I have been following a great series by Joe Boyd from Cincinnati Vineyard where he has been expounding on his top 10 tips for young church leaders:
He has now come to the end of his series with his last point: Don't let people need you too much. Regardless of where you are or denomination there are some real nuggets in here. I have also appreciated the many challenging comments it has attracted.
I find his last paragraph particularly wise:
"God may have me at The Vineyard for the rest of my life. I think longevity is a virtue and I'd love to be known as a leader who has staying power. But staying in the same place doesn't mean staying the same. The longer I am here, the more I need to become dispensable. Many pastors fall into "old world" thinking. They need to be needed. It not only feeds their egos, but it provides a sometimes-real sense of security. "If they need me, they won't get rid of me." This might be a good way to think in the corporate world, but this isn't a career...it's a calling. Your job is to be faithful to it."
For any young or aspiring servant-leaders out there, these thoughts are really worth filing away somewhere. They could be easily be entitled: How to see your church grow up healthily.
ASD
