Anne Jackson on Lazy Church Staff and Complacency
wrote an interesting blog post recently about lazy church staff:
you want to know why some people get burned out in ministry? it’s not because they’re working too hard. it’s because they’ve set their level of expectations (both spiritual and pragmatic) so low that when something actually happens that causes them to rely on god’s strength rather than their own strength, it freaks them out. and then there’s no accountability in place, so even more chaos ensues.
But what really stands out for me, especially with my recent focus on needing the church to lead, is something Bill Hybels spoke to Anne about during an interview for her upcoming book, :
“I see twin towers of concern. One is burnout; the other is complacency. There are a lot of Christ-followers who haven’t taken the time to figure out what their holy discontent is, and so they’re doing a gradual slide into apathy and complacency”
I’ve recently been struggling with holy discontent, and as I’m praying and seeking God’s direction through it, I’ve started to see this apathy and complacency emerge from others as I try to explain it. When I try to explain it to those I know, most give me a blank stare. It is sad, really.
What is your holy discontent? How are you dealing with it (or how did you deal with it in the past)? Am I the only one struggling with this right now?
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This is a good topic (clearly because Hybels wrote a whole book on it!). I think that churches have not lit the passion of many Christians and encouraged them to action.
First, people need to be coached and mentored through the process of discovering their passions and how God has wired them. Then they need to be encouraged to act when something disturbs them so much spiritually that they say…”something neeeds to be done”. The apathy we see in many churches is a result of the leadership not having a strong vision that then inspires their members to buid on to and contribute to that vision.
No, you’re not alone on this one. I’m struggling with holy discontent as well. The twist for me is that I’m on staff full-time! I watch our leadership spend WAY too much time trying to manage the unmanageable rather than leading people toward God-given BHAG’s. I’m becoming a victim of the lack of vision and inspiration that you describe, and its taking quite a toll.
What God has done for me during this is to bring people into my life who have a shared vision for a preferred future, both for our church and the Kingdom. He has given me “safe places” to share ideas, dream, vent, etc. All I can do is be faithful to Him and wait on God to show me the better path. But without those “safe places”, I fear I would not be able to stand under the weight. I still may not…