I'm sorry to break your bubble but if you think the way i did, then you've been cheated by the glamour.
And so in order to give you a taste of reality, i present to you the 4 myths about being a LGL (based on my own opinion and experience). Also, please take it with a pinch of salt. I scared later i kena PM.
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| Don't say i never say |
People always say "Oh you rise up to be a leader ah?". They are wrong. DEAD WRONG. In actual fact, you're stepping down the hierarchy.
I remember an incident when i was a pre-believer. My Christian friend was trying to explain to me what a shepherd is. She told me that the more you are a leader, the more you have to serve others. And i literally could not wrap my head around it. To me, the higher status you are, the more power you have. So why would a leader be serving others when it should be the other way round? She tried to explain a few more times but i was still confused and that conversation left an impression in my brain because it was just so crazy to me at that point of time. And years later, after i became a Christian, i understood what she meant.
Church leaders are different from worldly leaders. In the corporate world, it's so much easier to get people to follow your lead. All you have to do is to wield your power and throw your weight around. I mean you can easily cut your subordinate's salary or even demote them or something equivalent if they disobey you. But the bible talks about leadership in a different way.
The moment Jesus knew that all power belongs to him, he humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:3-5). Power has been given to us not to lord over others, but to serve. We are empowered to serve. To be a leader in biblical terms, is equivalent to being a servant in the world.
Matthew 20:26
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
Definitely not the elevated status we think it is.
Myth 2: Being a LGL is an exclusive membership
The title of a leader seem so exclusive. Well i guess it is true to a certain extent. You are included in certain chat groups, you have access to insider info and you even have a camp designed especially for (uni) church leaders (its just sheer torture tbh)! But i can assure you that sometimes ministry can get so tough that you need all the comrades you can muster to spur you on.
When i started leading, LG literally became my boyfriend. I woke up thinking about LG, went to sleep thinking about the LG, and every free moment in between i was also thinking about the LG. I worried over the people individually and as a group, fretting over their spiritual growth. I have also lost count the number of times i cried for LG. Truth be told, there really is not much glory in being a leader. There are times you put in so much effort but people don't see it. Or worse, they rebel. And these are things that you will not get to experience unless you are a leader yourself because as a leader, you get to see things from an additional pov that other members do not have. Therefore, even when members appreciate your effort and acknowledge your hard work, they most likely cannot empathise what the feeling of being a leader is like (unless they've been a leader once then you really 捡到宝 lor).
Now that i am a LGL myself, i often wonder how my previous leaders felt and what were the things that i missed out as a member but struck deep within the leaders' hearts. And even though i know this now, i still find it hard to really empathise with the leaders above me because i don't have a full picture of how their ministry is like and so i can never fully understand their plight although i try my best to. This is why comrades are so important.
Myth 3: Being a LGL is desirable
Now that i am a LGL myself, i often wonder how my previous leaders felt and what were the things that i missed out as a member but struck deep within the leaders' hearts. And even though i know this now, i still find it hard to really empathise with the leaders above me because i don't have a full picture of how their ministry is like and so i can never fully understand their plight although i try my best to. This is why comrades are so important.
In a corporate setting, subordinates may put up with their displeasure with the bosses because their bosses hold the keys to their bonuses and job. But in church, leaders don't have any incentive for people to follow them. Neither do they have anything that they can threaten their followers with. Leaders, therefore, have no bargaining chip at all. And you wonder... why would anyone bother with this kind of 'servant leadership'?
Not only that, there are many times i found that the title of a 'leader' restricts me from many things. Leaders are called to lead by example, to exemplify a righteous living. One of the biggest example that i can think of is how Timothy and Ruixia had to explain their honeymoon trip to Maldives. In my mind, i thought "this is crazy why do they need to report that to the entire church?" But i knew that it was because leaders are not only accountable to their own leaders, they are accountable to everyone.
(In case you were wondering, their explanation revolved around their destination, not why they were having a honeymoon.)
At this point of time, you may be thinking "Siqi, are you discouraging people from becoming leaders?" Haha, no. I am not trying to deter people to want to be shepherd of God's flock. In fact if you want to be a leader, come come! Come and share the load! But before that, you need to understand why you choose or not choose to serve - not just referring to the position of a leader but everything else included. Are you serving out of preferences? Because you have certain skills? Sure, they do play a part in shaping what we serve in but the core reason of why we do the things we do ought to be 'God'. And sometimes it just means serving in a role that we might not be 100% happy or good at.
Do i desire to be a leader? Not at all. I would gladly give up my role the moment there's someone who is qualified to do what i do or even do it better than me. I now understand for myself why the bible describes leadership as a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1). It really isn't easy to lay down our rights and serve in humility and it requires a lot of sacrifice. And i honestly think i'm lacking in so many ways as a leader. Many times i've thought to myself, "Let me quickly move on so i dont have to be a leader anymore!" but deep in my heart i know this is not the correct attitude to have.
