Pastoring is such an odd profession. There is so much about it that resembles the business world and so much about it that does not. We have a semblance to the machinery of leadership and organizational prowess as any business and yet, we lead nothing like it.
Our world involves leadership dynamics, forming and maintaining the leadership engine, developing farm systems for new and upcoming leaders, navigating the organization, and so on. However ours is not simply a leadership of systems or product creation, management or sales. The world of pastoral leadership is a spiritual enterprise that affords us the privilege to lead and shepherd God’s most precious creation – people. In this organization, we are not the senior partner, but the junior partner. God is the senior partner and since it is His company; He gets to call the shots (John 5:19).
Having said that, let’s talk a bit about something I have always known but not always practiced. I have always believed that God speaks to His people (I Kings 19:12; Amos 3:7; Acts 16:9). The most frequent ways seem to be impressions in our spirit, the “still small voice”, through His Word, through others, dreams and visions, and of course, the occasional audible voice. This article is not on how He speaks but assumes that He does. Particularly when it comes to developing His people and navigating His Church into the fullness of living and representing His Kingdom life on earth.
What I have been realizing is how often my pastoring and leadership have been based on my tradition or my understanding of leadership principles. You know, stuff like when there is momentum in the organization you don’t want to stop it and so do all you can to facilitate it. Makes perfect sense and is absolutely logical. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the logic of our traditions and leadership logistics and execution. I am not contending for an irrational leadership and then calling that spiritual, but asking the question, how does one lead in a spiritual manner? The answer that I’ve come up with is the title of this article, “Pastoring Standing Still.”
It is clear that God asks us to do things He will not do and reserves for Himself things that He will do that we cannot do (I Corinthians 3:6). Somewhere in the midst of this is the key to pastoring standing still. Let me try and explain.
Jesus uses the “wind” metaphor as language for the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). I have struggled most of my ministry life trying to discern; what is apparently the knowable “will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). You know, trying to decide if you should buy that building now, lease this property or the other one, start this ministry or stop that one, plant the church now or wait, support which country in missions, preach what series or text, do what outreach project, bring on which staff member, etc. The decisions we face are many and deeply challenging.
Scripture doesn’t always help as it makes clear that God’s thoughts and ways are not like ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). We find in Scripture countless examples of what appears to be counter-intuitive leadership; a leadership, that some would call, supra-rational. Supra in the sense that is just beyond our understanding, but not irrational per se. It is rational in the spiritual domain but not necessarily in ours. It is rational from the vantage point of God who can see all things and as we learn after the fact, His decisions are brilliant and include so much more life than we ever anticipated. It is not logical in the way we understand logic and once we see the whole picture our hearts melt in humble awe. That is precisely our problem. We do not see the whole picture.
Our training as helped us look for what is next and proper for our traditions and what is the next step in the leadership matrix. We look for those obvious cues and rightfully so. But is that all there is to spiritual leadership? I think not.
In order for us to become sensitized to the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we must allow ourselves to stop and pause, to reflect and meditate, to listen; to open the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18) so that we might be spiritually enlightened; to calm ourselves so that we might be able to feel the wind blow and sense the direction of the Spirit.
After pastoring for nearly 30 years, I have come to truly know some things I already knew. I know that I am a son first and not a servant/pastor. I know that I am supposed to follow the leading of the Spirit. I know ministry is a spiritual enterprise. I know that spiritual transformation cannot take place without the work of the Holy Spirit. And yet, I have spent less time in prayer as a son and more as a pastor trying to get a sermon or a tip on what to do next. Instead of meditation and reflecting on my relationship with God and what He is doing in my life and ministry, I have opted to study leadership theory or systems or simply have gone out and done something in the name of the Almighty to satisfy my restless and uneasy heart. I have quieted my soul for the process and not the Person of Christ and as result, have missed the beauty and peace of being in relationship with the God of the Universe.
I say all of this to simply say, slow down. Spend time with God as a son/daughter, quiet yourself and meditate on what He is doing in your life and ministry. Reflect on your day with the Holy Spirit and led Him guide you through it and learn from the happenings in your life, training the “eyes of your heart” to see with understanding. Don’t act unless you sense that “still, small voice” releasing you.
All I know is that since I have committed to pastoring standing still, I have discovered that my ministry is less burdensome. I have more joy and life. Not to mention that things happen with greater ease and less work, leaving everyone amazed at God and not me.
I leave you with these questions:
- How long has it been since you have heard God speak to you about you? If it is a long time, why do you think that is the case?
- What do you sense in your spirit/heart that God is saying to you about your relationship with Him? Your family? Your leadership?
- When you sense you are suppose to pause or act, what keeps you from doing it?
- How is that we, as spiritual leaders, struggle to hear the voice of God and yet, expect our people to do it? What will you do differently to ensure that you will hear the voice of your Father and only do what you see the Father doing?
- If God has spoken to you today, how will you now respond to that?
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