A Scary Word... LEADERSHIP!!!

I sat down with one of our Life Group Leaders last week over lunch to discuss how things are going in his group and get input on some ideas I'm working on for the future of our ministry. As we talked and shared together, he mentioned something to me that I've heard before, but never thought of quite this way.

He told me that 'Leader' is a scary word to many people!

Now, as I've said, this isn't news to me. We've discussed the terminology we use in Life Groups many times over, and it's hard to think of a better word than 'Leader' for those who help steer the time that each group shares together. 'Facilitator' is probably more accurate, but it's a word that requires explanation to most people, and thus, we end up with 'Leader'.

The question is, why is it such a scary word?

We are often told that people fall into two categories; Leaders and Followers. I think this is largely true, but a bit simplistic. There appears to be a spectrum between these two ideas, and most of us fall somewhere on that spectrum, with our life experiences, gifts, talents and personalities determining which end we're closer to. We may be Leaders in one situation or environment, but Followers in another.

I think that many who have been active Leaders in the past may be turned off by the term because they were burned, abused, under-appreciated or worse. Others who don't possess all the qualities of prominent Leaders they are familiar with probably think, 'I can't lead, because I'm not like so-and-so'. Regardless, it's clear that many are reluctant to step forward and lead.

So, what does Christ say about this? In Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23, Jesus challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Clearly we are all to be Followers in this sense, but we can't just leave it at that! Paul stated in Ephesians 5:1 that we are to be 'imitators' of God, but in Thessalonians 1:6 he also said to imitate himself, as he imitates Christ! This implies that Paul was leading and following simultaneously!

So, what can we take away from this? Well, to begin with, we are all called to be Leaders, in some way. At the very least, we are to lead others toward Jesus, by following Him ourselves! In addition, we are all called to serve Christ and His church with our Time, Talent and Treasure. In the end, none of us can escape the call to be Leaders, no matter how scary the word might seem to some; I believe we simply need to broaden our understanding of what it means to lead, and know that God has and will continue to equip us with everything we need to do it.

Closing the Back Door...

One of the ideas Larry Osborne bases his book, 'Sticky Church' on, is closing the back door of our church. What does this mean? Simply this: as people are drawn to church and visit it, they will eventually fall through the cracks, or head out the 'back door', if they don't establish a meaningful relationship with someone there.

One statistic says that when the average American visits a new church, if fewer than six people greet them, they will not return the following week. But I think it's even more noteworthy that millions of people attend church consistently and never get beyond the 'How are you?' and 'I'm fine!' stage of relationship with their fellow attenders.

Our mission as a ministry is to help people at Desert Springs find some sense of belonging, to establish significant relationships with others so that they know they are home. We must be about this, not only at our group meetings during the week, but also as we attend Sunday services, special events or other church gatherings, as well as in our day-to-day personal lives!

So, what does this look like? Ask yourself, 'Do I go out of my way to find those who are new at our gatherings, and introduce myself?', 'When was the last time I got to know somebody new to church?', or 'What am I doing to help people feel like they belong here?'

We all have opportunities every time we gather to make this a reality; we just have to look for them!