Are You An Enabler?
Being an enabler has been a BIG thing for me and has been for a long time. I once was on the staff of a church plant in Georgia and I learned a ton of things while going through that process to the extent I did. We would have various meetings and interviews with Pastors and staff from other churches locally and regionally. The point of all of these sit downs was simply to learn from the experience of others and find ideas, innovation from the mistakes and success that these churches and individuals had.
Some of the questions asked were questions like, “What has been your biggest failure as a Pastor?” That not an easy question to vocalize or answer, still each Pastor or staff member would answer in an honest way.
One of the biggest things that stuck with me from my time and experience during this process was a statement made by my Pastor at the time. He said,
“Because these churches and Pastors have bent over backwards to help us out and teach us, I never want to hear that one of my staff has not replied to an email, not returned a phone call, or denied an opportunity from someone to learn from what we are doing at our church.”
That has stuck with me here at Crosspointe now years away from those conversations and that experience. If you are not enabling other people and churches through the leadership, confession of failures, triumphs, and guidance you have received yourself…then you are not fulfilling your role in ministry the way you should. Instead there is a deeper issue at play, and that attitude of pride will lead you to being burnt out, stressed out and standing alone.
This is some good thoughts about ministry. Most notably to keep enabling or encouraging and helping others around you. Unity and loving-kindness towards our brothers is the mark of the Christian, as Schaeffer would say, and even more so the mark of a pastor. And as you rightfully said, pride is the thing getting in the way of unity and love in church today. This was good to read.