I’m going to let you in on a secret. Perhaps you know this secret already, but maybe not. Here it is: Most Christians are phenomenally bored with their faith. Most Christians come to church on Sunday, sit in the same pew, sing the same songs, hear the same sermons and remain unmoved.
This is a great tragedy, for there is nothing more exciting than the life-changing message of the Gospel, and no greater cause to give one’s time and talent to. But most Christians look outside the church for meaningful work, and we’re weaker as a result. And so is the Kingdom of God.
Here’s how to fix it:
1. The work of leadership needs to be redefined
The boredom that envelops most Christians begins with a misunderstanding of the work of leadership. Leaders tend to define their work by getting things done. While that may seem fine on the surface, it really isn’t a leader’s job to get things done. It’s a leader’s job to ensure things get done. This is no mere game of semantics. The difference is dramatic. Unfortunately, we think of that as cheating.
If you took a class in school and someone else did your homework and took your tests, you would be accused of cheating and expelled from school. In ministry, however, that’s equipping. And it’s the role every church leader is called to fill. According to the Apostle Paul, biblical leaders are not called to do the work of the ministry. They’re called to equip others to do the work of the ministry. When that instruction is ignored, Christians ease back in their pew, roll their eyes and watch leaders perform, critiquing that performance like they were at a Broadway play.
Boredom.
This doesn’t mean that as a leader you don’t do things. It means the things you do are different. You do things that enable others to do things, instead of doing those things directly yourself. The next time you look at your endlessly long task list, ask yourself this simple question: Who else could do the things on that list? That’s an equipping question. And remind yourself in the answering of that question that it’s your job to “cheat” as a leader. Just don’t lie and steal!
