"C.J. Mahaney is not humble. At least, that's what he'll tell you. And that's one reason he's so well qualified to write this book" - Mark E. Dever, Senior Pastor, Capital Hill Baptist Church
leading a great church takes great courage, humility and a willingness to make mistakes, mess up, make bad calls, then ask for forgiveness, and stay the course when success beckons at the door...
success sometimes can be a heady, wowing the senses experience. I'm very glad that Jesus keeps us humble by, ouch, allowing others to point to the flaws in our preceived successful performance...
He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble the book of James.
Humility is the acknowledgement that we can do nothing without His empowering presence in our lives. That He is leading us to do 'His' will. It's the 'His will'' deal that needs the acknowledgement. He blesses what He wants to acomplish in and through our lives. To be honest it is a mystery how He can use any of us. I think the giftings and callings He places upon our lives is more about His grace than we who are gifted, educated, and talented are sometimes willing to admit.
why the above?
had an interesting dinner with two of the most sincere, serving belivers i've had the pleasure of serving with...their comment...(paraphrase)'We are amazed how the leaders of the Vineyard aren't heady with all the success, and with all the accomplishments the church has done. It seems their feet are on the ground...and pretty normal.'
I mentioned that I was from Kentucky and we, the leaders, know who we really are... and to quote a Kentucky saying we all have had 'the snot knocked out of us' more than once. This tends to make a successful person cautiously humble.
I think a prequsite for leading is having the ability of being beat about the head justly and unjustly and how we handle the beating.
We all fail at some point in our journey...our words, our attitudes, our hang ups, our pet peeves, our life style...However, leaders are before more people...and failing, and fail you will... the more people you disappoint...some will let you know their dissapoinment, verbally, or by email, or by letter, or by their leaving...
Leaders lead...Leaders stretch out...and at times fail to see all that needs to be in place to protect, care and serve others while pressing forward. Learning to lead is a process to say the least...not an exact science... I belive we are a cutting edge church...this means we do, we risk and we make mistakes...hopefully we'll also be known as those who also love, care and forgive
Heaven have mercy on us all- Presbyterians and Pagans alike- for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending. Melville author of Moby Dick
No comments:
Post a Comment