Embrace it, Give it

The word of the day is Loyalty.

Remember Mr. Rogers? With his blue jacket and shoes he always took off? Remember? BTW, did he ever put his shoes back on in the evening when he went out of the house? I recall him taking his shoes off and putting slippers on but did he ever switch them back?

The world of Mr. Rogers was wonderful wasn't it? Everyone had a position. Everyone was consistent. The milk man and mail man did their own jobs and didn't interfere with one another. There was security in consistency in Mr. Rogers neighborhood. There were boundaries, there was flow and roles were defined.

The church is nothing like Mr. Rogers neighborhood. The "church" is more like V: The Final Battle mini series that ran in the early 80's. The plot to "V" was rather simple. Earth was invaded by these reptile-looking creatures. Like the problem the U.S. had in Vietnam, the "good guys" lived and worked with the reptilian creatures that had the skin of humans and looked exactly like them. It was difficult to distinguish who was on your side and who was not being transparent. The plot is biblical (to a degree) as Jesus discussed basically the same thing using wheat and tares and also the sheep and goats illustrations.

So many people live with false motives (inside the church and out) that it's difficult to sort through enough people to find the ones who are truly loyal. In ministry it's vital to have those people on your team once you find them. At the C3 Conference much was made about loyalty (although not discussed in depth using this term). I've spent much time evaluating loyalty in my own life and in the life of our new church plant. I've come to the conclusion that I must demand that my inner circle only be made of loyal people. To do so, I've decided to take even a more solid stand with people in and outside of the ministry who want to be close. It's loyalty or bust.

We must all seek loyalty. Once we find those who are loyal we must nurture them, encourage them and develop them. God's vision for the local church is not usually shared in the vision of the 'sheep' who need the shepherding. The reality is that people can be great and influential business leaders, doctors, moms and dads or civic group coordinators but that does not mean they understand -- or have the passion for-- the local church and God's vision for it.

We shepherds need to be shepherds. One of the things that Ed Young said was "If someone asks you who you are accountable to, write them off." Yes you must be accountable to someone but usually the people who ask you this in your church are saying "I want to control you and we'll call it 'accountability'." Another reinforcement he gave was that professional church members like to have control without responsibility. True spiritual leaders want control with responsibility and accountability.

So this week, this day look for those who demonstrate complete loyalty. Look for those men and women who demonstrate a trust in you and the vision God has given to your ministry.

Loyalty: Embrace it, Give it