A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, so, needless to say, I was apprensive about our current leader selection process... even though it was time for one and it will be good to have additional shepherds. Well, as reflected in last week's bulletin article below, things seem to be going differently this time... and... God seems to be blessing our humility and common love.
When I get involved in a new activity, I’m usually surprised by something I didn’t expect. How about you? Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s not. I guess that’s just the way life works.
Our Leader Selection Process has been like that for me so far. I am new to this particular way of selecting leaders, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Thus far I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I know these processes can sometimes be messy... I’ve been at churches in the past where there were fusses, arguments, and hurt feelings. I know that shouldn’t be part of our church experience, but let’s face it... we’re all broken people, and sometimes we treat one another in sinful and hurtful ways. All that to say that it’s been pretty refreshing to see our current process unfold in a spirit of love. I believe that brings a smile to God’s face.
I was particularly encouraged by Jarrod’s lesson on what we often have called the “qualifications” for leaders. I know it’s always been easier to think of those passages in Titus and 1 Timothy as “check lists”... I’ve even been at churches where we printed them off as check lists, complete with little boxes for check marks.
We know Paul never intended those lists to be used that way, or he would have given the exact same list to both Titus and Timothy. Also, the lists seem to be incomplete... Jesus talks about the servant heart being necessary for those who lead, and Peter writes about the importance of humility for elders, to mention a couple of other qualities.
Does all this mean Paul’s words to Titus and Timothy aren’t significant? No, it does not. His words paint a character image of just the kind of man God seeks to serve as a leader in the local church. And I’m not surprised that we seem to be seeking just that kind of man to serve the Eastside Family.
1 comment:
WOW! That was a great article. Selecting leaders is tough. At our church we don't have elders or deacons yet...and I stress YET.
For some reason its a touchy subject here, too. I suppose all the churches that these people came from had bad experiences. They almost feel just as good or better w/out elders/shepherds/leaders, whatever you want to call them.
That makes me somewhat afraid...but it's been OK so far...so far! We're on the move though, we'll probably begin the "selection" process before the spring is out. Good luck, I'll be praying for you guys.
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