Learning to Lead

In the midst of deepening my knowledge of the Bible, the complications of theory and theology, our pastor left the church. Being a pastor's son, I knew what it was like from the other side. You pack up, stow your stuff in boxes, and make new friends that will last until it is time to move again. I did not know anything about what it was like from the church's standpoint.

As an observer to the process, I got to learn much about the process. I saw first hand the struggle to figure out what type of pastor the church wanted. It is often exactly opposite from what they actually need. Nothing in the process is foolproof. I saw the mistakes being made clearly. But it was not my place to worry about this.

Several months into the process, I was appointed the position of Moderator of the business meetings. What I did was keep control of the business meeting and bring order to the process of doing business. I took this job seriously. I wanted there to be no bickering, back biting, or other problems that sometimes arise in churches. I wanted a Christ-like atmosphere in conducting our affairs. This was actually very easy. The church was fairly congenial, mostly in step with one another, and full of hope for the future. Most of the votes didn't even have an opposition. The process was almost flawless.


Except for the pastor selection.

Churches don't always do well when they lose a leader. They begin to bleed members. The void begins a power struggle. The whole process might lead to a collapse of a young, unprepared church. Fortunately, most churches survive the whole process no worse for wear. They pull together to make the best of a situation.


Once the pastor entered the ministry field, things stopped moving as smoothly. No, there were no fights, stabbings or gun play. We still had little opposition in the business meetings, but the ill feelings built in the church. The pastor left after only a matter of months.


Running a Church

With the void in the leadership roll, a small committee was formed. Known as the Administration Committee, we were charged with handling the needs of the church normally handled by the pastor until one could be found, finding someone to lead the services until a pastor could be named, and be available for any emergencies that might arise. AS you might have guessed, the other people on the Administration Team were two of the missionaries that had been in the class with me those few years ago. The process had come full circle and I was now operating with them as an equal.

Well, not really. They had done this many times and looked at the job as a chore that needed doing. Not that they didn't do the chore willingly and with great joy, but it was simply old hat to them. For me, however, it was all new.

As I mentioned earlier, I am the son of a pastor. I knew the inside of a pastor's family and the headaches and problems that come from leading a church. So from a small corner of my mind, the place I try to hide all the stuff I really would rather not re-live, I dragged out what knowledge I had in order to be a productive member of this group. They may have had more experience, but I was going to make up for that with enthusiasm and perseverance.

continued tomorrow.