Back on the Inside

I just noticed that I have not posted on this blog since November! The reason? There are two main reasons: First, I am no longer on the outside of church leadership looking in having been hired as the Tech Pastor of Community of Faith Church in Marion, IL; and secondly because when I arrived at the church I hit the ground running and have been working hard ever since.

So I am back on the inside and it has been an interesting transition back into ministry. Let me say right up front that I am very glad to be back on the inside, and so grateful for the opportunity to serve this great church. The congregation here has welcomed up with open arms, and even though we have only been here for a short time, we already feel like family. 

The interesting part of the transition comes from the perspective gained from our last ministry experience which taught me a lot both in how the 9 years it lasted unfolded, and through how it ended. Having been in ministry for so long through and before that experience, I think it was a good thing to be on the outside for a while. It has given me new perspective and the ability to step back and really get some things written down and worked out about how I would lead if called on to do so again. I can't say that I have finished this process yet (writing out my thoughts), as I find myself revisiting those thoughts and adding to them as I learn more through this current ministry experience.

The most challenging part right now is learning to follow again. If you have ever gone through a similar experience you will know what I mean. To go from being the person who's ideas, vision, and leadership others follow, to following the ideas, vision, and leadership of someone else, is a big adjustment. Ultimately I believe this change will make be a better leader in the future.

Learning to follow again has reminded me that no matter how many people we lead in ministry, no matter how big our churches or ministries get, we must never loose sight of the fact that as leaders in church we are all still followers! As much as our job is to lead the church, it is also to follow Christ - following him in our daily lives and in direction He has chosen for our ministry. So if the Lord should ask me to lead a congregation again in the future, I want to use this experience to remind me that as a leader in His church, I will and should always be a follower.

This will likely be my last entry in this blog, since I am back on the inside, but I will leave it up so others can read it. I am also working on developing a new blog called "Can the Church Survive" so be sure to look for that coming soon!

Thanks for reading.