My friend was in a challenging church and I was in the office on the floor praying for him. My bible beside me, and my journal and pen were my companions. As was the Holy Spirit, for as I prayed my heart was shook. The church he was leading was in constant resistance mode, constant turmoil. As I was praying for him the word came clearly to me, the parable Jesus told about a tree bearing no fruit and “using up the soil.” I knew immediately what the Lord had said to me for my friend. The church was consuming the rich resources of a leader who loved the Lord, a leader who loved them, a leader who was “soil” not to be wasted. I got up immediately and called him with the word of the Lord. Thirty days later he was re-assigned to a different ministry that would indeed bear fruit. But up to the moment I had called him, he had no contact with another church, and no plans to move. In the next 2 days a church contacted him “out of the blue” it would appear.
Could it be that we, at times, are wearing out our leaders? Could it be that we often get the leaders we deserve?
That’s a bit shocking… and painful. It is also often the truth! Hebrews 13:17 is laced with implications that how we follow may determine how our leaders lead! If we are complaining, gossiping, resisting and powering up against our leaders, those behaviors may illuminate the kind of leaders we deserve.
Of course leaders need accountability. And so do followers. Leadership is really an amazing symphony between the leader and the people, both living in hope toward the other, both willing to work through their disappointments and questions.
It is not easy nowadays to find quality leaders. But when we wear out the leaders, we may be the reason we are losing the “cream of the crop” people. “It’s not worth it” is spoken far too often as a leader walks away.
How is your relationship with your leader? Hebrews 13 declares we can make leading us a burden. Wonder how we could bring joy to those who lead us?