Greg Atkinson wrote something that caught my eye this morning. Â What do you think?
Yes, there are some people that quickly pick up on the lack of vision and leave the church to find another more vibrant church, but how many people keep coming back week after week secretly hoping things will get better? Hoping and praying that the pastor will get a word from God, lead with passion, conviction and purpose. I wonder how many gifted, capable, passionate lay leaders are sitting untapped in congregations around the country. I wonder.
via Greg Atkinson.
What do you think?
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I have done that, I have seen others do that, and I have tried to help that pastor to develop vision and lead well… I have also learn that it ends poorly.
samething happen to me. sad sad
No simple answer to that one. There is no perfect church experience. It is sad we don’t see the church more as a team effort.
I’ve seen God let me fail so that another person is drafted into leadership. If I’m really about God’s kingdom succeeding rather than me being seen as a success I need to learn to be okay with that. Leading in the church is not career advancement, it is not how far I can go as an individual, it is about the body learning to function and perform well as a unit. If God wants to bench me so someone else can swing the bat for awhile then I guess I get to be a cheer leader and learn some humility. God is still just as good and deserving of praise if my role in the church changes because it was never about me in the first place. God is just as interested in how we make the trip as us arriving at the destination; he doesn’t want us just to win the game he wants us to learn to play well with each other. If our churches are showcases for a few star athletes rather than a cohesive team we aren’t playing the game correctly and we are not making the journey well.
Of course that works both ways, we need leaders who are humble and savvy enough to know when they are being benched and we need young bucks brave and trained enough to take their turns at bat.
Greg Atkinson is right. Many in the pew know the statistics for a new pastor staying at a church is not that long and are just waiting for him to leave or be escorted out…waiting for him to practice what he preaches…waiting for him to ripen and develop compassion for all of his congregation…waiting for him to stop spending money we don’t have and waiting for him to cut out the jokes and just lead his congregation into the deep meat of the word…just waiting in the pew.
My take? People with no vision are perfectly content to follow leaders with no vision…and most don’t know they have no vision, because their needs are being met, and that’s all that matters. Sad, really.
Kim, I think you are right. People mistake feeling excited for having a vision and leaders often mistake getting people excited for casting a vision.
Casting visions are a very importent part of getting your church behind you to reach there city or just the lost in genral. There hase to be visoin or the church will never move forword in christ.
i know a pastor who hase no fire and no passion and the church seems to have no clue. he lives an hour away and at times misses wensday and sunday services becuse of his job and, this hase been going on for 14 years.can someone pray.