Heading for Disaster

I recently have finished a book called "Dangerous Calling" by David Paul Tripp.   It is a must read for anybody who is active in ministry.  After being a pastor to pastors for the past 6 years, everything in this book has resonated with my own heart as well as what I have witnessed.  He gives 3 warnings that will lead somebody in ministry to disaster.  The 3 warnings are:

1.  When we allow our ministry to define our identity.  Instead of thinking of ourselves as somebody who needs daily sanctification, still battling with sin we get caught up in the successes and failures that accompany ministry.  When we confuse our identity we have a tendency to talk, eat, and sleep ministry.   This is an enormous temptation for many of us.

2.  When we let Biblical literacy and theological knowledge define our maturity.  It is enormously tempting to define our spiritual maturity by what we know and study academically rather than what we obey or have sift through our hearts.  The apostle Paul said that knowledge can puff up.  Those of us in ministry need to be careful to apply the truth in our own lives first before we dispense it to others.

3.  When we confuse ministry success with God's endorsement of our lifestyle.  Those of us who have enjoyed a certain amount of success on the ministry side might be tempted to think that God must be pleased with every facet of our lives.  When in reality there are many so-called successful pastors who have dysfunctional marriages and abandoned children, as well as other personal issues.  Successful ministry people often are the type A's of this world.  Driven to the distraction of other pressing needs and priorities that resemble a life of integrity.

If you are reading this as a pastor or lay ministry leader, please heed these warnings before your ministry comes crashing down.  

7 Ways to Frustrate Your Followers

If leadership is influence then all us have a responsibility to lead in some capacity.  It may be a parent, boss, supervisor, employer, elder, or pastor.  When Paul wrote in Ephesians, " Fathers do not  exasperate your children," I believe we can apply this principle to all leadership scenarios.  Perhaps it could be translated, "leaders do not exasperate your followers".

The question then becomes, how do we as leaders exasperate our followers?  Let me suggest 7 ways.

1.  When we demonstrate a lack of integrity.  Integrity means to live an integrated life.  Jesus must impact every area of our life.  When it doesn't our followers lose respect.

2.  A lack of humility.  When a leader refuses to be teachable, approachable and admit when they are wrong, followers find themselves isolated, discouraged, and without validation.

3.  Playing favorites.  Nothing discourages followers more or creates jealousy when they see their leader giving preference regardless of ability and performance.  Just ask Joseph's 10 brothers.

4.  Entitlement.  There will always be leaders who demand respect for their position rather than command respect because of their character and competency.

5.  Failure to understand their followers.  Good leaders are good students of their followers.  Nothing discourages followers more than to be unappreciated for their uniqueness.

6.  A lack of consistent boundaries.  Every follower needs to have clear perimeters to function.  A lack of clarity can frustrate any follower.

7. Failure to keep promises.  Leaders who do not follow through or fail to keep their commitments create a lack of trust and cynicism among their followers.

God help us to be better spiritual leaders!