Spiritual leadership is an impossible...
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Spiritual leadership is an impossible job. No human being has the mix of gifts to minister flawlessly. (There was someone who did, and look what they did to him.) Three factors are currently increasing the challenge of leading spiritually in Protestant churches: technology, globalization, and pluralism. Even without detailing these dynamics, we know that the impossible job of spiritual leadership is becoming unsure. Conflict is everywhere. Pastors blame people for insubordination. People blame pastors for failing to boost membership, money, and institutional loyalty. My brother-in-law, a United Methodist pastor, received death threats and was rejected in his church. But the saddest of all the recent "horror stories" I've heard involved a colleague of mine in the spring of 1997. Don (alias) was a brilliant 27-year veteran of pastoral ministry. He had a firm grasp of the need for shepherding presence over programmatic structure. Shaken by the separation from his wife, he sought reconciliation in their marriage. During this time his mother died. He was also struggling physically. This made the impossible job intolerable. Don fit this congregation's culture perfectly. He loved the people and said he felt like ministry there was "heaven." He wanted this to be his concluding work before retirement. He loved the region, and had built a network of relationships. But rejection got in the way. The church was frustrated with all of Don's "personal problems" and grew impatient. A new independent church plant came in and siphoned away members. The denomination was called in and Don was fired. But he was also rejected, in the place he loved and called home. -- Webster
