This is the leader the church needs …

What must be one of the greatest weaknesses of the church is its tendency to respond to assertions like a pendulum.

When someone says the church is too legalistic, is swings to liberalism.

When someone says the church is too liberal, it swings back to legalism.

When someone says Christians can’t have fun, the response is unbridled indulgence.

When someone says the church is shallow, it becomes too serious.

When someone says the church is too serious, it becomes a Sunday morning concert.

In its pendulum approach to responding to assertions, the church more consistently misses the mark. Truth is specific, and it’s usually not found pegging either end of a spectrum. Yet, that’s not what we often see from church leaders.

Today, it’s very trendy to see a “Christianized” version of a “frat boy” as preacher. He’s cool, he’s hip, he’s fashionable, he’s entertaining, he’s all about having fun; everything is about grace, chasing dreams, building a personal brand, and keeping the party going.

His nemesis is the relic of the past, the preacher who finds sin at every turn but can’t seem to find much joy in life. This guy is often a spiritual control freak who sometimes demands more of his congregation than scripture does. He’s driven by a sense of duty, and expects you to be the same.

Somewhere between these two extremes is the leader the church needs.

The Apostle Paul helps us gain insight as to what that leader looks like in his letter to Titus. In chapter two, he admonishes Titus to promote right teaching so as to avoid the pendulum extremes we often see today. In Titus 2:7b-8a, Paul writes, “… Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized …”

So what is that truthful teaching that Paul promotes? He simplifies it in Titus 2:12, “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.”

What a great definition for leadership and for living:

• • Turned away from godless living.
  • Turned away from sinful pleasures.
  • Informed from wisdom we get from God.
  • Righteous rather than reckless.
  • Devoted to God.

If our leading or following — or, simply, our living — is characterized by these things, the pendulum loses its swing and settles on the mark God has set for us.

Scotty