The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has somewhere north of 4.2 million members, over 10,000 congregations and over 17,000 ordained clergy both active and retired. That's a lot of wonderful people doing God's work. Imperfectly but brilliantly these works use their gifts to further the kingdom of God and hope to show others what it means to live as a Christian of the Lutheran persuasion in the 21st Century. Some are followers, participants, supporters and curmudgeons and most of us are a mix of all. As Luther said, we are saints and sinners; both at the same time.
However, God calls us to lead or help in various ways. And thankfully a good number of people step up and step into a position of leadership. From councils, to committees, to special projects, to ministries, whatever. They pray, they listen, and they respond. It is not always easy, it can be disheartening and exhausting, but hopefully in the end it is Godly and worth it. So below is a a link to a fellow pastor's reflection on how to be a leader in the faith community and not let it kill your faith or your link to the community. Note: This is not about Pastors or staff, but about all the everyday ministers who say "Here I am, I'll help." If you are a leader in your church, I hope this helps or I hope it helps you support the leaders in your church and appreciate their work and sacrifices. So onto Pastor Clint's blog. Thanks to Clint for sharing this:
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