The roads we travel

I love this picture of an Irish road! It is a picture of life in many ways. It is not smooth or predictable but bumpy and unpaved. You can see for a bit but never around the bend. It is one lane so you never know what you might encounter around the next corner. There is a wildness and beauty and unpredictability to it - just like life!

More than ever before it has been the road of my life in the past year. From a forty two day hospital stay hovering between life and death (December and January 07-08), to the uncertainties of health after my discharge and the unpredictable twists and turns along the way - including surgery next week and numerous hospital visits along the way.

Don't get me wrong. I have no complaints. God is good - all the time, no matter what is around the next bend. But I have been reminded, again and again in the past year that in the end we simply live by faith, because we have little or no control over the circumstances of life.

It is a gift to fully understand what it means to live by faith. When we have reached the end of ourselves and have nowhere else to turn but to confidence in a good, all powerful, loving and holy Father, we have received a great gift. It is at that point that what we believe in our head becomes truth in our bones! The gift is wonderful because "without faith it is impossible to please God."

I am awake tonight, long past my bedtime, tired and discouraged. The past ten months have been a long hard grind. That is the reality of life sometimes, there is no reason to pretend otherwise.

But the road continues on past what I can see and I know that in the end, God is sovereign, God is good and all I have is trust in Him and in Him I have everthing I need to have. It is both poverty and riches at the same time. It allows the discouraged heart to be an exhilerated heart all at once!

I would much rather have the two lane Irish road than the eight lane highway. I cherish the adventure of real life and real faith and even the potential danger around the bend. In my need to trust, I gain the gift of God. In my need, I find God's plenty.

We are equals

Editor comment:

The following blog from contributing writer, Lindsay Norman is a followup to her recent blog titled "Subtle disempowerment." This is not a discussion on the theological issues of egalitarianism or complementarianism which is one that has implications for church leadership. This is a discussion about how we honor, treat, respect and work with women in the Christian workplace - like ReachGlobal. God cares how we treat one another: we are all made in His image.

Contributing writer

Lindsay Norman, Reach Global

As a follow up to the blog entry “subtle disempowerment,” I wanted to offer some practical ways we can empower women. However, I want to unpack the word “empower” first. This word conjures up many images: feminist, dominance, control, angry women, etc. I want to tell you what this word means to many gracious and humble women in ministry, and what other words and phrases have been used synonymously with this word.

When I and those in the ministry I serve make references to empowering women (we can include empowering minorities and young leaders as well), what it refers to is the following: treating people as equals, speaking to and about people as equals and allowing ALL people’s gifts to be honored, valued and utilized in the Church.

When there are references to “coming to the table,” “having a voice,” “wanting to be heard,” these all reference the same idea: I want to be treated as an equal, spoken to as an equal and want my gifts to be honored, valued and utilized in the church.

This means if a man has the gift of hospitality or administration, he should utilize those strengths. If he feels called to be a stay at home dad, he should follow the Spirit’s call to do this. If a woman has gifts of leadership or teaching, she should utilize those strengths. If she is called to work full time instead of stay home as a homemaker, she should follow the Spirit’s call to do so.

None of these scenarios should result in guilt as long as we are utilizing the strengths and gifts God has given us to glorify Him, edify his church, and reach our communities and families.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions for how to take steps toward gender (and I would argue ethnic) equality.

Spot potential female leaders and take the time to mentor them into leadership roles.

Use language that is inclusive: when referencing all people in the room, refer to them as staff, leaders, friends, etc. (whatever might apply).

Spend time listening to thoughts, experiences and input from women of all generations and ethnicities. Don’t try to offer solutions right away. Just listen.

Include women in the decision-making process in your ministries.

Help women gain the knowledge and understanding of their spiritual gifts. Then give them a platform to use them.

Create committees and teams to collaborate on key organizational issues. Include men and women on those teams.

Provide leadership seminars and training for women that do not just focus on women’s ministries.

Do not assume that women in a meeting will take care of taking notes, meeting prep, follow up details.

These last couple of suggestions are for women:

Women, own your voice. If you have thoughts or input, use it for constructive and strategic change. Take responsibility for your thoughts and input.

At work, and in the ministry setting, expect to be treated as a ministry/business professional first. Many people (not just women) expect their work in ministry to fulfill personal needs of friendship and family. Sometimes there is a desire to integrate personal and ministry life when at work.

I am not saying we should not have friends or family at work, or that we should not discuss personal issues at work. What I am saying is that should not be the expectation. We as women should not be disappointed if our boss or coworker does not ask about our personal lives. When you are at work (even in ministry), you are a professional worker first and should treat others the same way.

Let’s continue to dialogue on this. I’d rather have this topic be a gracious, honest dialogue than a one-way direction of thoughts and suggestions. Any time we discuss issues such as gender and ethnic equality, let’s make it constructive and for the purpose of glorifying God and working toward reconciliation and understanding.

Subtle Disempowerment

Contributing Writer

Lindsay Norman, ReachGlobal

I have heard it said, “We want you at the table.” I have heard it said, “Your voice and input are significant here.” I have heard it said, “We can’t move forward here without you.” I have heard it said, “Stick with us Lindsay. You are key to helping us make necessary changes.”

Yet some of those same good-hearted, well-intentioned leaders don’t realize that while their words say one thing, their actions say another. As a female in a ministry setting, I am frequently taken aback with how male leaders in the organization do not see, hear or understand how they subtly disempower women, minorities or young, up and coming leaders.

I recently read an organizational communication piece by a leader in a Christian organization. This leader is a dear friend and advocates hard for minority and women’s voices to be heard in our ministry setting. However, this leader was about to send out a piece of communication that reinforced men as leaders and women as cooks and mom’s, largely significant for the food dishes they prepare for male leaders. With some suggestions by coworkers, changes were made and it read much better. In the initial draft, there was subtle disempowerment.

I have been in situations time after time when I am one of a hand full of females during ministry seminars, meetings and prayer times. As men pray, they pray for all the “guys” in the room. References such as these are often defended by male leaders as references to the whole group. However, in my experience as a woman and in my education in social sciences, I can attest that language supports the kind of culture and ethos that is instilled. If language remains the same, culture remains the same. Every time I am referenced as a “guy,” I feel subtly disempowered.

I have been invited to the table at significant meetings in my organization. Many times I am the only one, or one in a handful of women, who can speak into issues. However, I often feel guilty if I speak too much or offer too strong of an opinion. Here are the words of another young, female leader from a Christian organization: “There needs to be freedom for women to be the dominant voice and/or face in a meeting. That experience is very rare in our culture. More often we are strong influencers, before and after the meeting, but rarely at the table itself.” When I feel guilty for being a dominant voice, when I feel pressure to give input before or after a meeting instead of in the meeting itself, I feel subtly disempowered.

