Thinking through the process of planting a new church while flat in the middle of it is not an easy task. The past few months have been a whirlwind, not to mention the year previous, and living in the midst of a hurricane does not leave much time to sit and ponder in the breeze. For those that might be curious about that which I am referring to can check it out here, along with following my blog regularly.
I am taking this moment of multitasking (sitting at my son’s basketball practice) to ponder and pontificate on a few issues of being a church pastor and, hopefully, a leader that can help impact and change a city.
I gotta have some swagger…
Imagine thinking that anyone would want to hear anything that you might have to say or watch anything that you might do; that people would sit and listen waiting for you to move them. I think of singers and actors and musicians and think, “Man, they have to have some arrogance to them to get on a stage and just know that the audience is dying to hear them.” Then, the reality hits me… Bob, that’s what you do.
I speak (among other things) for a living. Here is what I have to process through:
- I have to feel what I have to say is life-changing… because it is even if I don’t feel like it in the moment.
- I can’t worry about selling myself, because it is not about me.
- I have to continue to improve so I can do what I do well.
I gotta be accessible…
No matter what, I want to be the guy that any can call. There will be times that others will have to wait, because this is not about being “on call” 24/7, but the need is there for me to be a leader that is accessible. I cannot afford to be aloof.
I know that I need to get away at times. I know that I must keep a certain distance in order to speak objectively and with authority in crucial moments, but I cannot be effective if those around me feel as if I don’t care about their felt needs.
I don’t want to sell Amway…
Nothing wrong with it, I guess. Actually, I still have never been able to figure out what it is. I just have a few observations when it comes to ministry, and the “Amway” analogy seems to work best.
- I can’t follow the pyramid example… I have to use more of a trapezoid. Just being silly, but the notion is that I can’t see others that I am speaking to about Christ as notches in my belt. It becomes performance based, and people are not product.
- I don’t want interaction to be seen as a bait and switch method. There are blog posts on “using social media” to win others. While this might be effective, I somehow feel used when I find people that “friend” me just to push an angle or agenda.
I desire to be real, I desire to impact and change a city, I don’t want to be a salesman. I don’t want to be distant from those that are in need, I want to be the first hand that is there to lift them up. I want to know that my call is from God, and walk in the humility that I didn’t earn it and the assurance that I don’t do any of it by myself.
