I’m working on a list of things that young ministers/pastors can do to alienate the congregations that give them a shot to grow as leaders. Some of these could be funny, but some are deadly serious.
Here are my first few thoughts:
1. Lament the fact that they just don’t “get it” while making little or no effort to appreciate or understand what they get that you don’t.
2. Sprinkle the word “dude” throughout the eulogy of a an 85 year-old man in your church.
3. Read a book. Adopt its vision/methods as your own. Lead the church in that direction. Six months later, read another book. Adopt its vision/methods as your own while discarding previous vision. Lead the church in a new direction. Repeat this cycle two more times. (You will not be allowed to repeat it a third.)
4. In a sermon, transition to an illustration with the phrase, “Let me dumb it down for you this way.”
Any other ideas?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons