Empowered or Imprisoned?

It's been said that this COVID-19 season offers us as leaders, unparalleled opportunity to find a better balance in life and ministry. But as I've been working with senior pastors all across the country, most would say the ministry changes that have been necessary as a result of statewide social distancing and stay at home mandates, have made their lives much more difficult. Leaders who struggled with disruptive emotions, anxiousness, worry, fear, prior to the pandemic, have found themselves deeply struggling as they try to lead their churches/organizations through these unprecedented times. This post is not focused on how to get more done, but on how to begin to deal with the disruptive emotions that often negatively impact our ability to lead.

Don't try to fix it by just working harder…

For many of us, working harder is the only solution we have to deal with the tension, anxiety, fear, and frustrations that we feel in life. We often perceive these emotions as a liability, a sign of failure, or a warning of impending doom. Could it be that these disruptive emotions are, in part, God allowed awareness… revealing the areas of our lives that most need His healing and restoration. Like a flashing red light on the dashboard of our cars, disruptive emotions should compel us to pull over and ask for help. Often underneath these emotions are real experiences that have negatively shaped our perspective of life. God wants us to process through these events so that they can actually begin to empower, rather than imprison us. Instead of ignoring, stuffing, or trying to perform our way out of these emotions, we need to listen to what they're revealing about us, and genuinely, wholeheartedly turn to God and ask for help.

Don't try to carry things you're not designed to lift…

Years ago, I blew my back out, helping a friend move. I was carrying crates of books that I should have known were packed too heavy for one person to lift. Could it be that many of us blow ourselves up, by carrying emotional weight and responsibility that God never designed us to lift? What's on your shoulders? Is it that you’re carrying an un-healthy need to perform in order to meet people’s expectations or gain their approval? Could it be that you’re carrying a distorted need for perfection in yourself, your family, or your staff?  Or perhaps you’re carrying an unrealistic expectation that you have to be the expert in your organization, and therefore never ask for help or let other people shine. All of these things are back-breaking! We shouldn't be surprised that we struggle as we do! We can do nothing on our own (John 15:5). If you feel burdened and weighed down… respond to Christ’s invitation in Matt. 11 and simply come to Him. There’s real peace to be found if we're willing to relinquish our lives and ministries to Him, this isn't a call to inactivity, but an invitation to true God-filled effectiveness.

Approach a throne of grace...

Hebrews 4:16 invites us to "approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Very simply, grace is God doing something for us that we can not do for ourselves; think about that! God's throne of "I will do it for you" is a real place. Approach it through prayer and with great expectation. He's for you and not against you. The disruptive emotions we feel can teach us a lot about the brokenness that God wants to heal. Will you turn your heart to Him now? Or will you continue to try to make life work on your own?

For more information, reach out to ChristLife Ministries at 616-808-7773 or at www.christlifeusa.org.

About the author

Greg is the director of ChristLife ministries. He's married, has two boys, and has served in full-time pastoral ministry for the past 23 years. He's been a senior leader, elder, worship pastor, ministry director, and has played an instrumental role in developing the ChristLife experience and vision.

What's Your "Re-Open" Plan?

Earlier this week, I was on a FaceTime chat with my good friend, Greg. We were talking about this season in our culture and he said, “Mike, this pandemic offers an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of the church and its leadership!” He was right, and it got me thinking that, as believers, we’re called to action in unprecedented times, not retreat. If you’re a leader or pastor, there are two ways to respond to this pandemic and the time we’ve all been given to reflect on the past and re-imagine the future. The first response is to just "weather the storm” or "shut down" until all of this is over and behind us, waiting for the return to some sense of normalcy. This is tantamount to retreat. While this seems like an attractive “hunker down” option, you’re likely to exit this time with the same old patterns of failure and broken leadership with which you entered this shelter-in-place environment. The second way to respond is to redeem the time and become the leader that you’re called to be! You may not have been fired from your job in this pandemic, but maybe you should consider “firing” yourself anyway. That’s right! Fire the old self and as part of your re-open plan, re-emerge as the leader you know God has designed you to be.

There are several things that tend to hold us back as leaders. Perhaps you can identify with some of them. Are you such a control-freak that you’ve squeezed the life and joy out of your organization? Has your “Type-A” personality given you an excuse to be autocratic and bruising, alienating everyone around you? Have you become inauthentic because so many people want something from you, and your own health has been drained? Maybe you’ve lost or destroyed the trust with your team that you need to really be effective for the Kingdom. These things and others will put you in a trap. The trap is that whatever you were doing had the outward appearance of success, but in your heart, you knew that something was wrong and the charade was unsustainable. This time of isolation is your time to seize the opportunity to shed your past and make a new start.

The research and empirical evidence show that your leadership will be truly transformational when: you are authentic – willing to openly admit your strengths and weaknesses; humble enough to listen to counsel and feedback – and not just from “yes” people; have a genuine love for people – especially your team – and put their best interests above your own; and your confidence is grounded in the Grace afforded you and not your own abilities. No matter where you stand today and what you want to change, humble yourself before God and begin work on your "Re-Open” plan so that you will emerge from this season as a new you and the leader your organization deserves.

For more information, reach out to ChristLife Ministries at 616-808-7773 or at www.christlifeusa.org.

About the author

Dr. Mike Felix is the Founder & Principal at Legacy Point Advisors, LLC. Previously, Mike worked in the telecom and technology world for 43 years where he was most recently a senior executive at AT&T for almost 17 years. Mike has served on the boards of more than 15 for-profit and non-profit organizations, including technology companies, venture-capital and investment banking firms, major non-profit organizations, a major university foundation, and three private schools. Dr. Felix currently serves as an advisor to five early-stage companies. He holds a PhD in Media Psychology and BS in Electrical Engineering.