It’s all the rage these days. Pastors who lead their church with showboating excellence, when behind the curtains there exists a fragile and broken leader; afraid to live out who they really are. Unable to confess their junk and be real with their staff, their elders; their congregations, they align themselves squarely in the corners of the Pharisees, the one group Jesus challenged more than any other.
Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”
The problem is, that when a pastor compromises, they make it acceptable for their congregations to do the same. With or without their knowledge, they have set a new tone of compromise with their lives seal of approval.
This is no way to lead a church. Or family. Or one’s own life. It is destructive on every level. So, how can we turn from the compromising way and begin anew? Perhaps these three keys will help:
- Get real with yourself, your staff, those who lead you and those you lead. It is a messy process, but it is the authentic process of life and your church will never experience the fulness of God unless this happens.
- Develop a system of accountability that works. That means protection on all fronts. So alongside of the above #1 response, work to develop an ongoing process of transparency.
We all know this process is hard. It’s messy and full of junk. But it’s your junk. Don’t let it become everyone else’s junk too. Don’t let it become the new tone of acceptability. Push back. Fight. Don’t compromise.