For about the third time in six and a half years I was too ill to preach on Sunday. Fortunately, we don't have a church that's revolves around the preacher. Jay-rod was able to preach a sermon he already had prepared and everybody knows how to step in and take care of things. My folks called afterward and said things went really well.
I hate missing and it seems strange not seeing everyone today but I love that our church isn't personality driven. If something more serious ever happened and I couldn't be the preaching minister there, I would expect that our church could smoothly transition to another preaching minister. At the same time, if I'm at Wyandotte for another 30 years, we're setting a good example of humility and selflessness as leaders (I hope). Our ministers and elders don't promote themselves like what you see in some churches. My name isn't on the sign out front, I don't perform every baptism or micromanage every ministry, and life doesn't grind to a halt if I'm missing for a day.
What's so wrong with being more assertive? In many cases a minister can create more buzz and push a church to greater highs in attendance and productivity by shear force of personality. The problem lies not in the amount that he works but the method. And, frankly, some methods are more worldly and self-absorbed. These methods mean more marketing and less prayer, more personal accolades and fewer humble foot washings. It can quickly become all about titles, perks, respect, and prestige instead of a calling, patience, and diligence. The easy road to "success" is to make everything revolve around "the man." The hard road is one of equipping others while selflessly toiling in obscurity.
We certainly don't have it down perfectly, but I can sleep at night knowing that I'm NOT building a kingdom that's all about Jared Altic.
No comments:
Post a Comment