Leadership Training

Last night we had leadership training at the church.  WE ARE SPOILED!  We have the best people with such a variety of talents, perspectives, and spiritual gifts!

I looked out across the room and thought of the vastness of the stories represented.  Some people in that room have been loving Jesus for 60+ years, while others are so new to the journey of Jesus that they are still trying to figure out what is right and wrong according to the Bible.  But what ties us all together is that we are all on the journey somewhere! 

I agree that there is a standard of leadership that the Bible makes clear.  We need to live lives above reproach, but I also think that if we only accept perfect people in leadership, it will be a very lonely place.  There are different areas of leadership for everyone on the journey!  If you are one step further on the journey than someone else, you have the ability to lead them in the next step.

I also think there is room for error in leadership.  We all mess up!  It is the heart attitude behind people that I care much more about.  Are you teachable?  Are you striving to be like Jesus…even if that means you fall short?  Are you allowing God to work on those rough areas?  Are you divisive and fighting against the church?  The answers to those questions are much more important to me than all of the specific details in a person’s current life.  What you are “doing” now does not necessary match up to what God is “doing” in you.  God does His work and then the results come.  And in the meantime, I believe you can greet, hold a baby, pass out crayons to a kid or bulletins to an adult.  Being used in leadership doesn’t equate to having “arrived” at a certain level of perfection.

People are much more drawn to love in our church than perfection.  We are an imperfect people navigating the road to Jesus’ example.  If we continue to pour out love to people, God will guide and direct them to where He needs them to be!