Insecurity: Pastors, Church Leaders, and Churches
One of the major challenges that prevent many churches from being focused on their mission can be summarized in one word: insecurity. It eliminates opportunities for evangelism, planting churches, ministry expansion, and making disciples because it creates conflict in the church. I have even seen insecurity ruin ministries.
A testimony: I will never forget talking with a leader who served with his Pastor for decades in one of the strongest ministries in America. I asked him about the challenges of adjusting from leading church staff leaders from people in the world. He remarked, “I have found that ministers are the most insecure people I have ever met in my life.”
Since insecurity can hurt ministers, churches, and ministries, we need to consider ways to overcome this problem. Here are some helpful tips for identifying the signs of and solutions to insecurity.
Signs of Insecurity
1. Competitiveness – One of the biggest problems insecurity carries with it is overt competition. Churches try to “out-do” one another. Pastors find themselves competing with other pastors. This competitiveness occurs because of insecurity and further results in jealousy and a critical spirit.
- Solution:Remember that as a Christ-follower your only competition is the world, the flesh, and the devil, not other pastors or churches. Remember who you are in Christ and abide in this spiritual reality.
2. Combativeness – I have seen many pastors and church leaders ruin their ministry by the incessant need to have their way. God has not called ministers to always be right, but to be godly. In my book Ten Things Every Minister Needs to Know, I talk about this issue in detail. I am convinced we can do the right thing in the wrong way. We need to operate with the Spirit of Christ at all times.
- Solution:Recognize that not every hill is worth dying on. Sometimes the best, most Christ-like way is to humble yourself and see that the best idea is not always your own. Listen to others. Learn from others. Learn from your own mistakes. Do not let a word, a sentence, or attitude take away from your main message. Your goal is always to be like Christ, not always be right in the eyes of others or even in your own eyes.
3. Complaining – Some of the whiniest people I know are ministers. It also happens that pastors are some of the most insecure people I know. The two often go together. Complaining is a serious obstacle for many ministers of the Gospel. How can we expect others to be attracted to our message and our leadership if we are complainers? This does not magnetize people to the message but it distracts them from the message.
- Solution:Return to the reason you are in ministry. Church leadership roles are often very hard. When all the bad stuff starts coming your way, instead of complaining about it, keep your heart in the Word of God and keep your eyes on Jesus and the lostness of the world. Most of all, return to your call from God to go into the ministry… this is why you are doing what you are doing.
What We Do Not Have Time For
We don’t have time to play games and be insecure. We are not competing against the pastor across town. We are not competing against a church across America. While every church is called to make disciples of all the nations, we have to carry out this commission in the different contexts God has called us to serve. We are not entitled to getting everything our way because we’re in a church leadership role.
Insecure Pastors and Churches
Insecure pastors create insecure churches. Insecure churches are ineffective churches. Competitiveness, combativeness, and complaining do not have a place in the church of Jesus Christ, especially in the life of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So let’s set aside the competiveness, combativeness, and complaining and focus on taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and making disciples of all nations.
Why There is No Need to Be Insecure
Our Lord’s command to go and make disciples is prefaced by the statement, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” and is followed by, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18, 20). Because we live in and with the authority of the Great Commission, there is no need for insecurity. There is no need to be insecure… the Lord is with you always!
Daily, I pray for the authority of the Great Commission to operate within and through my life as a leader. Knowing that the One who has all authority is with us, we can face anything in life and ministry.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
God, America, and Politics: 5 Major Issues Facing Genuine Evangelical Believers
God-talk is filling the campaign trails across America. The candidates and their public conversations about God range from comfortable to unfamiliar. Often, this results in confusion within the minds of Christian voters about whom they should support.
A Biblical Worldview
There is a competition of worldviews occurring in this season. This is not new, but it is becoming more and more apparent as we listen to the views of the candidates for President of the United States. Additionally, secularism is growing in America. A secular worldview is indifferent toward God or just excludes God from the thought process completely. Therefore, when you listen to the views of candidates or read their various positions, listen for their specific worldview.
Are their thoughts coming from a biblical worldview, a secular worldview, or even a combination of these two competing worldviews? You should not necessarily look for them to quote Bible verses or stories from God’s Word. But when holding a Bible in your hand and opening up its eternal treasure of truth, is anything they say they believe found anywhere in God’s Word?
