Pastors and local gatherings suffer greatly. That is a given. But the great part of that is that there must be enough reward to keep people encouraged or it would die out. In my experience, there are few who merely salute, put their head down, and continue in a local gathering just to say they are faithful. But like any functional or dysfunctional relationship, there must be some sort of reward or they would surely give up. But let us at least acknowledge that we are a suffering bunch.
For the most part, these last five years have been very successful. People have either come into faith in Jesus or confirmed their growth in that faith. For that we can only rejoice. Even now there are people among us who have been attracted by the spirit of God ministering through our people.
One, be thankful for the people you serve. That may be obvious. But much harm comes when we forget that the very ones we are called to serve are also the ones who wear us out. But the ones who do not check the locks on the doors, turn out lights when they are finished, turn the heat down, track dirt, spill drinks, drop food, leave hymnals out, complain about things not being just right, and fail to pick up the slack are the purpose behind us. Have you ever been to a buffet and heard an owner complain that his customers eat all of his food? Or have heard a caterer reject a job because he has to prepare food for a bunch of hungry people? Where would people in the serving industry be without people who choose not to do for themselves? One of our jokes at the lumber yard was to say how wonderful the business would be without customers. There would be no restocking of shelves. You could mop the floors once and be done with it. And think of the time there would be to talk with our fellow workers. I believe it is a blessing to be one of the proverbial 20% doing all the work for the rest of the 80%. Our church is blessed in that our percentage of servants is much higher. But none of us who lead is more valuable than the ones we serve. Read Philippians 2 as a devotion and contemplate your role in relationship to Jesus' ministry to you.
Secondly, be anxious to bring people into your understanding and willing to move into theirs. Ephesians 4 tells us that the sole or major purpose of God the Holy Spirit gifting us is that through the mutual ministry of one to the other, all might be brought into maturity in Christ. Once we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone, the remainder of our lives and the lives of others is to mature and grow. There is a type of "ministry" of gifts which designates one as an enemy of the gathering, perhaps outside the faith. That is when one displays disregard for the Body and operates as an independent entity from the Body. That one considers his giftedness to be above another's. Everyone else is failing. Yes, we are saved as individuals and transformed into Body relationships. For that, read I John and see what reflects the love of God and what reflects enmity with God.
Third, while we are to be a gracious people, we are not to be a silent people. One of the reasons hateful people flourish is because people of God are slow to point out the importance of relationships and godly behavior toward one another. If you are a leader you are called, chosen, and elected to act according to what is best for the entire body, not just yourself or a selected few. That means your vision must be taught, shared, evaluated, and open to change as wisdom provides. You are quick to acknowledge your error and your change of mind. Some of the most encouraging times have been when people have stepped out and "taken the heat" when they feel the efforts of others have been trampled upon. I have also witnessed by the testimony of others a person who was wronged, spoke the truth of feeling wronged, offered to make the future straight, and received rebuff. Sure it brought hardship and difficulty; but the difficulty was caused by the rebuff, not the honesty and kindness. We make mistakes. But let us admit them. We have our opinion. But we do not run over our brothers and sisters in order to have our way.
Fourth, there is nothing more attractive in church leaders than the spirit of Jesus. Contrary to that, there is nothing more repulsive than church leaders who plow ahead with the unimportant leaving hurt in their wake. It makes it worse when the offender then comes across as an unappreciated victim.
More churches are hurt by someone pushing their taste on others for colors and decorations than we might imagine. Then, when they do not not get their own way, they accuse others of being unappreciated. If there is no spiritual gift which elevates one over another, why in the world would one with different tastes be elevated above another? The solution is for the leader to listen, for those with different ideas to approach that leader with love and appreciation, and for the leader to remember that the congregation is represented in the responsibility of the post.
Fifth, continue to readdress your job descriptions. Ask, "What have we done that is most effective. What has been least effective? What are we called to do which we are not doing? What are we not doing which we should not be doing? What are we doing which we should not be doing?"
Sixth, let God grace you to acknowledge your weaknesses, accept forgiveness, and count each admission as a new day in fellowship with Jesus.
We may have lost some very key friendships. But in those losses, we may have discovered that they were not what I had thought they were. But what we have gained is a broader confidence in Christ. He has made Himself even more clear through God's people. They, by God's grace, have been the compensating factor. Growth and Christlike attractiveness have beckoned people to continue and others to join us. As those who heard the shepherds' stories and accounts of Jesus' birth, people will be amazed at what they have seen and heard.