This post is not meant to put down men (since I know the audience on this blog is largely male J), but to educate, inform and remind people of the subtle ways sexism (and racism as well) can be embedded in our culture, attitudes and organizations. I am, once again, deeply grateful for T.J. Addington who cares about my voice, deems it significant and allows me to use it to reinforce positive change.

Missions and risk

Across our world today there are many places where Christians are under severe pressure. Right now in India, pastors are being killed, churches burned, believers run out of their villages, their homes and businesses ransacked. In the security of the United States we often do not realize that the number of martyrs for the gospel has skyrocketed in the past 100 years.

Western missionaries are not immune from risk. In fact, an American passport, for instance, once thought to be a security shield is now a security liability in many places.

Our organization has personnel in many countries where security is a real issue. We are told by our security consultants that there is a fifty fifty chance of an "incident" in any five year period. The largest risk is a kidnapping for ransom which is one of the major "industries" in the developing world. Of course, there are always even greater risks associated with radicals who hate Christianity.

Then there are the risks just associated with places in the world where lawlessness is rampant, poverty ubiquitous, medical help meager, transportation unsafe or political instability significant. That describes many places where mission activity is targeted.

Risk is inherent in mission activity. Missionaries bring the good news of the gospel into the territory of the evil one and there is nothing he hates more than the expansion of God's kingdom. As Paul indicated, our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers of this dark world.

It is incumbent on us to pray for safety for those missionaries we know as well as for the believers they work with. We should not take their health and safety lightly. They daily face a spiritual battle and the evil one will do anything in his power to hurt them and blunt their message of hope

Second, we should not be surprised when we hear that a missionary has been kidnapped, hurt or killed. It is one of the risks that those on the front lines are willing to take, knowing that the spread of the gospel is worth even their lives if necessary.

Missionaries and missions work to make wise decisions to mitigate risk. But, risk is inherent in mission activity in a world that is often dangerous and unstable. Every one of us can make a difference in that risk through regular concerted prayer.

Reciprocity

Guest Writer

Kim Cone, Missionary in Africa

How I wish I’d discovered the blessing of “reciprocity” earlier on in my missionary career! Because I felt there was such a discrepancy between what I owned and what my African friends owned, I found it difficult to accept their gifts.

More than once, I made the awkward mistake of actually trying to pay them for what they intended to give me! Now I realize that there is really no difference in our relative wealth. The difference lies in wherein we happen to be wealthy! Each is wealthy in his own way! And so, to garner the love, respect and assistance that we all need, reciprocity in gifting is in order. Let me illustrate.

I sat down to a wonderful lunch Jan had prepared: rice, covered with “butu” greens sprinkled with hamburger in turn spiced up with Elise’s, top-flight, hot sauce. As I was about to shove in the first mouthful, Elise, Danforth’s cook, waltzed in wearing a huge, ear-to-ear smile! As a surprise, she’d prepared caterpillars just for Josh and me! As I was heaping them on, Jan admonished me to leave some for Alexis, our own cook, for it is our custom to feed our cooks. However, I refused. I knew Elise had made them especially for me! I also knew that Alexis would get plenty at home. Jan NEVER cooks me either caterpillars or snails! And so, whenever Elise does, I savor each bite with gratitude! Indeed, she has something to offer that I don’t!

Reciprocity! She got so much joy out of surprising me with that treat with which to garnish my existing platter! And, I enjoyed eating each morsel just as much as I had enjoyed giving her a treasured, plastic barrel in which to soak the cyanide out of her manioc roots.

Which is worth more? A plastic barrel? Or, home-fried caterpillars? If the true measure is units of joy, then they’re probably equal. And so, I’m going to continue my practice of shouting out to workmen headed for their gardens, “Hey, I know there are a lot of fresh peanuts in your garden! You know, I don’t get freshly boiled peanuts in the States!” Oh, you can buy boiled peanuts at filling stations in the South BUT they’ve soaked in water so long they’re nothing but mush! No, I want African-style, boiled, “fini kareko”, ‘new peanuts’. And now, I recognize that a bowl of these is worth as much as anything I’ve ever given to anyone here irrespective of the dollar value. The principle of the widow’s mite is not only applicable to the synagogue.

Enjoying both giving and receiving,

Engaging the Encore Generation

There are few more lost opportunities to the kingdom than that of not engaging the encore generation in ministry. I define the encore generation as those who have finished their primary career whether at 40, or 65. They no longer need to work, have resources and especially time to be involved in ministry.

Never in history have so many people been able to retire from an occupation and have so much time on their hands!

While folks may retire from a job, there is no scriptural precedent to retire from kingdom work. In fact, kingdom work is really our primary work, no matter what our stage in life. Unfortunately, in many instances the church does not actively seek to engage encore folks other than to shuttle them into a senior group (many are way to young for that) - which is often more about recreational activities than ministry anyway.

Many of my heroes in life are encore generation individuals who have chosen to use their "freedom" to advance the kingdom in significant ways. I think of Lee who uses his resources and IT technological expertise to reach thousands around the world via evangelism on the Internet. Or Dave, who gives much of his time to church leadership, Grant and Carol who fund ministry efforts around the globe and serve their local church ministry generously.

While I have many such heroes, what I do not often see is the church actively seek to recruit and deploy the encore generation in significant ministry. The expertise, wisdom, time and resources of this generation is an unrivaled opportunity for the church to expand its ministry influence in the community and around the world.

Because the church does not seek to engage these individuals, those who are ministry driven often find their own ministry or they serve outside the local church with someone who values them - and asks them to join them in meaningful ministry. Others, unchallenged, retire not only from their jobs but also from ministry, leaving their most productive years on the table and unused for the kingdom.

If you are part of the encore generation and are fully engaged I honor you. If your ministry is not yet actively seeking to engage this generation, think about the potential for your ministry. Engaging this growing group could be a game changer for ministries.

Taking the Risk to End Well

This week, a 20 year colleague of mine, a fellow Senior Vice President of the EFCA took a huge risk. He resigned from a safe paycheck and solid ministry to move to a tiny ministry that requires him to raise his support and take a major income cut.

At 56! After 22 years at the EFCA!

Steve did what most of us are not willing to do at his age - leave the comfortable and the secure for the scary and unknown.

In explaining his decision, Steve put his finger on several issues that all of us who are secure in our positions ought to consider.

First, he did not want to do what he had seen so many people do - coast into retirement and not stay on top of their game. It is easy for us to become comfortable and start to coast in our ministries or employment. Whenever we get too comfortable we lose our edge and we either need to redesign our job so we stay 100% engaged or consider something else.

Steve had reinvented his job many times in 22 years but now felt that he needed to step out into something new that would more fully engage his heart.

