No one experiences the success of leadership without also knowing pain.
It’s up to each individual leader if they will press through the pain and grow or quit leading.
The principle is that strong.
Too many of my friends and colleagues have quit leading. They may still have a position in the church, but after enough pain for too many years, they pull back to a safe zone and maintain.
The trouble with retreat is that it brings its own pain.
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Great hospitality isn’t a strategy, it’s part of a lifestyle.
It begins within the hearts of a few who have a gift of hospitality and catches like wildfire amongst all it touches.
Any kind of hospitality is great.
If it’s a job description fulfilled by cheerful people, that is absolutely wonderful.
But I’ve traveled to enough churches around the country that it’s now easy to notice the difference between hospitality that is a program and hospitality that is more of a spirit within the people.
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The longer you lead in any one organization, the more difficult it is to let go.
That’s natural.
You’ve invested more, so there is more to protect. Or at least be tempted to protect.
It’s not unlike the difference between a young adult who is twenty-five and a middle-aged adult who is fifty-five.
If you are a young adult who is just moving out of your parent’s place for the first time with a modest bank account and all you own in the back of an SUV, you are probably more willing to risk big because there’s not as much to lose.
If you are a middle-aged adult with decades of life invested, married with three kids, a mortgage, and your life savings set aside, you’re still willing to risk, but you think about things differently. You handle your money differently … you are more likely to hold onto it and for good reasons.
In leadership, however, it’s essential to be more open-handed with your authority, influence, and what you have built.
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Criticism is a reality in any leader’s life.
Constructive critique is welcomed.
Whether it comes from a coach who cares, another leader on the team who wants the best for you and the church, or a good friend, constructive criticism given in a genuine spirit of love is a gift.
Potentially destructive criticism, however, comes from both inside and outside the church.
Even when you’re making a positive difference in your community, someone will be offended and complain.
Christians too, will let you know what they don’t like and might even leave if you don’t comply.
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Dan Reiland is the Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He previously partnered with John Maxwell for 20 years, first as Executive Pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, then as Vice President of Leadership and Church Development at INJOY.
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