Today our group leader, Rev. Rich Dake from Clarkston United Methodist Church, talked through key points in the book Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. Dake said to the group, "We are not here with the expectation of a 40 year kingdom. We need equip the church to carry on long after we are gone."
He pointed out there is a difference between being a leader driven by internal goals and passions and a leader who is fulfilling the goals of Jesus Christ, an external call. When we are driven by individual goals, we don't need other people. But when we are called, we understand that many people are essential to accomplishing the task. Being called by God isn't about particular leader's desires or accomplishments, it's about what God wants in this world.
And the calling of Jesus Christ to share the Good News of life through his grace continues whether we are around to lead it or not. Our task as a church is to be continually equipping people to carry on the specific task of bringing people to faith and making disciples.
That means that whatever our leadership roles are in the Body of Christ, we must be thinking ahead beyond our tenure and equipping people to do what we are doing. Not equipping them to do thing exactly the way we do them, but equipping them to fulfill the call of Christ.
I think that there have been times (and continues to be times) in my ministry when I find it more comfortable or expedient to do a task rather than equip someone else to do it. Some of that practice may be the result of pride. "How could anyone do it better than I can?" Some might be out of a need for approval and affirmation. "If I do this, people will appreciate me." If my role as pastor is to fulfill God's call upon my life, I need to be careful about doing things to serve myself or even serve others. I need to figure out, first, if what I'm doing is serving God. And answering the call is not always "doing"; it is leading other committed disciples to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ.
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