CHURCH LEADERS FACE TOUGH TERRAIN

Wishing to escape personal exaggeration, I must express the need for ministers and other church leaders to anticipate rugged terrain at its fullest force. We are not in this for dainty dallying. Ministry is tough stuff; a pure reflection of the cross.

The reason I point to this today is I believe too many quit; we give up and/or out. This is not a charge against any who have served a tenure and then moved on to another form of ministry under a business umbrella. It is a challenge to those who want to get out because they felt they received unfair treatment.

We are called to a lifestyle that has many facets which simply are and always will be...unfair.

Should you happen to be a shepherd or a minister on staff or a class teacher, do not be caught off guard at how frustrating your role is. Jesus came to die for the world including the ungrateful and we are following in his sandals.

Dan Allender states, Leaders choose daily, but the real weight on their shoulders lies in the need to decide. And there are no easy decisions. To decide requires a death, a dying to a thousand options, the putting aside of a legion of possibilities in order to choose just one.

De-cide. Homo-cide. Sui-cide.

The root word for decide means "to cut off." All decisions cut us off; separate us from early infinite options as we select just one single path. And every decision we make earns us the favor of some and the disfavor of others.

To stay away from the front lines of ministry is to live disengaged. At times this mistaken ploy can be massaged into seeming deployment by arguing causes. This merely deceives the heart by talking a good talk among disengaged (and maybe dishonest) talkers.

We are to be among the troops who live from the cross; hung out to dry that others might be saved. Decide to die daily and you will experience both the presence and the provision of Father.

If we are truly going to lead, we can be assured there will be definite tough terrain.