Second, Steve had consistently worked himself out of jobs and found himself in a place where while extremely competent, he was not in the center of his sweet spot. He understands that it is only when we are in the center of how God made us that we will be most effective.

Third, his heart was restless. And had been for several years. When our hearts grow restless we need to pay attention because it is often God trying to get our attention! If we experience the restlessness and do nothing about it, we run a risk that our restlessness will become complacency leading to a loss of ministry passion and a coasting to the end.

For all of us in our 50's there is a great temptation to become comfortable and settled after the hard work that has brought us to where we are. This is a danger zone. To finish well we must press on with the same passion and missional commitment that got us to where we are.

It is sad to see people start with passion and end with complacency. But our comfort often keeps us from "getting out of the boat" and taking the risk. We know that our comfortable salaries and benefits will be at risk. We are less willing to move from the comfortable to the scary.

I honor Steve for taking the risk. I ask myself if I would be willing to take the risk. Would you be willing to take that risk? Would God be asking any of us to take that risk

Peter was when he got out of the boat to walk on water to Christ. Steve is as he gets out of his boat to follow Christ to a new, uncharted and scary place. May we be as sensitive to God's call and our engagement!

Measuring Success: What counts?

Most of us would agree that measuring success is critical. If we don't know what we are after we won't know if we were successful. The trick is knowing what we ought to measure.

Take the local church for instance. It is common to measure the number of people who attend weekly. The higher our attendance, the higher our success. How often do we ask, "How many people attend your church?"

If numbers are our definition of success we are driven to increase the numbers and with a little marketing moxie one can do that. No problem.

Except - the New Testament definition of success for the church is not numbers but spiritual maturity - becoming like Jesus (Ephesians 4).

I was with a group of staff from churches of over 1,000 attendees recently. To a person, they were tired of talking numbers and wanted to talk "life change." They all know that you can grow the numbers but what they wanted to know is "How can we grow people who really look like and live like Jesus?"

The Great Commission is about more believers (much church growth today is simply believers trading places) and better believers. Evangelism and disciplemaking.

What do mature believers, Christ followers, better believers, look like? Church leaders across the world are grappling with that question focusing on ways that they can encourage those who have given their hearts to Christ to give their minds and their lives as well.

Ultimately life change is the measure of success. Success is not the quality of our facility, the excellence of our services, the diversity of our programming. Jesus is looking for fully devoted followers.

Here is the irony. Those churches that focus on helping people actually transform their lives so that they look, think and act as Jesus will grow! Focus on growth and you will get it - often with little life change. Focus on life change and you will get it - and you will grow numerically and spiritually.
What is the measure of success in your church?
Can you define and measure it?
Is your ministry focused to achieve it?

Something to think about.

Evaluating and Coaching Leaders

Many churches, ministries and mission organizations do not have an adequate coaching and evaluation tool for leaders. In the absence of such a tool, expectations can be vague and evaluations more subjective than objective. This is not helpful to those being evaluated or to those doing the evaluation.

Nor is the typical job description the answer. Job descriptions are typically a list of activities rather than results. Thus an individual can stay very busy on activity and actually not accomplish the necessary results.

Key Result Areas
Far more important than defining activities is that of defining the necessary results of a leaders job. We call these Key Result Areas (KRAs) and they define what we want success to look like. Thus, both myself and the many leaders in our organization (ReachGlobal) are clear on what we must accomplish in order to be considered successful. It becomes our personal roadmap and the basis on which we are evaluated annually and coached monthly.

The five responsibilities of every leader
Anyone who leads a team, from the senior leader through all levels of leadership really must accomplish five things if they are going to be successful. We use these five Key Result Areas with all of our leaders.

KRA One: Personal Development
Summary: Ensuring that I live intentionally in my spiritual, family and professional life.

KRA Two: Strategic Leadership:
Summary: Providing strategic leadership to ReachGlobal values, mission, and vision for the future, and through annual strategic initiatives.

KRA Three: Strong Team
Summary: Building a strong, unified, aligned, strategic, and results-oriented team

KRA Four: Leadership Development
Summary: Develop current and future leaders

KRA Five: Mobilizing Resources
Summary: Mobilize key resources necessary to flourish and build for the future

These KRAs do not change from year to year but the plan for how a leader accomplishes the plan changes annually.

An Annual Ministry Plan

If these areas spell success for a leader, the next step is to put feet to each of the areas so that there is a clear annual plan for how they will accomplish each of the KRAs. This plan is developed by the leader and agreed to by the board or supervisor (with modifications if necessary).

Here is an example of my own plan for 2008 for KRA 2.

KRA Two: Strategic Leadership
Summary: Providing strategic leadership to ReachGlobal values, mission, and vision for the future, and through annual strategic initiatives.

-Review and finalize all current key documents of RG to ensure a common voice and proper alignment
-Drive intentional diversity in RG domestically and internationally
-Help RG move toward greater multiplication in all of our ministries
-Champion the ReachGlobal Sandbox
-Provide maximum clarity to the leadership and personnel
-Ensure the smooth launch of LIVE0
-Provide regular communication to personnel of vision, opportunity, and strategy.
-Work with the chair of the ReachGlobal Board to ensure the board contributes the greatest value possible to the ReachGlobal.
-Realign schedule for less activity and more “think time”
-Ensure that the benchmarking of new metrics
-Develop relationships with national movement leaders
-Complete a book on “Missions in the Color World” by June 2009

Each of my other four Key Result Areas have a similar annual plan. Because I have my plan in place I know exactly what my priorities are for the year, as does my supervisor (the president of the EFCA), my board, colleagues and staff (because I make them public for the sake of example and transparency).

Monthly coaching meetings
Our organization has a commitment to a monthly meeting with one's supervisor. Because the roadmap for the year is clear through the KRAs and Annual Ministry Plan, this meeting is designed to ensure that things are on track, that barriers are removed, that relational health is maintained with others and that problems are resolved. We see it as a coaching/mentoring meeting.
Annual Evaluations
With Key Result Areas defined along with an annual ministry plan, annual reviews are really simple. How well has the leader done in accomplishing their plan? All one needs to do is to examine each of the KRAs and the accompanying ministry plan to determine how well the individual has done in accomplishing what they said they would accomplish. It becomes an objective rather than subjective process.
Further, this paradigm removes the discussion from busyness and activity to results and focus.
For more information on KRAs, Annual Ministry Plans, coaching/mentoring meetings and intentional living, see Leading From the Sandbox: Developing, Empowering and Releasing High Impact Ministry Teams.

