So Your Church Asked You to Become a Deacon/Board Member/Elder…

You’ve got this!

One of my favorite things to do in ministry was guide our members in choosing their lay leaders. Our leadership consisted of me as pastor, and a separate group of lay leaders chosen out of the congregation by their peers over months of discernment and seeking the Holy Spirit together. I probably treasured the process even more than the result, since it afforded very busy people a reason to pull out of the daily grind and seek the Spirit of Jesus together over the course of months. But the result wasn’t too shabby either: every year as we rolled part of the Board off and brought a new class of Board Members on to take their places, I was perpetually amazed at the imperfectly perfect mix of broken saints God was able to assemble to lead their brothers and sisters.

We always tried to give ourselves plenty of time to discern and pray together as a leadership nominating team, but the goal was to have a new leadership board in place for the beginning of the year. And for many churches and congregations out there, I know that new leaders are probably being nominated as we speak, and old leaders are being called back to take the helm on behalf of their brothers and sisters once again.

It is to those of you in that boat that I write this today.

First, let me thank you for being open and willing to serve the Body of Christ, your brothers and sisters. Regardless of what exactly you’re being asked to do, there’s no question that it will require some sacrifice on your part. Thank you for being willing to lay down yourself in that way, so that your brothers and sisters may be lifted up. Trust me: that is the very picture of Christian discipleship that Paul speaks of in Romans 15:

1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So thank you for being open to following Christ in this way, and know that great fruit comes out of even your prayerful consideration of your calling into a position of leadership.

Second, would you allow me to ask you to consider something even as you discern your call to leadership? If so, what I would ask you to consider is the following question: does building and/or sustaining a “successful” ministry today lead to the church we want to leave for our children (and our children’s children) tomorrow?

In other words, 12 months from now as you’re wrapping up your first year as leaders, how will you know you’ve achieved what you’ve been called to do? Will it be a larger, more vibrant ministry community? Will it be a more stable budget and newly energized volunteers? Not that any of those things are bad, but can you see how none of them translate directly to a strong foundation for our future generations? Sure a great group of volunteers usually means a strong children’s ministry, but none of us expects our children to stay in kids service or VBS past 5th or 6th grade, much less the rest of their lives. And it’s wonderful to have drawn in more people into our services and groups, but people who come quickly can leave just as quickly. And in the end what will we have left for the next generations? Neighborhoods are filled with church buildings that once housed vibrant ministries and boomed for years and even decades, but now are headaches for the following generations to figure out how to maintain, fill up again, or sell.

I know you’re a truly humble person. That’s probably why your brothers and sisters look to you for your leadership. But do not doubt this truth: whether you accept the call or not, you’re a leader. And that’s an awesome and good thing, because it means you’re going to, and you likely already have influenced many around you for good.

And it also means that while it’s going to be extremely tempting to focus on the short term, you are in a place to help set in place a longer term vision of faithfulness. Few churches call for leaders to shrink their congregations or tell their volunteers to do less. Few congregations even have much of a plan for 20-30 years from now except for: “better” or “bigger”.

We’re not dreaming wildly enough.

So I guess what I’m asking of you is to help your brothers and sisters dream. Help them dream of the gifts they can give to their children and their children’s children. Help them to imagine a church that’s better not because it’s bigger or louder, but because it truly is home for the next generation, a place or even better a presence in the generations that follow us where they will encounter and practice the radical healing power of knowing and being known by Jesus.

Maybe that church won’t even have a building. Maybe that church won’t even have a budget or members. Who knows!? But I do know this: if we start now, we have time to dream.

And I think that in itself is the start of an incredible gift we can pass on to those who follow.