Maybe I'm learning to lead.
Maybe not.
In recent weeks, God has been teaching me things I thought I knew. But guess I didn't. He's been impressing (sometimes impaling) me with his truth about what it means to lead the flock of God. It's a demanding role, but even more so because to lead in the church means servanthood. The last shall be first. Yeah, yeah, everybody knows that. I certainly thought I did. But God has lately been demanding a new level (depth?) of servanthood from me. He has been teaching me that:
the leader must be first to humble himself (or herself);
the leader must be first to empty himself (or herself);
the first to swallow his pride,
the first to admit wrong,
the first to confess,
the first to surrender his rights,
the first to let go of the need to be right,
the first to wash feet,
the first to forgive,
the first to take the log out of his own eye,
the first to initiate,
the first to be poured out,
the first to suffer,
the first to be crucified,
the first to lay down his life for the sheep.
Of course, in none of these areas are we ever actually FIRST. Jesus was first. First in loving us. First in serving. First in all of it.
It's fairly easy to be humble when you might be praised for it (oh, don't worry, I get the irony). But it's hard to humble yourself with little or no expectation of reciprocity from others. But that's what the Christ-ian leader is called to. It's what I am called to. If you're a pastor, it's what you are called to.
Bob Hostetler
Former USA NHQ
14 comments:
'Above all else I would become
The servant of my Servant Lord
My highest glory His reproach
To do His will my best reward'
Thanks Bob for the reminder and the challenge. We all talk of servanthood but when it really comes down to it are we really prepared to give what it takes?
Just prior to my sessional name being announced the Officer that sent me into College informed me we were to be 'The Doorkeepers' session. I didn't take too kindly to that suggestion. Then our name was announced ... nothing so grand as 'Doorkeepers' we were to be 'Servants of God'
GBY real good!
Glad Ljungholm
Active Servant UKT
Bob
You make some good and laudable points, some are easier to be than others, others have to be nurtured, often over a prolonged period of time (years? decades?)and often through difficult periods with those 'grace-suckers' (as mentioned in a previous post)
To be a servant of the Lord does not mean though that you have to take all and sundry that comes your way from the flock as a given 'right' or 'privilege'! One can challenge
misbehaviour that is destructive towards others.If people are hell bent on hanging themselves then I am willing to slip them that extra bit of rope ;);) There are just too many former (and active) officers - many of those godly folks with a fine, sensitive Christ-like spirit - who have been broken in spiritual, mental and physical health and rendered less than useful for Kingdom ministry and their families by some - I dare to say - wicked people.One result often being that the children can not get away from it all fast enough, never to return.
I believe that most of us are willing to give what it takes to be 'servant of my Servant Lord' but not to be treated as a doormat or a wc
(I do not believe for one moment that is what expected of us by God)
It is a fine line between being 'used' and 'abused'!
Whilst we try to create a safe and abuse free working and worship environment - this includes spiritual abuse from the platform - for the employees and congregation as a right, this goes both ways if there is to be mutually agreeable, non-confrontational approach.
Personally speaking, in all my three decades of officership such hair raising moments have been few and far between and I do not wish to have them added to!
Best wishes
LINDUM - ACTIVE UK
Lindum how right you are. We are called to be 'servants' not 'doormats'. Lord, help us to get it right!
Active, UKT
Great article and thanks for the reminder, however I would see that whether we are 'Servants' or 'Doormats' is surely a choice that we as the leader make not how we are treated by those we lead.
This is a fantastic subject nd one that needs a greater airing among thos of us who believe we are leaders, often with little training and sometimes what is needed is more along the lines of getting the inspiration to lead. Where does that come from.
With all due respects to my anal retentive comrades I do not want to have on my tombstone "He was a good one for detail". Leadership often comes with understanding what our 'big picture' is.
Talk more about leadership, Spiritual leadership if you you must but ground it in terms that I can understand. In Bob's article it can be confusing when he talks about "the first to be crucified" with the mindset of active UK who talks about doormats.
Keep writing Bob and Active UK, and all of you whio have a story to tell and a point of view to be shared.
Cheers
Of course these are some probing issues about leadership. But it seems to me that the higher leadership in TSA requires different qualities to carry on anyway. You must not be too conscientious regarding mistakes, not washing feet, not forgive, not be crucified but crucify yourself, and sacrifice other sheep. This might sound negative. But I simply combine the suffering leadership has caused in the past and still does today with the total absence of regret. I argue that there must be some negative correlation between higher leadership and the items of Bob. Further research is needed. For now my hypothesis is that higher leadership in TSA is a product of natural selection and not bases on the presence of Christian values. In other words: Only the emotionally deadened Christians maintain in high positions.