Cruel Choices

Contributing writer

Michael Johnson

Medical Doctor, Nairobi Kenya

I open the refrigerator and think, I can choose either to treat this child for malaria, or put butter on my bread. The other alternatives is to fix this man’s fractured hip, or have another slice of yesterday’s pizza, with antacids. Decisions, decisions, decisions! What can I do with so many choices? Such are the challenges for a modern day missionary surgeon in one of Africa’s most prosperous urban centers.

Nairobi continues to be a place of contrasts in class and culture. As I am wonder what kind of ice cream topping I want, there are children waiting for me to decide how much, what type and when we will provide porridge for them. In my clinic at Saint Mary’s Hospital the choices are even more cruel. I have to decide who gets help and who has to…, suffer. Cruel choices come daily.

I only have a specific amount of money allocated to treat the ‘medically indigent’ (a politically correct term for those who must choose meals over medicines). If I fix that man’s hip, I won’t have enough in the account to treat the child’s malaria. The man has had a painful ride with his hip broken in two pieces, on the typical ‘public-means’ of transportation, a matatu (a van manufactured for six to eight people, but carrying 12 people). The child has had fevers, seizures and his mother is confused by the delay of the long clinic lines.., and of course she has no money.

“Make that chocolate topping with the little sprinkles please.”

My real problem is there are literally millions of people (probably 38 of the almost of the 40 million in Kenya), who have to decide which child to feed and which one to treat and which one to let die.

There is an insurance plan for the poor. The acronym is DEUWFOHMTMC (‘Don’t Eat Until We Find Out How Much The Medicine Costs’) plan. With that thought in mind, I close my refrigerator and think…, “Who was it that said; ‘I was hungry and you did not feed me, naked and you did not clothe me, in prison and you did not visit me?’ If I think long enough about this child with malaria, it won’t be a matter of treating the sick it will be; ‘I was dead and you would not even bury me.’ That’s right. Money for life insurance is better spent on those who still have life.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. What can a modern day missionary surgeon do with so many cruel choices? “Make that pizza to go please!”

Mt 25:45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

This story can be told all over the world. 54% of our world lives on $3.00 or less per day. Our gifts of compassion, combined with the love of Jesus can make the difference between life and death. Something to think about as we consider our giving.

Pain and Legacy

Most of us have endured significant pain in our lives. Pain inflicted by others, pain inflicted by life itself and pain inflicted by ourselves – through poor choices. Pain, while never welcomed, if properly channeled, can be a part of a wonderful legacy.

I had the sadness of watching one of my hero’s - Doug waste away from Lou Gerigs disease in the past several years. He reached his finish line in February of 2008. Doug was at the height of his business success when he received the news of his disease. There was nothing ‘fair’ in the disease he had to endure. Nor was it easy.

Yet, throughout his journey with this disease, Doug demonstrated that grace and dignity and faith that can only be a result of the Holy Spirit’s work and which touched everyone he knew. Doug taught me a lot in the times we spent together. He taught me a lot about faithfulness and faith in his final years.

God has a way of redeeming pain for His glory. I went through deep pain – the dark night of the soul – early in my ministry. It took years for my heart to fully recover. Yet through the pain I understood God’s grace in a new way, I developed great empathy for others who were hurting and it led me to help churches develop healthier leadership boards and churches.

Much of my ministry was influenced by that pain which God redeemed and used for His good. There is nothing that has happened in our lives which God cannot redeem and use for His glory. This is the wonderful nature of grace – even when we are responsible for our own pain. God has the power take what is bad, and hurtful and painful and use it for His good – bringing healing to us in the process.

The Apostle Peter reminds us that our pain comes so that our “faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:7).” In other words the pain we suffer actually changes us and contributes to a legacy that is even greater because of it.

My friend Ann who is a cancer survivor and who walked through some very tough years fighting the disease describes her pain this way. “My life in the past 3 years shows a long series of dramatic ‘stones of remembrance’ of God's faithfulness and grace. Grace has become my theme.

As I look back, I see how God's used heartache, disappointment, disease, and even my sin to accomplish his glorious purposes in my life. I certainly don't deserve his goodness and favor, but he has lavished me in it.”

Pain is a reality of life. How we choose to respond to it will determine whether it contributes to our legacy as we allow the experience to grow our faith, our capacity to empathize and understand others and the character that only pain can grow.

Joni Erickson Tada came to the place where she could turn the pain and disappointment of the accident that left her a quadriplegic into a powerful testimony of God’s grace and a worldwide ministry. What a tragedy and loss it would have been if she had instead chose the rout of bitterness and self pity.

The alternative is to allow pain to detract from our legacy through bitterness or the inability to move beyond the hurt. If you find yourself trapped by pain, I urge you to get help because it will be a prison for you until you are able to place it in perspective, learn from it and allow it to be a part of your history that positively informs your present.

It is in the difficult periods of our lives that we are most powerfully shaped and our character most profoundly formed. This was true for Jesus as well. The writer of Hebrews says that “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

Pain is a friend, not an enemy if seen from that perspective. I have walked through some intense periods of pain in my life; physical, emotional, relational, work related, and family related. As I look back over my 52 years, I can see how those periods of pain were major factors in shaping who I have become and the impact that I can have on others. My legacy has in many ways been shaped through pain and difficulty. In that light it has been a great gift. There is no pain that God cannot redeem for His glory.

Take a moment and consider the pain that you have encountered on your journey. Are you willing to thank God for His grace in the pain and ask Him to sovereignly redeem the pain and use it for His glory?

The Three Top Responsibilities of Leaders

What do leaders do? There are many things they can do but there are three things that they must do if they are going to maximize the effectiveness of their organization. These three are non-negotiables.

One: Leaders provide maximum clarity around mission, guiding principles, central ministry focus and culture

Leaders must provide clarity about what the ministry stands for, what its mission is, how it will operate (guiding principles), what it must concentrate on (central ministry focus) and the culture of the organization.

Staff, donors, constituents and congregations all want to know where we are going, how we are going to get there, what we are about and they want a mission that is so compelling that they can give their energies, their resources and their best efforts. General clarity leads to general commitment. High clarity brings high commitment. The more clarity a leader provides the more commitment they will have from others.

Two, leaders ensure that mission is accomplished.

Leaders care about ministry results. They focus on ministry results and they hold their staff accountable for ministry results. Leaders distinguish between activity and results. They do not confuse activity with results and help staff understand that their activity must be focused in ways that are most likely to bring results. Everyone is busy but not everyone sees real results.

Staff pay attention to what their leaders pay attention to. If leaders are always focused on ministry results they will be too. If leaders don't focus on ministry results staff will not either. Leaders set the tone for the seriousness with which staff take actual missional effectiveness.

Three, leaders intentionally create an organizational culture that will allow it to best live out its clarity (one) and achieve missional results (two).

