Gospel For Leaders

10/28/02

I understand the topic to be leadership as viewed through the lens of The Jesus Connection process. If one is to lead the fellowship of believers one undertakes an immense task which demands the best of thought, communication, vision, emotion, stamina and contemplation. It requires a personal, prayerful relationship with a living Jesus. If leading is showing the way by going in advance, or guiding or directing a course, we, of necessity are out ahead, by some measure at least, of the congregation which called us.

 Of all the things one could say about leading in the church I want to focus on a simple, but very often neglected component of faithful shepherding. I'll steal an idea from by brother, Steve, and call it SADH.

 Steve says that SADH is Spiritual Attention Disorder and Hyperactivity. It's allowing ourselves to be too easily distracted. It's living out the old saw, "When in wonder, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." It's neglecting those stodgy old disciplines and grabbing something on the run, serving it up half raw, chasing every stray notion, and ending up at the end of the day ragged, drained, fatigued.

 My father once told me that his biggest "besetting sin" was time management. There is a stewardship of time that a wise leader will adopt that the management of our ministries is a joy to God and a testimony to alert, compassionate, witness. We all have plenty to do. Adding something else means that something gets dropped. Being aware and awake means that we don't fall into the trap of hyperactivity and spiritual attention disorder. It means taking time for prayers and devotional reading in the Word. It means getting rest and relaxation. It means nurturing relationships, not only with those in our families, but also friends who are independent of our profession. Jesus, who met every crisis with a vigil of prayer in solitary retreat knew how to take care of Himself - or to let the Holy One take care of Him against the coming peril. Faithful leaders will do no less.

 It is when we have lain down beside the still waters that we can arise to show the way, to go out in advance because we have prayed the thing through. To be connected to Jesus required every leader to be still and listen. Failing that all the skillful communication skills, high energy activities, and brilliant thought will be found insufficient. The competence we have comes not from ourselves, but from God who makes us ministers of a new covenant, a covenant of spirit, a covenant which gives life, blessings, leaders.

David Digby

First Christian Church

Ames, IA