Lay Leader in Need of Advice

[gworden]

Please let me know if there is a more appropriate forum for this post.

I’m looking for help to become a more effective lay leader. Our congregation is going through some major changes and there’s a lot of confusion and concern right now. Do you have advice or can you point to resources to help me guide the congregation through these changes?

 

[By_the_Book]

Please let me know if there is a more appropriate forum for this post.

I’m looking for help to become a more effective lay leader. Our congregation is going through some major changes and there’s a lot of confusion and concern right now. Do you have advice or can you point to resources to help me guide the congregation through these changes?

This is a tough one because in my 25 years in full-time ministry one thing I have learned is it's very difficult to find the right counsel for a situation without revealing quite a bit of detail about the situation, which a spiritual leader should rarely do if the situation involves anyone other than themselves. I hope that made sense. It would be negligent of me to try to tell you how to help a congregation through confusion and changes without me knowing what that confusion and those changes are. It would be negligent of you as a lay leader to reveal publicly details about what is going on with the people in your congregation, godly leaders do not do that.

All of that said the only thing I could really offer you is to take a servant's heart about every situation you deal with in ministry and deal with each individual as an individual person not just part of a collective group.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

1 Cor. 15:33. God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Read James 3:
True Wisdom from Above

13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

This tells us why there is confusion. Take time and be very very prayerful and careful about the situation at this time. Trust the situation to God. He knows each and every sheep, cares deeply for them, and His greatest desire for this congregation is unity through the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:

Living by the Spirit

(Romans 8:9-11)



16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.


25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.


I guarantee you, your best resource at this time is the Bible. Take every point of concern that you have back to God, be very prayerful about it, and watch as God gives you wisdom through the Holy Spirit on what to do, and watch how He works it out. He can and He is able if we will only yield to Him.

Luke 1:
37For with God nothing shall be impossible.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

[gworden]

This is a tough one because in my 25 years in full-time ministry one thing I have learned is it's very difficult to find the right counsel for a situation without revealing quite a bit of detail about the situation, which a spiritual leader should rarely do if the situation involves anyone other than themselves. I hope that made sense. It would be negligent of me to try to tell you how to help a congregation through confusion and changes without me knowing what that confusion and those changes are. It would be negligent of you as a lay leader to reveal publicly details about what is going on with the people in your congregation, godly leaders do not do that.

All of that said the only thing I could really offer you is to take a servant's heart about every situation you deal with in ministry and deal with each individual as an individual person not just part of a collective group.

Fair enough. I appreciate the response. Every situation is indeed unique. Can you -- or anyone else -- point to resources that might be helpful? For instance, I see a lot of training programs available but it's tough to sort through which might be valuable and which are not.

 

[anetazo]

My old mentor pastor Arnold murray and son Dennis. Arnold passed away 2014. His son is pastor of shepherds chapel. When the pastor is ready to give sermon, the congregation sits down and theirs no talking. Second Timothy the 2, a teacher or pastor is to know God's word. James chapter 3, those who are teachers will be strictly judged by Jesus. Bottom line. Have order and discipline. Troublemakers have to go. I hope your teaching sound doctrine. Peace.