Most leaders underestimate the power of culture and pay too little attention to it. One can have the highest clarity and deepest commitment to missional effectiveness but have a culture that is unhealthy and which does not encourage healthy relationships, collaboration, robust dialogue, innovation and personal development. Healthy culture is critical to missional effectiveness and leaders are ultimately responsibility for that culture.

If you are interested in learning more about these three responsibilities of leaders, the book Leading from the Sandbox deals with these issues extensively.

Avoiding Board Traffic Jams

Many board meetings and agendas look like this traffic jam: tons of business, everything seems to move slow and it seems that we cannot get on top of if. The result is leadership frustration, long meetings and ministry decisions made at a crawl rather than at highway speed.

It does not need to look this way. In fact, most organizations should be able to deal with their business in one meeting a month, leaving the second meeting for dreaming, prayer, and thinking about the future.

How does one avoid the traffic jam?

One: Rather than dealing with every situation that comes up, make policy that can guide staff in future decisions. By making policy, leaders avoid the necessity to deal with the issue again and give the staff appropriate guidance on how to deal with future like issues.

Two: Never formulate strategy as a board. Whenever possible, delegate the formulation of policy or strategy to staff or a few qualified individuals who can then come back to the board with a recommendation. The board then does not need to strategize by committee but can accept, reject or tweak the recommendation saving it significant time.

Three: Don't use board time to listen to reports. Board meetings are working meetings not times to hear reports. Instead of doing reports at the board meeting, have leaders summarize relevant current information and send it out ahead of time in an email. Many boards could cut meeting time in half if they followed this one practice.

Four: Prioritize board work. Not all rocks are big rocks, some are pebbles. Put the big rocks at the front of the agenda and deal with those first. Where possible simply delegate the smaller rocks or the pebbles to other qualified individuals.

Five: Ensure that the chair of the board keeps the meeting moving. That is their job. Endless discussions are unproductive. At an appropriate time, cut off discussion and take a vote and move along. If there is deadlock, put off the decision to another meeting and move on.

Six: Be willing to make decisions. Any decision in most cases is better than indecision. Some boards are paralyzed by the necessity of making a decision resulting in long, drawn out and frustrating traffic jams. Don't let that happen. After appropriate prayer and discussion, make a decision and move on. If you have to revisit it later so be it but doing nothing is worse than doing something.

Seven: Start and end your meetings on time. This forces the board to do its work in a timely basis and to prioritize its work. Board meetings will stretch to whatever boundaries there are so set boundaries and keep them.

Eight: Have clear lines of responsibility and authority. Be sure that in your organization it is clear who can make what decisions and then empower them to do so in line with your ministry philosophy and policies. The goal of boards is to clarify direction and then empower people to make decisions that are in alignment with that direction. By doing this boards seek to remove traffic jams from its culture.


Nine: Be clear on your mission, guiding principles, central ministry focus and the culture you are creating. By clarifying the big issues, it make it possible for both boards and staff to made decisions that are in alignment with that clarity. Ambiguity over these issues makes decision making very difficult.

Ten: Ensure a good working relationship between staff and boards so that they both understand their responsibilities, trust each other and are working in sync with one another. The higher the trust level the faster decisions can be made and the more decisions can be delegated to appropriate staff levels.

Please pray for believers in India

Many do not realize that there is significant persecution of believers in India. It is often overt and ignored by the authorities. Hinduism is not a peaceful faith - especially when it comes to Christianity. Below is a recent report from a ministry leader in India. I have not included his name for security purposes. As you think of the growing church in India please pray for pastors who are on the front line and God's people who are often under tremendous pressure.

From a ministry leader in India:

Dear Praying friends,
Your prayers are our strength and through your prayers we have been protected by the attacks of enemy. India has a long history of Christian being persecuted. It is the same place where St. Thomas was put to death in the 1st century AD and Graham Stains and his two young sons were burnt alive in 20th century AD.

Again, At this juncture India is going though a very difficult phase as far as Christianity is concerned. It has been a long time since Christians are under attack - physically. Many saints have lost their lives defending the faith and many churches were burnt.

It seems that the time of India has come. There are great news of thousands coming to Christ. And sure enough the enemy is not happy. It also seems that the enemy is trying to recapture his lost territory. And thus fighting a lost battle (he has been defeated of the cross of Calvary).
Literally, he has set India on fire. From Kashmir (up North) to Kanyakumari (down south) incidences of attacks of Christians are reported everyday.

Let me start from Kashmir: there has been a great unrest in Kashmir valley since last two months. The last time I was in Kashmir in June 08, I had time baptizing new believers and again this time Aug. 08 my visit along with bro. Anil and Pappu is the worst so far. We could be with the new believers just the day we arrived (Aug 22).

From the next day the separatists called for a strike and the administration has imposed indefinite curfew in the entire region. The separatists demanded that all Hindus and Christian must leave Kashmir and Kashmir must be declare as a separate nation.

Well, we were suppose to be back on Aug. 25 but there was no way to get out and get to the airport. So I took to the empty road with heavy military presence, alone, to walk to the airport which is 20KM from the place where I was staying.

God melted the hearts of the military personnel who would let me pass after just asking me where I was going. I reach the airport and I am in Delhi right now. But Anil and Pappu are still trapped in Srinagar. They also tried to walk to the bus station but were beaten up by the military and they both got injured on their legs. Since we do not have funds for their air tickets, they were planning to come back by bus and train. Now the situation is worse their and I am trying to get air tickets for them. Please pray.

Well, in Haryana, two of the NISA partners were beaten up mob for sharing the gospel with Hindus. Their houses vandalized and property destroyed. Both of them left Haryana (Nilokhedi) for a safer place.

In Delhi, a mob attached a church while Sunday worship was going on last month. The pastor other believers including women and children were beaten up and many were admitted into hospital. Later the pastor was arrested on charges of converting people. He was released on bail. The case is pending in the court. If convicted, he could face a jail term for 3 years. Skipping the many small incidences (small means nobody died) I will come to the most horrible situation in Orissa:

God is doing great and mighty things in Orissa, thus the state is on the hot list of the enemy. You are aware of Dec. last year violence against Christian. It did not stop there. It continued till date. From last few days orissa is experience fresh violent attacks on Christians in many districts.
Some reports:

NISA has learnt of attacks on numerous Christian homes and institutions in the wake of the attack on Swami Lakminanda Sarawatiʼs ashram which resulted in his death on August 23.

In a report received from Bishop Juria Bardhan, of the Believers Church in Orissa on August 24 in the morning, one of the pastors Jeebaratna Lima from Khurda district while going to conduct the Sunday service was attacked by a mob and they were almost setting fire on him after spraying petrol. He was saved on account of the timely arrival of police. He is presently in police custody.

