I’ve done a whole bunch of research on leadership issues and probably to no one’s surprise, it all affirms that we are facing a leadership vacuum in coming years. This gap of highly skilled, qualified, and developed leaders is not only evident in the business or corporate world, but also within the Christian community. The bottom line is that we have a problem. No matter what you think or think you know, strong leadership is essential, absolutely essential, to a strong economy, country, and yes…a strong church. Before we get to potential solutions (coming soon on SKOPOS), let’s try to understand “why.”
To begin, leadership is tough, it just is. Leaders must make hard decisions, invariably, they make some side of some issue unhappy. Otherwise, nothing gets done. Leaders must be guarded and controlled; they need to be indifferent and consider the whole to the detriment of some occasionally. Leadership is lonely and demands self-sacrifice, often without notice or accolade. So, hearing all of that, I guess maybe you understand a bit why leaders are not easily made.
Now, add to all of that, this new cancel culture so many are talking about. With our daily, to-the-minute, media and investigate to destroy mentality, potential leaders are running for the hills, and who could blame our young people. I mean, anyone who rises to any level of significance has their entire life scrutinized, if they find one little misstep, even years before, out come the virtue signalers calling for cancellation, censorship, removal, and the proverbial burning at the stake. Wow, kind of makes you wonder what the cancel culture would’ve done to Paul? Oh wait, they did try to destroy him. Often Pauline texts contain a defense of his conversion, admitting to his past, and the description of a new creature. Perhaps this is why Paul was so concerned with God’s grace. He understood what it was like to be redeemed and changed and he wanted the world to know what God had done in him.
So, what should we as Christians do? Well, the first lesson should come from the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 18 of the two debtors. See, one debtor owed a lot of money to a wealthy ruler and was shown grace in the collection of the debt. That very same debtor went to someone who owed him a few bucks and showed no grace at all. I wonder how often we do that? We, who have received so much grace are often the ones most stingy on granting it to others. Everyone loves the grace message when it applies to us, but what about when it applies to how you give it to others? Ya, that’s a bit tougher, isn’t it?
To wrap this all up, I think we could all do a good service to helping future leaders by showing grace to those in authority over us or when the cancel culture starts chanting for someone’s destruction. Slow down, consider the facts, be slow to speak, and show grace. Show grace to your boss, your pastor, to those in your family. I bet, I just bet, that if we all showed a bit more grace, that more and better leaders would emerge, and we would ALL be better off…now and in the future.