Pieter Said
"...For now my hypothesis is that higher leadership in TSA is a product of natural selection and not bases on the presence of Christian values. In other words: Only the emotionally deadened Christians maintain in high positions".
People have to be aware that what they write says more about themselves than it does aout the subject. I find this comment to be totally wrong on so many levels that I was tempted to ignore it but feel the need to 'vent my spleen' at this disgracefully insensitive and I believe erronous comment. In my experience and I would add most of the people I know would not believe this for a minute. The vast majority of our senior leadership are, I believe, Godly people desperately trying to fulfill a role that God, through the Salvation Army structure has called them to do. That a small minority struggle with the tasks that they have been called to do is not what was intimated in Pieters post. I am staggered that a former would say this as a bland, blanket statement and I challenge its validity even among those of our number who are bitter and twisted in some way.
I do not have the right to demand a retraction but I am offended that this statement about our leadership, being 'emotionally deadened Christians only maintain high positions' should be aired.
If I got it wrong please tell me, if not convince me it is right.
A distressed and very angry 'Fletch'
I think that Fletch went a bit overboard. No reason to be "angry". Someone is sharing what they have experienced and you disagree. That is fine but many have other views that they would like to share also. Maybe some of the leadership in the Army need to listen up and be sensitive to hurting people including other officers whether active or former.
Just a few thoughts....
Many blessings
USA East Former officer
Fletch, thanks for your response. Sometimes getting angry is not so bad. Of course my comment was a bit generalized. And indeed it does tell something about myself. In my pastoral responsibility for "laymen" I was supposed to be incorruptible, sensitive, be the first to admit mistakes etc. as in Bobs sayings. And we acted this way. I will not withdraw my opinion that I could expect the same from my leaders as well.
Let me share something sensitive. Last year I felt the need getting forgiveness from colleagues for my leaving them. All of them responded that there was nothing to forgive (deadened?) and so I never got.
I don't want to convince you, I even think with you that most leaders aren't as bad as I pictured them.
I do accept the challenge for my statements validity. Here I am. And they know.
Leaders must serve with humility and it is not something that we easily learn. We learn this through our errors/embarrassment but mostly by taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus. This is because humility, like the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, is something we acquire from God as we commit ourselves to Him. Leaders who walk with God always reach their destination, being one with His people. The way this is accomplished is through humility.
Me thinks Pieter may be referring to one or two leaders, and not painting all with a Dutch artist's brush...
Active
UKT
Remember Pieter, you must forgive yourself for 'leaving them' whether or not they forgive you for 'leaving them'. Forgiving is for the forgiver not the forgivee. You can only offer. They have the right to accept or reject. Which ever way the offer is handled you have done your part in forgiving. The converse is true as well. They may or may not forgive you but God does and God will handle his end as well.
As always with you Bob, Fletch, Sven and so many others, a nugget for me to carry this week.
Dear Friends
Thank you for your comments and I recognise that I am sometimes 'over the top', and I could say just live with it, because I do and have had to for a long time, and will do for a long time to come. Pieter and I are in contact privately and we are learning with each other how our mutual experiences can benefit each other.
As has been noted in this medium so many times, pain is a very significant part of our journey, and I would be mortified if I caused more pain to be experienced.
I will try to be more circumspect in the future but there always needs to be someone ready, as Pieter has indicated to me, to on behalf of a much higher authority to kick your A** out of complacency.
You all have my permission to do it for me, but I will reserve the right to decide who is doing the kicking; you or ......
Warmest greetings to you all.
Watch this space for more reports from Pieter and 'Fletch'
Cheers
Well, this sounds like a real-life series coming up! Fletchs comment really made me burst out laughing. My family came looking what was going on. So I talked about our correspondence. Consequently, our 12 year old son soon later talked about "Peter Fletcher" as if he already accepted him as a friend of the family.
But! I need to explain that I of course never wanted to kick Fletchs (...) nor proposed someone else to do that, nor did I founded a mission to care of such action. I talked about myself when I said that "I sometime long for God (preferably just once!) to kick my...".
Let's pray that the verb "to kick" shall not become regularly used at this blog.
You guys are cracking me up. And making me impatient for more...d
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