Never do this to your leaders...

So I was sitting in on a staff meeting for a local non-profit organization, just doing some observing and whatnot. One of the key leaders on the team asked a question to the big boss in charge. Now, let me first say that the question that this key leader asked was not the best, nor was it the right time to bring it up. However, I say that to set up the re-sponse given by the big boss. Instead of deflecting the question or telling the key leader to get with her after the meeting, or any of a million other ways to respond, she just lit into this guy. I mean she showed no mercy, telling him that it was none of his business to ask the question that he did, that he was out of line, that he had no right to even be think-ing about that particular question. And the thing is… she was right on with her assess-ment.

What she got wrong was the way she handled the situation. And not even really because of the impact it would have on that key leader. Who it really affected were all the other young and up-and-coming leaders in the room. They all saw the way that the big boss treated a senior leader on staff, someone who had been with the company for years. And I mean she just ripped into this guy! So, what am I saying? As a leader, you are going to hear a lot of asinine stuff from your staff. And it is the most frustrating to hear it from someone who knows better than to bring stuff up, as this key leader did in this instance. However, that does not give you the right as the big boss to act like that… ever.

My question is: How do you handle situations like this? If you want to be an effective leader then you should really check your response mechanism to see if you are handling your bidness. Ask around… sincerely. You may be surprised with the feedback – good or bad.

I never got too far...

I was talking with one of the peeps the other day and he said that he was leaving his current church because he was no longer “being fed.” Ok, seriously, what does that mean? I have known this guy for some time now, back to about the time that he made the decision to follow JC. I remember him way back then and how fired up he was on youth group and church and would brag that the reason that he came was that the message was so easy to understand and he felt that he could get it without too much religious talk. Now, I guess that is not good enough.

I asked him what he mean by not being fed to which he responded that he was just deep enough into his faith that he needed more, and that his current church was not offering that. He said that both the pastor and youth pastor were talking too much on topical stuff and not using enough of the Bible. Funny.

I have seen a lot of kids and parents and others who have been changed by our ministry and other ministries of the homies and got all in to the God thing. Then some time down the line it seems that something grabs a hold of them and the way that they think and all of the sudden their current church is not good enough when it comes to the message anymore. What?!

I always ask the same question, which has something to do with them coming to know JC personally in the same church and or ministry and how that exact message spoke to them. Most of the time they do not really get what I am saying and it is really just like banging my head against the wall. Here is my point. If you know what you are all about in your ministry and you have peeps telling you that you are watering the Gospel down just because it does not speak to them, don’t worry too much about it. As you grow, especially, you will deal with that more.

I remember a lot of the peeps, sometimes leaders in my youth ministry would mention to me after the message or in the time after the outreach nites, would ask me why I never really would get into crazy Bible stuff and calls to discipleship so on and so forth. I never really got it, and still do not to tell you the truth. But after a while, and even more so now, I take that as a compliment. I never get too far off the fact that God wants to meet you and me and the peeps to which we minister where we are. And if that is how you came to Christ then it should be good enough for you later on. And I’ll tell you why.

As soon as you become a follower of JC you are no longer given an excuse and are on the team. Now that you are a believer it is your job to help others come to know him as well as grow in your own relationship. Now, if you get to the point where you are in a church that is not good at the latter, then you have the responsibility, within the governance of the leadership, to do something about it. The wrong thing to do is to leave and give the copout that you need to go somewhere else where you are fed more. Give me a break.

So, next time you are thinking about leaving the ministry that brought you into a relationship with JC, think again. Maybe God wants you to do something about it and continue to use the tools and peeps in that ministry to bring more into the kingdom. Remember, if it was good enough to help you follow, it’s prolly still good enough.