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I would never…

I’m not one to use that phrase.  Maybe there was a time in my life when I would but not in the past few decades.  I think because I understand my own fallibility.  I understand that I’m only a few bad choices away from losing everything I have… a great marriage, great job, great ministry.

I was in a conversation recently about accountability.  I shared that one of the most valuable things I gained from my season at LifeChurch.tv was the constant emphasis on genuine accountability.  Someone willing to ask you the hard questions expecting you to respond and not skirt.  Someone willing to go to battle spiritually and fight on your behalf in prayer.

Let’s be real.  It is no longer unusual to hear about a ministry leader fallen from grace.  Some of it hits the news.  Some of it doesn’t.  And it would be easy to look at those situations and say, “I would never do that.”  Really?  I wonder how many of those that have fallen said the same thing at one point in time.

I’ve packed on a solid 5 pounds since my move to Knoxville, TN.  It didn’t happen because I chose to eat too much one night.  I happened because of a series of choices made consistently that lead to weight gain.  Not exercising, compromising on the types of food I’m eating, eating when I’m not hungry, etc, etc.  Poor choices.

I would argue that each circumstance that we see where someone has made a ministry-fatal mistake can be attributed not to a single poor choice, but a series of poor choices over time.  And when you don’t have someone that you can be gut-level transparent with, then you put yourself in a risky place.  As Craig Groeschel puts it, “You’re a sitting duck.”

I think it’s a dangerous thing to say, “I would never…”.  Instead I say, “God, show me where I’m vulnerable.”   Then I have to be willing to put the right things in place to address the vulnerability.  We’re human.  We’re broken.  And we’re in desperate need of a Savior to bring light and healing to all areas of our lives.

Carey Nieuwhof writes a great post on the 4 different paths a leader can take… one of which is moral failure.  Take a look and see what he has to say.

Don’t allow the enemy opportunity.  Make sure you have the anchors in place so that your story is one of soaring and not falling.

A few weeks ago we used a leadership lesson from Habitudes called The Iceberg.  I talk about ‘why’ here.

This one still sits with me.  A great reminder that my character matters far more than my talent.

The Iceberg reminds us that the most visible part (10%) above the surface of the water comprises our talents.  What lies beneath the surface (90%) comprises our character.  And the 90% is what sinks the ship.

In other words, I can focus a great deal on my talent… the 10% that everyone sees.  And I can make it look really good.  Why?  Because that tends to be where the magnifying glass is focused.

Yet the 90%… my relationships with God, Kyle & my kids… can go unattended for a while before it becomes obvious.  And yet it’s the demise of these relationships that will sink my ship.

This is a great leadership lesson that will impact anyone of any age.  It’s had me thinking for a while.

How are leadership and snack packs connected?  Great question.  My friend, Matt Grimes, made a great analogy a few weeks ago.  Thought I’d share it with you.

Those little snack pack pudding cups remind me of leadership.  Many times leadership truths need to come in small snack-sized portions.  I’d prefer to feed my volunteers small portions over a long period of time rather than large doses concentrated in a short period of time.

I like that.  So, we’re trying out a new way to pour into our volunteers in fpKids.  Every week before each service we have 10 minutes to reconnect and pray together before everyone rushes to their rooms.  A very brief amount of time that holds great potential when done right.

Something I consistently hear from my boss, Chuck Carringer, is,

We want to add value.  If it adds value, people will make a point to come.  If it doesn’t add value, they won’t.

(if you’re a leader and not reading his blog… you should.  just sayin’)

So, the goal is that these 10 minute meetings aren’t just routine, but they add value to those that attend.  Taking a tip from my friends at LifeKIDS.tv, we’ve begun using Habitudes to teach nuggets of leadership truths to our volunteers.  This is great stuff.

As a staff team, we watch a 10 minute video teaching on a Habitude leadership topic during our weekly staff meeting.  We might spend a few minutes discussing how the message impacts us but generally we let the truth simmer within us.  Then we use the same leadership lesson in the form of a postcard to teach from in our volunteer meetings throughout the weekend.  We don’t spend more than 5 minutes on the lesson and the volunteer leaves with the postcard to remind them of what was shared.

We’ve done this two weeks in a row and I like what I see so far.  After the initial weeks I think I’d prefer to camp on one lesson for a few weeks before moving to the next.  So I’m going to test that out this weekend.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow I’ll share some of what I’m learning from these ‘snack pack’ leadership truths.