God’s Word is the only forward truth. It is the only truth that has been true, is true today, and will be true eternally. Therefore, we need to be familiar enough with God’s Word to evaluate not only the politics in American life, but all things in this world.
5 Major Issues Facing Genuine Evangelical Christians
Prayer is not inaction, but our greatest action. Simultaneously, it is incumbent on us to not check the Bible and Christian worldview at the door when we live life and participate in the political processes afforded to us in America.
We are to live out our faith and the principles of the Bible through dating, marriage, family, workplace, recreation, church, government, and all of our relationships. A faith built on Jesus Christ is a faith that is strong and balanced enough to be lived out in all areas of our life. It is not intimidated by intellect nor does it retreat when attacked.
Even though there are many things that genuine evangelical Christians must consider, I want to highlight five issues in this political season:
1. The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life
The sanctity and dignity of human life from the womb to the tomb should be a major concern for all Christ-followers. The de-valuing of human life in the way we treat one another is not without great consequence. This includes the racial crisis that is real and big. The divine imprint of our God is on each human being. He places value on each of us; therefore, we should mimic His treatment of all people.
We need to remember that regardless of who becomes the next leader in our nation, one day we will stand in the presence of God and give an account of ourselves to Him. The sanctity and dignity of human life should be non-negotiable for all evangelical Christians.
2. Marriage and Family Concerns
Biblical marriage is between a man and a woman. The brazen attack against this most important fundamental truth is outrageous. Evangelical Christians must stand strong for biblical marriage even if the cultural winds deem us irrelevant.
As you evaluate the words and positions of candidates, what do they believe about family? We believe that redemption is possible for anyone. A new path toward righteousness is always applauded by any genuine evangelical.
Yet, will this person have your family on his or her heart in all their decision making? Do they have the next generation on their heart? What will they do to lift up the family unit in America?
3. Religious Liberty
While the threats and horrific actions against Christians exist globally, will the next Commander in Chief of our nation sit idly by hoping it will just go away, or rise up and lead toward a solution?
Even though religious liberty was the core belief that led to the creation of our great nation, we know it is being threatened more today than any of us remember in our generation. This is unacceptable and defies not only the dignity of each human life, but also the history of our nation.
America needs a champion for religious liberty. The world needs America’s next president to be a champion for religious liberty internationally.
4. Competent Executive
Evangelical Christians should desire that our president be competent in leading our nation. He or she may not be able to state theological positions and quote Bible verses to your satisfaction, but he or she must be a leader that understands the history of our nation and the Constitution of the United States.
He or she needs to be a competent executive and an effective leader of people. He or she needs to be able to gather other competent leaders around them who can assist in charting a robust future for our nation that honors our history and Constitution in every way.
5. Appointments, Appointments, Appointments
Leadership matters. The president of our nation makes appointments to various places of influence all over our nation and world. Have you ever considered the power of his influence in these appointments? Some of these appointments are not for a term, but for life.
We need to remember: One of the most critical issues facing the next president will be the appointments to the Supreme Court of our nation. These appointments are for life. Some say they next president may be able to appoint as many as four different Supreme Court justices.
While preparing for the release of this article, we became aware of the sad and untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court. It was President Ronald Reagan who appointed Justice Scalia in 1986. Leadership matters! Justice Scalia leaves a legacy of conservatism on moral and social issues. He was a giant of a man and a leader. He championed human life from the womb to the tomb, biblical marriage between a man and a woman, religious liberty, the second amendment, and he was a brilliant jurist and faithful to upholding the United States Constitution.
Now with his untimely death, we may finally see the appointment powers of the president become talked about in this election season. We must wake up and ask each candidate: What kind of people are you planning to appoint to any open positions on the Supreme Court of the United States?
Leadership Does Matter
As evangelicals, we need leaders from across the world of business, government, education, church, and beyond to do what is right. Your leadership does matter. The spirit of your leadership is critical. We must be involved in these processes. Leadership matters!
I say it again. Dear America: Evangelicals Can Pick the Next President, Period. Your leadership matters.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches nationwide.
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.