Ron,
I saw this post and hesitantly decided to read it, not because of you (I love your posts), but because of me. I found myself in a church revitalization position rather unexpectedly and wondered if I had these characteristics. Certainly there are moments of struggle, wonder, or worry, but I'd affirm this traits and have even found these traits awakening in myself. Some of these I didn't know I had, others growing and developing deeper levels of foundation. Thanks again for a great post.
I see the conversation here has moved to the degree of how seminaries should (if they can), teach this. I think they can, and with the changing landscape of church in the coming years, will have to. I read a report recently (though the report wasn't very recent), that said that the highest rate of burnout among pastors occurs in those who are chronologically younger. While it can certainly happen to anyone at any age, the research seems to suggest that experience in ministry is less a factor than age in years. Seminaries are going to have to address this for young leaders and teach them how to avoid these pitfalls. Hard work no doubt, but doable, perhaps paired with Matt's idea of intensive intentional mentoring.
Great post Ron, and a helpful reminder. I'm think now about how this plays out in the differences between small churches and larger ones. Small churches tend to gravitate to one voice (the only pastor), but larger churches may struggle with each particular ministry listening only to their pastor. The hard work in both instances is to create a multitude of voices that can give good, fresh perspective to lead holistically.
As an introvert I appreciate this list and would echo similar sentiments. I think the misperception is that I'm reserved because I don't like someone or something, chances are I'm just processing and evaluating.
When I first came to my current church, these were all things that we had to examine and work through. I've noticed that if there aren't structures in place to address some of this, it's easy to slip into "what's comfortable/easiest" and not always "what's best."
Encouraging post, thanks Ron. As the pastor of a small church trying to turn decline around, I've had to share similar thoughts with those in leadership. It has been easiest to blame other and make excuses in my experience.
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