Naming Current Reality in Church Leadership

How many meetings have you attended when an action was needed but no action was taken? A meeting where the need for a decision was either postponed for more discussion or handed off to a committee to make a recommendation? How much time have you invested in discussing an issue and then, as we say, “kicked the can further down the road?”

If you have experienced any of those meetings, you are in the company of some influential biblical characters. One of the great stories in the bible is the story of the Exodus. You know the story. The Israelites, the chosen people of God, were freed from slavery when Moses challenged Pharoah and led them into the wilderness.

Their escape took them to the banks of the Red Sea. When they got to the sea, they found themselves between the Egyptian army and the water. As you can imagine, there was a lot of anxiety and fear.

Biblical Leadership Lesson

Moses faced a dilemma. To lead the people into the water would be to drown, but to wait without action would be to be captured and punished by the Egyptians. They were trapped. Someone needed to make a decision and to be the first person into the water and to test God’s promise of deliverance.

The Hebrew Midrash, the stories of the rabbis, tells that the leaders of the tribes of Israel gathered at the edge of the water to decide who would go into the water first.

Isn’t it interesting that action was needed, but the leaders did what they knew to do. They had a committee meeting. As the story goes, they were unable to come to a decision. Their indecision created more anxiety and fear.

Quietly Courageous Leadership

It was at that point that Nashon, son of Amminidab, stood up and began to walk into the water. He stepped out in faith trusting God’s promise of deliverance.

Again, as the story goes, he walked into the water up to his ankles and the waters did not part. He walked into the water up to his waist, and the waters did not part. Up to his shoulders, up to his chin, and the waters did not part. He continued. As he took the step that would have put his nose under water, the waters parted.

Nashon, simply remembering the purpose of escaping from Egypt and remembering the promise given to Moses, quietly got up and did what was required. It was risky. But while others argued about the right way to do things, he stepped up to fulfill the intended purpose of the moment.

Nashon did not “kick the can down the road.” He faced the reality of the situation and acted upon what he trusted to be true. He risked his reputation, even his life, to lead the Israelites to safety. Nashon based his decision upon God’s promise of deliverance.

Church Leadership Challenges

Although we might not think our time is as dramatic as the Exodus, we are living in some desperate times. We need courageous leaders to step out in risky action, trusting God’s love, to address the anxiety and fear in which we are living.

Gil Rendle in his book Quietly Courageous, names three barriers to courageous and effective leadership. At the risk of being too simplistic, these barriers are the temptation of playing it safe (nostalgia), the temptation of Christian empathy (distorted empathy), and the temptation of tiredness (working harder instead of smarter).

To address these barriers, Rendle writes, “the first task of leadership is to paint an honest picture of the current reality.” He goes on to write, “The current reality is so deeply changed that it challenges old ways of leadership and asks for quiet, purposeful courage.”

Naming Truth in Christian Leadership

So, let me start with this. Most of the characters in the J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels refer to the evil character, Voldemort, as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” But there is one character, Harry Potter, who dares to say “the name” aloud.

Repeatedly, Harry is quieted, scolded, and “shhh’d” for saying Voldemort’s name. It is in saying his name that Harry claims power over “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” Harry named the reality that others were afraid to name.

Perhaps the avoidance of naming reality should be called the “Voldemort Effect.” It has more to do with the current reality of leadership in the local church than you might think.

“The Effect” seems to be huge in many of our churches. It presents itself in the way we face reality and make our decisions. When you do not have the courage to name the current reality of your congregation, you fall victim to “the effect.” By not naming reality, you are unable to claim the power needed to move forward.

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” shows up as nostalgia, distorted empathy, and overwork. Just as Voldemort started out as a good character, nostalgia and empathy are not bad within themselves. But when they demand unhealthy respect, each one can become harmful. Nostalgia hides in the closets, classrooms, sanctuaries, and parking lots. Nostalgia can make property more important than people.

Even worse, when unbridled nostalgia, empathy, and not letting go take control of our purpose, they can become the very realities you refuse to name. In the midst of not facing reality, you are faced with indecision and disengagement.

Let’s take a closer look at these realities that can and often blind us from the truth of our current reality.

Nostalgia

Memory is a gift from God. It is good at helping us with context and direction. It helps us become who God created us to be for today. But when memory enslaves you to the past and paralyzes you with fear, it is problematic. Being held hostage by yesterday does not produce fruit for tomorrow. It is time to name your captivity. You need to lay the fears of yesterday to rest. It is time to be courageous in your decisions. Keep your mission the priority. Create new memories. Take the risk to step out in faith, trusting God’s direction for this day.

Empathy

Identifying with another person’s feelings is a blessing. Understanding how other people feel is a good thing. Empathy is a gift from God. But when you distort empathy by getting stuck in a pattern of being nice, over-identifying, making decisions that will not offend friends, or masking your niceness as grace, you distort empathy.

The church and our culture need courageous Jesus followers to name what has become unhealthy, cheap grace. Then, we need courageous leaders to reframe empathy and lead people into the tough ministries of loving the people they encounter each day (neighbors). The neighbors you might or might not know or you might or might not like, or you are not sure you want to know.

Tiredness

The work of the church is some of the greatest work any one of us can be involved in. It is engaging, energizing, and exciting. On the other hand, church work, which has its necessary place, is too often energy draining and challenging in negative ways.

Being worn out because you do not have healthy habits of time management is not good for you or for the church. Too often you and I are involved in church activities to avoid the real mission of the church. You give too much time to the church to keep the machinery running but give little time or effort to make a difference in the community. I am not saying you should not be involved in the work of the church. But I am saying that any work that is not leading you and the church into the waters of the mission, supporting the mission, and making a difference in the community should be examined and named for what it is.

Courageous Christian Leadership

The time has come, in fact it is past time, for courageous Jesus followers to hold the purpose of the church above all other concerns (nostalgia, empathy, agendas). We need courageous leaders to guide our congregations into God’s plan and purpose of Shalom.

Even though “the effect” seems to be huge, we need courageous Christ-centered leaders to name that which we are afraid to name. Only then, can we claim the power to lead to be a welcoming community of faith, hope, and love, while serving as the hands of Christ. Only then, can we claim the power of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of Charleston, the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, and the world.

So, how will you claim and use the power to lead this week? Will you take the risk of naming the reality of your present context?

As we stand on the edge of the sea, will you lead us into the waters of deliverance?

Know of my prayers for you and for our church as, together, we step into the waters of today to provide a bright hope for tomorrow.