For me, one of the great challenges of Church Leadership is the tension of not getting everything done that I would like to get done every day.  With several billion people on the planet who still need to be reached, I may not get to check everything off my “to-do” list before the day is over.  Let’s face it, if we are committed to reaching and disciplining people, things are going to get a little messy.

The great king/philosopher Solomon said it like this:

“Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
- Proverbs 14:4

We all have to resist the temptation to make the church a place with the primary purpose of “keeping the stables clean” instead of our God-given purpose of reaping a harvest.   We may feel a little more in control if we focus on “keeping our stables clean” but our church will never reach it’s full redemptive potential.

The great car racer/philosopher Mario Andretti said it like this

“If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”

I’m not saying we should take this to an extreme.  Mario Andretti took pit stops in every race and even the cattle were to observe The Sabbath.  But I am saying that a ministry that is moving forward will be (and maybe should be) messy (at least a little).

So let’s take seriously our God-given responsibility to plan and prepare and let’s also not be a afraid of the mess from time to time.

Nelson

P.S. For more on the Sabbath check out check out my resource “Leadership Skills For A Growing Church.”  And yes, that’s a picture of my messy desk above!