Buying into the vision and the leader
Yesterday morning I had a meeting with two churches: Compass Covenant and Cross Cultural Evangelical Free Church. We had gotten together because I felt like God was asking these two churches to reach the neighborhood together. The pastors of both churches were present as well as the worship leader of Compass Covenant.
Both churches are multicultural. Both churches are trying to reach the same people. Both churches have strong pastors. BUT NOW….both churches are planning to work together.
Our meeting went differently than I imagined, but better than I thought it would. We were able to piece together different ideas drawing from our past experiences. It was fun to put the puzzle pieces together and see how we might reach people for Christ with an outreach/music event.
But is it enough to have a good cause/vision?
I believe good leaders enjoy a good challenge. And when you get a vision for something that’s bigger than you can handle yourself, especially if it’s in an area that you’re passionate about, it’s easy to get excited. You almost feel compelled to see this idea come about.
Even though I’m passionate about multicultural worship/art, I’m starting to realize that I’m really passionate about unity. It’s an area where I feel like I can be creative and use my gifts. But it also means leaning on the gifts/strengths of other people…something I’m not used to, even now, yet I’m starting to see the value in.
But having a good idea/cause isn’t enough for people to follow you. People need to trust you as a leader too.
John C. Maxwell writes in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership:
1. When people don’t buy into the leader or the vision…they get another leader.
2. When people don’t buy into the leader, but they buy into the vision…they get another leader.
3. When people buy into the leader, but they don’t buy into the vision…they get another vision.
4. BUT when people buy into the leader and the vision…they’ll get behind the leader.
You may need to read those four sentences over and over again. But you’ll slowly begin to understand how important it is for you to be a good leader and have big vision. It’s the only way we’re going to make progress in the multicultural church, worship, and the arts.
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284
Different Expectations: Elders and the Worship Team
Obedecei a vossos guias, sendo-lhes submissos; porque velam por vossas almas como quem há de prestar contas delas; para que o façam com alegria e não gemendo, porque isso não vos seria útil.
Hebreus 13:17 (Portuguese)
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17 (English)
One of the things I am praying about and trying to be patient about is the different expectations we all have. I’m specifically talking about those expectations coming from the elders versus those on the worship team. We all have our own ideas of what it means to be a multicultural church, what it will look like in five years, and ethnic groups we are trying to reach out to. Recently I wrote about the possibility of having a multilingual bulletin. I passed the idea to a few people and got varying feedback. One person thought it would make an immediate impact on those we are trying to reach out to. The other person was afraid it might make the ethnic groups we haven’t translated for a little uncomfortable. In my heart I’m very frustrated. At the same time I am reminded of the verse above. I do pray for our church and the leadership there so that we can all walk in unity.
Do you have different expectations of what a multicultural church looks like from other leaders in your church? How have you handled the situation? Have you landed on the same page yet?
Share your story and your life…
Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284