In another incident, pastor Bahumulya Paik of Believers Church (Bamunidei, PS.Patpur, Ganjam district) was attacked on August 24 by a mob of about 100 people. Believing him to be dead, the mob moved on the attack other Christian homes, however the pastor managed to escape once he regained consciousness. He is however not been able to receive adequate medial treatment as the curfew has been imposed in the area and roads have been closed or blocked.

There are reports of other Christian who have fled to nearby forests. Pastor Bishnu Kumbhar and his pregnant wife ran into forest in the darkness being chased by a group of people and now have taken shelter in one family in a neighbouring village.

At about 9:00 pm on August 24, a mob destroyed one of the Believers Churches at Tengada Pathar in Phulbani by hurling bombs and set fire on the houses of the local believers. About 30 Christian families have sought shelter in the forests.

We have about 30 Christian families in this village. All the Christians have run to the jungle along with Pastor Aluo Jena and hiding there. Several women who were earlier belived to be missing are hiding in the jungle without and food and water and proper shelter.

Reports of churches and Christian homes being attacked are coming from across Orissa. According to reports received on a Believers Church in Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar was attacked and broken down on the morning of August 25.

Four Christian houses are believed to have been burnt in Kanjmandi, Nuagam PS. Baliguda, Kandhamal district. Local Christians along with Pastor Lebiyo Rait have escaped into the forest. Pastor Amit Pani, from Ambapani, Kalahandi was rescued from a violent mob as it attempted to stormed his house. He is currently under police protection.

Real Missions

Denny Morrow, PhD

Contributing Writer

"Our church only supports 'real missionaries'. You know, the ones who are in the trenches with the heathens."

"I like to give only to missionaries doing 'real work', not to some leader at a regional office."

ReachGlobal's 530 international missionaries serve on five continents. They have various job titles: church planter, teacher, psychologist, school principal, business entrepreneur, international relief worker, English language tutor, piano teacher, city team leader, area leader, international leader.

'Real missions' also includes positions of leadership. There is much to be grateful for when someone says “I feel led to lead.” Leading in our organization involves mentoring, coaching, vision trip planning, being a liaison with national church leaders, training new church planters, budgeting, approving financial reports to ensure accuracy for donors, conflict resolution, adding value to ReachGlobal leadership meetings, orientation for new workers, team public relations, and of course, personal evangelism.

In many ways, not including leaders as ‘real missionaries’ is the equivalent to excluding lieutenants from status as ‘real soldiers’. Leaders add huge value to organizations, especially this one. With leaders typically supervising eight missionary colleagues, our organization is in line with current organizational wisdom about optimal leadership.

Moreover, our leaders are constantly ‘sharpening their saws’ in order to work smarter through seminars, in-person coaching, and linkages back to their home churches. None of us is as smart as we need to be. All of us need the Holy Spirit to help us lead well.

So, we need all parts of our missionary body – workers who are actively engaged in local ministry, teachers who specialize in great schools, business entrepreneurs who open doors of opportunity, relief workers who offer cups of cold water (and a whole lot more), and oh yes, leaders who are following God’s call with the same abandon as their colleagues.

For those at half-time

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), the master calls his three servants and tells them that he is going on a long journey. He divides up his wealth and tells them to invest it well so that there is a return when he comes back home.

Upon his return, two of the servants had doubled the money given to them to manage. To these two, Jesus said, “Well done, good and faithful servants. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness (Matthew 25:21).”

The third servant was preoccupied with his own life issues and frankly didn’t have time for his master’s investments so he merely buried it and offered a lame excuse for why he had not invested them on his master’s behalf. Jesus’ words for the third servant were harsh. He had not paid attention to his masters business but only to his own.

There is both a message of blessing and warning in this parable. Of course, the master is Christ and his servants are us. The talents (money) he handed out are the gifts, opportunities and unique work he has made for us to accomplish on his behalf. Our choice is whether we will faithfully steward what He has entrusted or whether we will live a life of self preoccupation and selfishness. Will we be like the first two servants who took their stewardship seriously or like the third who only took his issues seriously.

The amazing thing is that Jesus has entrusted to each of us a portion of his ministry and has gifted us with abilities and empowered us with His spirit. We have been invited by the Lord of the Universe to represent him and make a difference for His kingdom. All he asks of us is to be faithful in using those gifts.

For me, those ‘talents’ are gifts of leadership, vision and strategy and communication. God wants me to be faithful in using these gifts on His behalf. For my friend Naomi, he gave gifts of administration and faith and she used those gifts in representing Christ as a school principle and administrator and these days at 99 she uses her faith gift as she prays for people all around the world.

For my friend Doug, who was the classic entrepreneur, he gave the gift of making and giving money, extending mercy to people in need and evangelism. He used those gifts to advance the kingdom by funding many ministries, helping hurting people who came across his path and sharing the gospel with those he did business with.

His wife Susan, was gifted with the ability to mentor other women, teach and has an incredible gift of hospitality. Thousands of people from all walks of life have enjoyed her hospitality and their home is frequently full of friends, neighbors, and foreign students.

We often think that ‘real’ ministry is reserved for full time, trained ministerial types. That is a lie of the devil. The Master has given each of us gifts and has asked each of us to make ministry investments on His behalf. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things by simply being faithful with the gifts and opportunities he gives us.

This is one of the greatest blessings any of us could experience because these investments have eternal value. Those of us who take our opportunity seriously will be with many individuals in heaven who our lives touched – many whom we never met – because we used the gifts given to attain a lasting, eternal legacy.

But there is also a warning. There are many who are so consumed with ‘our own stuff’ that, like the unfaithful servant in the parable, they bury and ignore the responsibility God gave and have little to show for their lives when the finish line is crossed. They leave no eternal legacy.

The definition of the third unfaithful servant would be that of a wasted life that may have yielded temporal success but was an eternal failure. In the end it is a life of deep regret when the consequences of life decisions are faced and the picture of what could have been is seen.

Halftime is both an incredible opportunity and a major danger zone. Almost everyone who does not finish well fails in the second half of life. There are many - who like in the parable of the sower - allow their passion for God to be “choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature or live out their potential (Luke 8:14).” They cannot say with Paul, I have finished the race and have kept the faith.

It is the choice of using the opportunity God has given like the first two servants in the Parable of the Talents or simply burying our opportunity like the third.

In many ways, halftime is a decision time. We must decide whether we will take the experience, financial stability and increased disposable time for His purposes or focus instead on ourselves – allowing our passion for Jesus and His work to grow cold. The legacy we want to leave can be lost if we do not stay focused in the second half.

Too many people retire from both work and ministry, as if the latter is the same as the former – do our time and then relax. It is sad to see people who have so much to offer disconnect from what is most important for a life of empty leisure.

