Leading the Congregation by Shawchuck and Heuser is giving me a good insight into the constructs of a spiritual leader... I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm already learning stuff (and taking furious notes so I can turn it into a kick-butt book report :-p).
The book begins with investigating the Leader as a Person, and has challenged me that your own personal spirituality is the foundation on which to base your ministry outreaches and work.
Even Jesus spent a lot of time working on his spirituality through prayer with his Father as a continual supplement to his ministry on earth. If Jesus needed this, how come we feel we can fill our lives with the 'work' of being a minister to people, and set aside the time of quiet reflection and prayer.
We do it to a point where we even feel slightly guilty saying "No I haven't been in planning meetings or running around setting stuff up today, I've spent the entire morning sitting on the couch praying and reflecting on God's current call in my life." It's almost as if the time with God shouldn't be part of our paid position as a vocational minister.
Would you rather have someone be told "I'm sorry the pastor's not in today, he is off in a council meeting discussing the issues of the church" or "I'm sorry can I have the pastor call you back, he's spending the morning in prayer in his office"??
Which do you think a member of the congregation would react better to? Would they feel they had a right to interrupt the prayer time? I wonder if they would.
Jesus had some key areas that he used to maintain his spirituality during his time on earth.
Waiting Passively - Jesus spent time alone in prayer with his Father, waiting on him and asking him to guide his ministry on earth.
Communal Spirituality - Jesus spent time in constructive discussion with the disciples, and then took it to higher levels with just 3 of the apostles... He had a group of people in which o communicate outside of his ministry to the masses
A Holistic lifestyle of Spirituality - Jesus perfected this one, living a life totally without sin.
I'm challenged as I start my journey at Bible College to really get the spirituality of my life in order to build a firm foundation on which I will be able to base whatever ministry God has in store for me
1 comment:
Nice reflection Dean. You have certainly hit one of the important nails on the head. And it is not just for religious professionals but for the priesthood of all believers. Shalom
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