to cynicism, and complaints, reserve their full buy in and focus on the downside. In good organizations, there are always gaps between what we want to be and who we are. An idealist who won't live with the reality of those gaps actually becomes a liability to your culture. That is what to look out for. Idealists who help you get where you want to go are great. Those focusing on the "gap" will not contribute to a healthy culture.

What keeps leaders from confronting these five attitudes? Fear! We ought to be direct, honest, and clear about the culture we are building and the kinds of people we need on the team to build it. And to be willing to say. "If you don't want to fit our culture, you are in the wrong place. We will help you succeed only if you want to be here and contribute fully to health." It's that simple.

How American Christendom Weakens American Christianity - David French

 

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The most important trait of a church leader

In the years that I have worked with church leaders I have come to the conclusion that the single most important prerequisite for serving in leadership is a deep level of humility. The immediate pushback on this is that clearly, church leadership requires someone who knows and loves Jesus. That is true. But here is something that is also true. There are many leaders who claim to know and love Jesus but who are not humble and they often destroy the work of a healthy board. All other factors aside, without humility one cannot lead well.

Consider:

Humility is the key to leading on behalf of Jesus, the Shepherd of the Church. Church leaders are under shepherds and their role is to lead the congregation on behalf of Jesus. He sets the agenda for the church, not us. Many church leaders have agendas for the church. It takes a humble, Christ centered leader to lead a people to where God wants them to go. 

Humility is the key to ensuring that a church is a "Church called TOV" to use the title of a recent book. TOV is the Greek word for goodness and too many churches are not places of goodness (amazingly enough). It is often the lack of humility among senior leaders and board members that prevent TOV from being the prevailing culture because other personal agendas get in the way of God's agenda. 

Humility is the key to treating others with dignity, respect, kindness, and to empower others to flourish in their God given lane with their God given gifts. Proud leaders control others. Humble leaders empower others. The need of a leader to get their way, control those around them and "use" people for their own purposes destroys a TOV culture.

Humility is the key to creating an open learning culture. Proud leaders don't listen to others. They listen primarily to themselves or the yes people they surround themselves with. It takes humility to create a culture of robust dialogue - where any issue can be put on the table with the exception of a hidden agenda or a personal attack. 

Humility is the key to making decisions because the best decision making is not by one person alone but by a group of called, gifted leaders. Which means that there are times that I must submit my preferences to the decision of others. That takes humility and a theology of the giftedness of the group.

Humility is the key to personal spiritual growth and ongoing transformation. Proud people think they have it all together while humble leaders are very aware of their need for ongoing growth and transformation. And, they are willing to go there because they are not stubbornly holding on to their pride. There is no true personal growth without a spirit of humility.

None of this should surprise us as Paul points out in Philippians 2 that humility is a core feature of Jesus himself. In fact, in Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, "I am gentle and humble in heart." How many of us can say that about ourselves? How many church leaders and pastors can claim the same? Without humility we cannot be like Jesus or lead like Jesus.

What should you know about a church if you are considering a pastoral or staff position?

I had an interesting call today from an old friend. He is interviewing for an associate pastoral position (in this case a campus pastor) and his question was a good one. How do I determine the health of the church since what is seen on the outside is often not what one finds on the inside. This last truth can become a source of real pain when one realizes the level of dysfunction that exists - in many churches.

The first thing I suggested is that he read A Church Called TOV which is the best book on what dysfunctional and healthy churches look like. In fact, if I were a potential candidate I would be interested in knowing whether the senior leader and the board had read this book, and if so, what their observations or learnings were.

In general, I would want to scope out the following information.

• What is the health of the board? Congregations and staff cultures rarely rise above the health of the church board. How would they describe their board health? Is the board unified and healthy in their relationships? Does the board have a written board covenant that delineates how they do their work and that hold board members accountable?

• If you are applying for a senior pastoral position, what is the relationship of the board to their senior leader? Is it a permission granting leadership paradigm or a permission withholding paradigm? Is the senior leader a colleague on the board or simply an employee of the board? Are there any powerbrokers on the board who have the power to determine what does or does not happen? 

• What is the vision/preferred future of the ministry? What you want to learn here is whether the senior pastor and board have clarified what it is that they are chasing after. Or, if they are simply doing accidental ministry. If they have a picture of the preferred future, what is their plan for getting there and how would they evaluate their progress?

• How does the board, staff and congregation deal with conflict? Do they bury it or deal with it and if so how? Do they have healthy conflict resolution practices? Are there any elephants in the room, areas of conflict that exist but are not being addressed?

• What is the health of the staff. Often you need to talk to other staff people about this. I would want to know how the senior leader treats staff, whether he/she empowers or controls and whether there is an open and candid culture where any issue can be put on the table with the exception of hidden agendas or personal attacks. I would ask other staff if there are issues that one cannot put on the table. They will know. I would want to know from other staff the positive side of the culture and the negative side. I ask want permission to speak with a number of staff to understand the culture from their perspective. If a senior leader is unwilling to give you that permission it is a sign that not all is well.

• Regarding staff culture, is there significant alignment of staff around common values, ministry direction and priorities? Or, do individual leaders simply do what is right in their own eyes? 

• I would want to understand the vision of the leaders for disciplemaking, staff culture, local and world outreach, diversity, generosity, community impact and those things that I believe are important for a church to pursue. 

• What is the history of the church? What have the high points been and the low points? Where are they in the life cycle of an organization today? On the decline, plateaued or moving forward?

• What is the leadership style of the senior leader? Do they empower their staff to do their work or do they micromanage, change and control what staff does? Are they secure in themselves, generous in giving opportunity away and treating staff with dignity, respect and appreciation? Or, are they ego driven, insecure and threatened by other strong and competent individuals.

When you ask questions like this you quickly determine the level of clarity that the church has regarding its priorities, direction and alignment. Speaking with multiple individuals allows you to determine how reality compares to stated answers. When looking for a pastoral job it is way too easy to overlook issues that will impact you down the line. You want to go into the role with your eyes open. You may choose to take the role in spite of issues you discover but at least you are doing so with a healthy level of clarity.