My heroes are those whose passion to know Christ and be used by Him grows as the years pass, knowing that the finish line is coming and wanting to finish well and leave an eternal legacy. We may retire from our job. But there is no retirement from the call of God on our lives or the work which he created uniquely for us. As long as God does not retire from ministering to us, why would we retire from ministering for Him?

When my friends, Bob and Judy, head to Mexico to their second home on the water, their days are filled with ministry with their Mexican friends and extended families (they are like family) and spending time on projects that give Bob and Judy opportunity to develop relationships and share the love of Christ. Bob may be retired from his full time job but he is permanently engaged in the work God created him for. That is how God designed us. There is no retirement from God’s work.

How are you doing in the second half?

Weak staff links

What happens when you have a staff team but one of the members of the team does not function at the level of other members on the team? You know you have a weak link.

Weak links on a team come in a number of forms. They may not have the capacity others have. They may not be team players. They may lack relational EQ. Or, they may not be in philosophical alignment with the leader, the team or the organization. In the later two cases they may be in fact very competent but a weak link nonetheless.

There are four options in dealing with weak links:

One: Ignore the issue

This often happens because of the desire to avoid conflict. Actually, however, this creates more conflict than it avoids. Weak links - for any of the reasons above - put a strain on both the team and the organization and it is a constant frustration and irritation.

Other team members often hold the team leader accountable for not dealing with the problem that they all have to live with. Weak links pull down the rest of the team in a negative fashion. While ignoring the issue is the easy way out, in the end it is a very foolish thing to do.

Two: Place the weak link on a development plan

This is a proactive approach where you clearly articulate the issues to the staff member involved, tell them what needs to change if they are going to be successful on the team and then put in writing a clear description of the above. Development plans always mean tighter supervision for a time to see whether the individual can up their game in the needed area.

Make sure that you document the issues and the plan along with timelines to determine whether progress is being made. In the event you need to use option four below you want to ensure that you have been fair, are legal and have done due process.

Three: Move the weak link to a position where they are no longer the weak link

It is possible that the individual is either out of their skill set or playing at a level to high for them to play at. This option should only be considered if there are not attitudinal, relational, or philosophical problems. In that case go directly to the fourth option!

Four: Move the weak link out of your organization

If option two or three have not worked, or if the individual has a fatal flaw (character, competency, relational or philosophical) which makes it impossible for them to function as healthy staff members in your organization bite the bullet and do what you need to do to transition them out.

Not to do so is to hurt the organization, its mission and the remaining staff. If supervisors or boards cannot make those tough calls they are in the wrong job and should let someone else lead.

Transitioning someone out of the organization should be done legally (talk to an HR person), with grace, with generosity as you are able and with honor but it must be done if you are going to take your ministry to the next level. We honor people but we always do what is best for the ministry.

Passing the baton

Leadership transitions are frought with peril. Four years ago when I was named the Executive Directior of ReachGlobal, my predecessor gave me a great gift. He made it exceedingly clear that the role was now mine, that I would never hear a negative word attributed to him and in every conversation, public and private he was only positive. Then he gave me a baton, symbolizing the leadership transition.

Because of the huge trust I have in him, I asked him to stay on as a Global Ambassador for ReachGlobal. It would not have worked in many situations but it has worked perfectly for us. In large part because of how he handled his own transition.

On the other hand I have watched other leaders, organizational, pastoral transition very badly and the end result is that it hurts the organization.

Why do many leaders transition badly?

I think there are a number of factors. One is that they cannot let go. They have invested too much and are unable to take their hand off the wheel and essentially hand off the baton. In a race, once the baton is handed off, it is over for the previous runner. Some people do not have the emotional intelligence to accept the fact that their run is finished.

Second, many leaders are unable to celebrate a different kind of leadership - which it will be from theirs - when somone else is not in charge. They second guess them, are unhappy with staff or directonal decisions and either publically or privately make their views known. In either case the views become public and it hurts the new leader.

Part of the reason can be defensiveness and even an unhappiness at the success of the new leader. Their success can be seen as a failure for the previous leader - after all it did not happen on their watch. Whatever the motivation for not being supportive or for speaking ill or even remaining neutral - there is something coming from a unhealthy place.

What healthy transitions look like

In a healthy transition, the past leader makes a commitment, as mine did that he would only speak positively, would never criticize or even take a neutral attitude. What is interesting is that while I stand on his shoulders as a leader, I am a very different leader for a very different day. He could have taken exception to a number of decisions that I made but he never did. Not to me and not to others.

His wonderful, supportive attitude came out of a place of spiritual health. He had prayed for his sucessor for years before the transition happened. He had also been clear that he would support that successor no matter who it was. So when I was chosen, and I would not have been his choice, he could and did say, this is who I have been praying for, this is God's choice and I will be fully supportive. And he was from day one.

It takes humility to see a successor who has strengths we do not have exercise them and see success. But his success will not be my success and the reverse is also true. We are different people with different strengths for different times.

Healthy leaders are willing to understand that their leadership is finished and refuse to get involved in the discussions, details or offer counsel unless it as asked for by the new leader and then only to him or her. People will fish for the opinion of the prior leader, wanting to know their opinions of the new leader and any criticisms there might be. After all, the staff have relationships with the prior leader. Healthy leaders never get drawn in and simply remain supportive.

Wise new leaders honor the past even as they reinvision for the future. There is never a need to put down the past leader (indicates poor EQ on the part of the new leader), nor is it necessary to critizice the past. New days requrie new strategies and the fact is that will be true when we give up our leadership post as well.

A key underlying philosophy for both the previous leader and the new leader is that it is not about us. It is about the mission and health of the organization. We are simply stewards of the organization and when we choose to be critical we are hurting the organization - and indicating our own insecurities.

When I leave this position my intention is:

To walk away with thanksgiving for the opportunity I had

To publically and privately support the new leader

To pray for that leader and their leadership

To never be critical of the new leader or new direction

To celebrate the gifts and qualities of the new leader.

I learned from the best. Thank you Ben

When congregations don't let leaders deal with staff issues

There are many congregations that make it very hard for their leaders to lead. In doing so, they severely hinder leaders from carrying out their Biblical leadership mandate, and just as importantly hinder the congregation from maximizing its ministry opportunity. Let me share a real life example that I have seen played out a number of times. While the example is specific to a staff situation, the principles apply to many situations that leaders face.

The Scenario:
A board must deal with a staff situation where a staff member no longer fits the ministry, is not performing well or is uncooperative with the senior pastor. In either case, the senior pastor or leadership board must help make a staff transition if the ministry is going to move forward. These are always hard issues for a senior leader and for a leadership board.

The board works to help the staff member move to another ministry and does so with grace and a healthy process. An announcement is made that honors the staff member and indicates that he/she will be leaving the church. Immediately, leaders start to get calls from members of the church. There is pressure to change the decision and there is pressure to explain why the decision was made.

