Church Mouse's View of Leadership

As I see it…
I received a renewed reminder last night of the importance of the body of Christ – the whole body! The leadership (church council, i.e. deacons and elders and pastoral staff) met for one of those “free for all” sessions. It probably isn’t as bloody as it sounds. Our men just have the ability to close the meeting room door, bang the gates of heaven for Spirit-led discussion as we all prepared ourselves with a season of prayer and then have it at. A no holds barred and no defenses allowed session. It’s a great y-chromosome experience! No touchy, feely stuff allowed. When everything is said and done, I straitened my virtual clerical collar, swallowed my differences and joined the fray. The men were gracious enough to give me the first volley and then they took off! I listened for at least an hour before I spoke again. These men love the Lord, love his church and want to make sure that, as best as they can discern it, they want to do church right! While talks of visionary concepts are allowed, ignoring present tense needs is not tolerated. What are we doing now to plug the holes, fill the gaps, staff the needs, address the issues and make ourselves more acceptable to visitors and regular attendees? There was little hand wringing, it was more: tell-it-like-it-is and rejoice-where-we’ve-gotten-it-right but don’t pat yourself on the back too much because there’s-much-to-be-done-yet. If anyone got bruised, too bad; if anyone got it right, thanks, but there are still things to accomplish. It’s okay to admit that any one person can’t do it all. But, it’s not okay to say that the status is quo (that’s Latin for “the mess we’re in”) and pretend that it doesn’t matter. Malaise (spiritual, emotional or any other kind) is no longer tolerated. We want Christ honored, but not at the cost of overlooking the obvious; not without planning to equip the saints, disciple the younger and needy Christians and generally look to cover each other’s back in the process. The atmosphere was electric; the points of view were just that, pointed; and the genuine loving attitude demonstrated for the body of believers (and others) was palpable. After the “free for all” we assessed the damage, took roll call and gave out assignments. We’re not looking back; we are moving forward. And by God’s grace, starting now, we want to do church right, for the glory of God. Since accountability is the proof of the pudding, in a few months we’ll let you know who made the cut and who didn’t! Stay tuned because the rest of the body of Christ and heavenly hosts are watching to see if we get it right!