One piece of advice that should be heard and heeded by every new leader is not to lose the awe of idealism. The weight of leadership can press the awe of out a leadership assignment. We need to encourage new leaders to fight to resist this end. What is the awe of idealism? It is an attribute that is vital to ministry longevity and success.
When a person first feels a tug to become a leader, there is an excitement that pushes them into the fray. This excitement, particularly in church leadership, can be referred to as an awe. New leaders are humbled to have been chosen, by God, to lead in the local church and often approach the assignment with an “anything is possible” mindset. This “anything is possible” mindset can be referred to as the idealism. Frankly, every Christian, leader or not, should approach life with the awe of idealism. Unfortunately, the awe of idealism is the first thing to be lost for many leaders.
Another sign that the awe is gone is that the smile that was once present has faded.
How is the awe lost and who is to blame?
The awe of idealism is lost in any number of ways. The bureaucracy, heartbreak, difficulty, challenge of leading people, or any number of things can tarnish the shine that initially accompanied the notion of leadership. When this happens the leadership responsibility moves from being a joy and honor to a burden and weight. It is plain to see when a person has lost the awe of idealism. They begin making excuses for not showing up, or for the caliber of the ministry work beginning to suffer. Another sign that the awe is gone is that the smile that was once present has faded.
Who is to blame for lost idealism? While there can many culprits, established leaders must bear a portion of the responsibility. Many established leaders have themselves lost the awe of idealism. Some lost the awe so long ago that they cannot remember what it was like to be an idealist. The awe has been replaced by cynicism, wariness, criticism, and doubt. Since the new leaders will begin to model much of the behavior they see in the established leader, they too begin to display these traits. Ministry leadership, on a good day, can be a difficult endeavor. It can prove hard to stay encouraged and to be encouraging all the time. When your mentor, coach, or example in ministry loses the awe of idealism it can be difficult to maintain the awe yourself. When this person morphs into an unbelieving cynic right before your eyes, what should we expect the outcome to be?
Protect the awe
How can we protect the awe of idealism? Spend time with God. God is the source and object of both our awe and idealism. We must remember or be reminded that our ministry is for, and made possible by, God alone. If congregants or emerging leaders have awe because of your leadership then you are leading incorrectly. The established leader’s goal is to lead in such a manner that people fall in love with and are in awe of God! The leader is not the main attraction. So the easiest way to remain filled with the awe of idealism is to spend intimate time in the presence of God.
Maintaining quality time with God can be a challenge. Truthfully, many church leaders have poor devotional lives. It is possible to become so cynical and jaded that the Bible is only opened in preparation to preach or teach. Such leaders only pray when their public persona requires. Is it any wonder that those who follow them are equally jaded or that the local church has no awe. Is it any wonder that many churches are ineffective in reaching the very culture that is crying out for intervention?
God, the source of our awe, patiently awaits our return.
Returning to God leads to the return of the awe
God, the source of our awe, patiently awaits our return. We need to ensure that every burgeoning leader understands the importance of private and secret daily devotional time with God. We need to drill into them the importance of regular Sabbath as a habit. Retreat should not be a foreign word to either established or new leaders in the church. These are the habits that ensure that we never lose the awe of idealism. When we are spending regular time with God, we never doubt his love or plan for me. When we meet him daily in his word and prayer, there is never a doubt in our mind that he desires the best for us, our family, or the community we serve. The awe of idealism ensures that we are never surprised by the miraculous nature of God. In fact, the awe of idealism that is developed through a vibrant devotional life leads us to expect miracles. We need the return of awe.