When leaders indicate that the decision has been made after prayer, discussion and with due process, they then receive a letter from the "loyal opposition" in the church calling for a congregational meeting to discuss the situation. This comes out of a faulty understanding of "congregationalism" where it is believed that all decisions of the church must be discussed and decided by the congregation and that they have the right to weigh in on any decision. (There are several blog entries under the lable of "congregationalism" that address this issue).

The problem

In doing this, the congregation (or members of the congregation) place the leadership board in an impossible situation. First, they deny the leadership the ability to lead. Leadership is not about taking a poll and simply doing what the majority of the group want to do. Biblically, leaders are called to oversee the health and direction of the congregation. And, as they lead, congregations are asked to cooperate with their leaders so that their leadership is a joy and not a burden (Hebrews 13:17-18).

Second, to say to leaders that you cannot make staff decisions is to handcuff them and create a culture that is permission withholding rather than permission granting. In other words, you cannot make key decisions without our permission.

This actually stems from a posture of mistrust toward leaders which is prevalent in many churches but which violates the culture that the New Testament describes for the church. Essentially it is importing the mistrust that society has for its political leaders and importing it into the church. The church, however, is to have a culture of trust rather than mistrust.

Third, how do leaders discuss staff issues (performance, cooperation, effectiveness) in public? Why would we assume that those discussions are private in the workplace but public in the church? From a legal perspective you cannot do that, nor does it honor the individual involved. So in asking for "all the information" from leaders, congregations place their leaders in an impossible bind. They are not free to share "all the information," nor should they.

Even if the information was freely shared (lawsuit anyone?) how is a congregation supposed to process that information? They are not the supervisor of the staff, they do not know the dynamics of the staff and they cannot resolve issues that there may be.

The congregation is asking its leaders to disclose what they cannot and should not disclose, and insisting that they get to make the decision even though they do not have the information and should not have the information and are coming at the issue from a position of mistrust (otherwise why are they challenging the decision?).

Why would anyone choose to lead in a setting like that and why would we assume that a congregation with this culture would flourish in ministry? You cannot handcuff leaders and honor God and you cannot handcuff leaders and be effective.

Should a senior pastor know what people give in the local church?

OK, I acknowledge that this blog will be controversial to some and runs against "conventional wisdom." The truth is that conventional wisdom is not always wisdom. So I will wade in and at least raise some issues to consider.

As one who has helped many churches raise funds for capital projects and consulted with churches on other issues I have often been privy to giving information. I have also had the privilege of working with very generous individuals in a development capacity. It is against that background that I raise this issue.

If I were a senior pastor today, I would want to know what individuals in the church were giving for these reasons:

So I can thank them
Think about this. We thank people who use their gifts of teaching, leadership, administration, care and those who make sacrificial personal investments in ministry but because of our "taboo" on knowing what people give it is usually not possible to sit down with someone who has been extraordinarily generous and thank them - and tell them how their investments in the ministry are making a difference.

Many generous individuals give large sums of money outside of their local church - which is to be expected. But when they do, someone says "thank you" and "let me tell you how your dollars are making a difference." That is not the motivation to give but it is a real encouragement when someone does give. We do not encourage those who give generously in the church enough - especially when a senior leader does not know who to thank.

So I understand their spiritual commitments
The commitment of being generous to God is a very direct indicator of spiritual commitments and maturity. As a leader I would never want to place someone in a leadership position who was not a regular giver because it tells me something about where their heart is. If you doubt that connection, just pay attention to how much Jesus talks about the heart, money and the connection between the two.

I would not want someone in leadership who did not have a devotional life, who was not committed to personal growth, or who is stingy with God. It is an indicator of immaturity and immaturity does not fly in church leadership.

So I know how much to listen if someone is in serious disagreement with leaders or church direction
Read this section carefully. I am not saying that we pay attention to those who have money more than we pay attention to those who do not. But here is an interesting observation that I make from experience. It is not unusual for someone who is perceived to have money to use that perception to try to influence decisions that are made.

Let me give you an example. A church I was working with was entering into a major expansion project. An individual who was perceived to have means was a vocal opponent and would not let go of his opposition. When we looked to see what his giving record was, he was giving nothing to the church - which would have shocked many.

Now why would a church leader take someone seriously who had no stake in the ministry? In fact, why would a church leader who is responsible for the spiritual health of the flock, not sit down with someone like that and confront him with the fact that he is not living in obedience in a major area of his life and that until he does, he does not have the credibility to speak to the issue?

We would have a conversation if someone's marriage was on the rocks, if they were involved in pornography, or living in conflict with someone - so why would we not have a conversation if they are ignoring this area of Christian obedience? In my experience, and this should not surprise us, it is those who do not have a commitment to giving - often who are in leadership positions in the church who most vocably argue that no one should know what people give. Isn't that telling?

So that I would know if there are spiritual issues that need to be addressed
People who do not give are hiding deeper spiritual issues in their lives. Generosity with God is such a basic and fundamental indication of commitment to Him and maturity in our walk with him that the lack of it - from those who would otherwise claim to be fully devoted followers is an indication of deeper spiritual issues. If I care about people and their spiritual commitments I would be concerned about the lack of obedience in this area of life.

We would lovingly talk to someone who started to ignore church attendance or someone whose marriage seemed to be on the rocks, or someone who seemed to be straying in some other area of life. So why would we not lovingly talk to someone whose spiritual claims are not matched by their personal commitments in the area of giving?

But, Scripture says no one should know what we give
Actually, Scripture does not say that. It says that we should not trumpet what we give for purposes of being praised, just as Jesus criticized the pharisees for praying and fasting in pubic for the purpose of "looking spiritual."

Why are we willing for a pastor to know the intimate details of the troubles we face but not a key area of our spiritual lives?

But, if the pastor knows what someone gives he will treat them differently than others
That could be true, but not in the sense that one might think. If as a pastor I knew someone did not have a commitment to giving to their church I would indeed make a judgment and it would be that there is not a stake in the ministry. At the same time, knowing that someone does have a financial stake in the ministry tells me something about their spiritual maturity and commitment to the church. The issue is not whether they are a wealthy giver or a modest giver, it is the fact that they are living in obedience in this core area and have a commitment to the ministry.

Scripture says that we do not treat people differently because they are wealthy or poor. It does not say that we listen to everyone equally. I listen to those who have a stake in the ministry and a commitment to the ministry as demonstrated by their participation, the use of their gifts, their giving and their time and energy on behalf of the ministry. Those are also the only ones that I would entrust to place in leadership positions - which is consistent with New Testament teaching.

I raise these issues for your consideration. I know that not all will agree and some will strongly disagree. But it is something to think about.