Keep calm and use facts. Maintaining a good reputation is a biblical requirement for pastors. I can understand the visceral reaction of defensiveness when faced with a public attack. Most want to defend their good name. The problem is you escalate the issue when you respond emotionally. Learn how to be responding to harsh critics effectively.
Remember that we live in an 8 second world, and first impressions are critical. In that context, whether you have one person or a multi-person team helping in the parking lot, they’re the first contact new visitors will receive.
When you lead a church, you cant help but dreamand dream big. I think thats one of the marks of a leader. But for most, its not long before the dream comes face to face with reality, especially in the week after Easter.
The future is uncharted territory, but we walk forward into it whether we like it or not. Believers have a Lord who dwells in the future as well as the present. We can go confidently into that good night, as one put it. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, especially when the church is resisting change.
Teams that thrive tend to encourage one another seven to nine times more than they criticize, a key aspect of pastor burnout recovery.
“It takes a team—a multistrand cord of leadership—to effectively direct the local church in evangelism.”
There’s a lot wrong with me, but introversion isn’t one of the things. I’m just quieter than some leaders you may know — or your immediate perception of a leader.
It never gets old to watch leaders formed and shaped in the painful, yet necessary, crucible of struggle and come out the other side more resilient, getting back up after falling.
I encourage you to use this list to pray individually and corporately with intentionality throughout this week.
You can listen to each instrument of a symphony independently, but the expression and emotion of the song are absent unless you hear everyone playing together. There is a creative energy that is lost through a screen.