Yes, I dont desire to be a leader. But what i cannot turn myself away from is God and His church, The church belongs to us. How can we simply be contented as consumers when we can contribute? If we are truly concern about God and His Kingdom, how could we sit back and refuse to get our hands dirty? At the end of the day, we need to count the costs for ourselves and decide if it is worth it. For myself, I never want to come to a point where my heart hardened to the point i dont want to serve Him any longer - no matter the position nor the role, my likings nor my skills.
And in this season of my life, i am called to be a leader and so...
And now, the last myth of all:
Myth 4: Being a LGL is always bleak
Although there were many down periods in my leadership journey, there were a few up points too. I rejoiced when others grew. Literally, testimony became my favourite part of the entire LG because i get to hear how people mature in their walk with God. I also learnt what it means to really depend on God. And I gained good friends. Most importantly, i experienced God's heart for people personally during the times when i had to lay myself down and offer myself as a sacrifice like Abraham and Isaac, like God and Jesus.
To be honest. i did become jaded after 1 year of being a leader. I stopped having the initial zeal and simply settled for the bare minimum. But God gave me a rude awakening in leadership camp. He reminded me that leadership is a sacred responsibility. How can we take it lightly? Coming 4th June, it will be a new season of leadership for me. I want to start afresh and in many ways, the new structure really is kainos for me. This time round the stakes are higher with a bigger group of people, with the addition of male members and even a male leader.
Um ok can. Time for me to blossom once again.
Not only that, there are many times i found that the title of a 'leader' restricts me from many things. Leaders are called to lead by example, to exemplify a righteous living. One of the biggest example that i can think of is how Timothy and Ruixia had to explain their honeymoon trip to Maldives. In my mind, i thought "this is crazy why do they need to report that to the entire church?" But i knew that it was because leaders are not only accountable to their own leaders, they are accountable to everyone.
Titus 1:7-14
For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
(In case you were wondering, their explanation revolved around their destination, not why they were having a honeymoon.)
At this point of time, you may be thinking "Siqi, are you discouraging people from becoming leaders?" Haha, no. I am not trying to deter people to want to be shepherd of God's flock. In fact if you want to be a leader, come come! Come and share the load! But before that, you need to understand why you choose or not choose to serve - not just referring to the position of a leader but everything else included. Are you serving out of preferences? Because you have certain skills? Sure, they do play a part in shaping what we serve in but the core reason of why we do the things we do ought to be 'God'. And sometimes it just means serving in a role that we might not be 100% happy or good at.
Do i desire to be a leader? Not at all. I would gladly give up my role the moment there's someone who is qualified to do what i do or even do it better than me. I now understand for myself why the bible describes leadership as a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1). It really isn't easy to lay down our rights and serve in humility and it requires a lot of sacrifice. And i honestly think i'm lacking in so many ways as a leader. Many times i've thought to myself, "Let me quickly move on so i dont have to be a leader anymore!" but deep in my heart i know this is not the correct attitude to have.
Yes, I dont desire to be a leader. But what i cannot turn myself away from is God and His church, The church belongs to us. How can we simply be contented as consumers when we can contribute? If we are truly concern about God and His Kingdom, how could we sit back and refuse to get our hands dirty? At the end of the day, we need to count the costs for ourselves and decide if it is worth it. For myself, I never want to come to a point where my heart hardened to the point i dont want to serve Him any longer - no matter the position nor the role, my likings nor my skills.
And in this season of my life, i am called to be a leader and so...
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| basically sums it all up |
And now, the last myth of all:
Myth 4: Being a LGL is always bleak
Although there were many down periods in my leadership journey, there were a few up points too. I rejoiced when others grew. Literally, testimony became my favourite part of the entire LG because i get to hear how people mature in their walk with God. I also learnt what it means to really depend on God. And I gained good friends. Most importantly, i experienced God's heart for people personally during the times when i had to lay myself down and offer myself as a sacrifice like Abraham and Isaac, like God and Jesus.
 |
| In other words, I blossomed. |
To be honest. i did become jaded after 1 year of being a leader. I stopped having the initial zeal and simply settled for the bare minimum. But God gave me a rude awakening in leadership camp. He reminded me that leadership is a sacred responsibility. How can we take it lightly? Coming 4th June, it will be a new season of leadership for me. I want to start afresh and in many ways, the new structure really is kainos for me. This time round the stakes are higher with a bigger group of people, with the addition of male members and even a male leader.
Um ok can. Time for me to blossom once again.
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