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Is Your Ministry Calling Too Comfortable?

How comfortable should you be, in the place you’ve been called?

Every once in a while, God chooses to show me what my ministry-calling could look like…how uncomfortable it could be.

He showed me once when I was interviewing with a church. On the weekend I was there for an interview, a 160 missionaries were being commissioned to international service. It put my “sacrifice” of moving 800 miles within my own country into perspective.

He showed me again this past week when I visited a church pastor in the inner-city, who explained to me his calling for his neighborhood. I didn’t find many things attractive about his neighborhood. He puts his four kids in physical danger by living in that neighborhood. Only 20% of his congregation has jobs (and those pay minimum wage). The thing that’s most attractive about his neighborhood is God’s calling him to it.

Sometimes God reminds me my calling could require more sacrifice than it currently does. I also hear Him whispering, “It might require that sacrifice in the future.”

I believe I’m where God has called me to be. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with living in suburb and working in a healthy church where the largest danger I face daily is driving to work. There’s nothing wrong with all that…Unless God has called me to be elsewhere.

It’s all relative. But, there’s something about seeing fellow ministers whose calling doesn’t provide them with security or soft furniture in their office that teaches me to be grateful.

It teaches me how to pray for others.

It should teach me not to get comfortable.

It should teach me to not trust the place of my calling, but rather, to trust the One who called me there.

I want to be able to always say “yes” to whatever God’s calling is on my life, without hesitation – whether it’s to a nation with ISIS militants, to Chicago’s inner-city, or to Williamson County, Tennessee.

Comfort is fine… as long as the feeling of comfort comes from knowing you’re exactly where God has called you to be.

When A Backward or Lateral Move Is Okay

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto®

Church staff members aren’t exempt from a ladder-climbing mentality. We’re not exempt from wanting more pay or recognition. We’re not exempt, but we can’t allow that mentality to drive our decisions.

As a Christian, and one whom has fully given your life’s vocation to Christ, you must pursue and prioritize that calling first, and above all else.

While living in Texas, I served a great church as Executive Pastor. However, I felt like God had a different church for me to serve. The opportunity God presented was a church in Nashville that already had an executive pastor. So, what was I to do? (Stage a coup, perhaps?)

The church did, however, want to offer me the role of “Associate Executive Pastor.” It was an executive pastor, but not THE Executive Pastor. Was I okay with the demotion? Was I going to be okay not only being a second-chair leader to the Senior Pastor, but also to the Executive Pastor?

When people asked about the new position I was leaving for, would I be okay with verbally inserting “associate” before the rest of my title?

There may be times in your ministry when God calls you to be in a place or position that seems like a step backwards, or sideways. It could mean less title, less money, less authority, and less recognition.

Sometimes it’s clearly a demotion of sorts. Other times, it may just seem that way. But either way, you’ll have to decide on the front-end if you can deal with it.

When I was making my decision, it helped me to realize that pursuing the call and position God provided me is never a demotion. I had no idea what God would allow me to do as Associate Executive Pastor. I couldn’t understand the value I’d gain in the “associate” role, and I didn’t understand how the role would unfold over time.

If you’re ever in this situation, here are a few reminders about when a lateral or backwards move might make sense:

When you feel God telling you to do it
When it’s best for your church
When you’ve got more to learn
When a new supervisor could help you develop
When it gives you the best opportunity for the long-term direction you want to go

When you feel God telling you to do it – God is sovereign over your ministry career-path. Don’t fight it.

When it’s best for your church – There could be short or long seasons when your taking a different or lesser role is best for the church. It could positively impact other staff, or be a healthy financial adjustments for the church. Many people avoid these moves, by moving away from the church. In some situations that may be what needs to happen, but consider first what’s best for the church you serve.

When you’ve got more to learn – This was true for me. The associate position put me in a place to learn a lot more about the role. I wasn’t prepared to lead in THE executive pastor role. I benefitted from first learning more.

When a new supervisor could help you develop/make you happier – A move laterally or backwards could put you in an excellent seat to learn from another person. A change in scenery, a change in reporting, can give you a new perception. This was true for me. I benefitted significantly from the Executive Pastor. I wouldn’t trade that learning opportunity to have had his seat at the time.

When it gives you the best opportunity for the long-term direction you want to go – God may or may not reveal this to you on the front-end, but sometimes a pause in the ladder-climbing allows you the greatest opportunity to get where God desires you to be (and rings true with your understanding of your calling).

p.s. I’m quite confident eternity will not include name plates, business cards, org charts or résumés.

Honoring the Absent &Naming the Elephant

If a leader is unwilling to name the elephant in the room, yet is willing to name other people and their issues when they’re not in the room, he’s going to have trust issues… and likely dysfunction as well.

At our church’s recent staff retreat, we heard from Dr. Bill Wilson, director for The Center for Healthy Churches, regarding the issue of trust amongst staff.

Many insightful things were shared, but two ideas resonated with me. Wilson reminded me that when these issues aren’t handled correctly, they not only diminish trust among your staff over time, but they also have potential to elicit an immediate distrustful attitude towards you as a leader.

Naming the Elephant

When you ignore the issues everyone is thinking about, you’re unwilling to name the elephant. And an unnamed elephant grows bigger and bigger. Many other better writers and thinkers have already dealt with the idea of the elephant in the room, so I will just say this… I’ve never so clearly seen the connection between an unnamed elephant and trust.

When you don’t name the elephant and deal with it, it tells others you don’t have guts. That you’ll acquiesce on the harder things… that you’ll push them to the shadows, and hope no one notices. (I’ve written previously on the leader’s responsibility to investigate [elephant] issues.) Ignoring the elephant leads to a lack of trust with small and elephant-sized issues.

Honoring the Absent

Dishonoring the absent has many different forms, but the most common is gossip.

In one of the first talks I prepared in college, I remember telling a group of students that I perceived gossip to be the most common sin amongst Christians. I’m not sure I’d argue that so vehemently today, but as far as public sins of Christians go, it’s likely in the top three.

Like mine, your role likely requires you to discuss people when they’re not in the room. That isn’t necessarily wrong. But at times, our leadership discussions quickly turn to gossip. We’re saying things about people we know we wouldn’t say if they were in the room – and what’s worse, we’re saying them to people who shouldn’t be in the room to hear them.

You must be judicious with your words. At all costs, build others up, especially when they’re not in the room.

There’s way too much clarity in the Bible regarding gossip to argue for its justification. Yet we’ve fallen victim to lowering Biblical standards in this area. It’s a slow descent that can quickly impact how we honor our co-workers, and church members.