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As I close this series, I want to encourage you again in the gospel. Above all we need to stay centre ourselves afresh on Christ and our confidence in Him and to stay in that place. To help us, we can learn from two parts of Scripture. Isaiah faced times no less calamitous than ours as the people of Judah watched the seemingly unstoppable advance of the Assyrians, including the toppling of the northern kingdom. In the midst of this turmoil he reflected on what the LORD had said to him (Isaiah 8:12-15): For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honour as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offence and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken. Beautifully, the apostle Peter adopted and adapted these words when he wrote to the Christian exiles in modern-day Turkey who were experiencing the seemingly insurmountable power of a pagan empire and hostile neighbours (1 Peter 3:13-17): Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Note how Peter brings the words the LORD of hosts spoke about Himself to focus in the person of Christ. This is a high statement about the deity of Jesus and about our confidence in Him. The language of God fearing has fallen from our vocabulary, presumably because we don’t want to give the impression that we should be afraid of God. But the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. When we fear Him, we need fear nothing else! This fearlessness fuels our boldness in sharing the gospel to all who want to know. In these days let’s recapture the joy and peace that come from being God-fearing people. The threat facing us is certainly different from that faced by Israel in Isaiah’s context (an invasion from Mesopotamia is hardly our concern) or that confronting Peter’s first readers (whatever challenges we face in these post-Christian days we are unlikely to be physically persecuted) but Christ is Lord and heaven’s armies (the hosts of angels under the LORD’s command) are undiminished in the face of coronavirus too. There is a sanctuary in every storm – the secure harbour that is Christ – and a reason to be given for our hope in every crisis. We must be gospel people in uncertain times. As I close this series, I am praying for you the following words inspired by Isaiah 8 and 1 Peter 3. If you find them helpful, why not pray them for others and make them your own prayer through this crisis: Father God, you have spoken to us with Your strong hand upon us, warning us not to follow the fearfulness of our society in this moment. We need not fear coronavirus or its consequences, because You are our sanctuary in the storm. We do not deny the suffering many are experiencing or our own anxiety in this moment, but we seek to honour You as the holy One, to remember that Christ is our Lord. May we fear you alone in holy reverence and, in so doing, find freedom from all other fears. May our words and our actions in this time be consistent with these great truths. Help us to have confidence to speak hope and to give a reason for it to all who will listen. May many come to know Christ as Lord and to have eternal life through Him. Enable us to show help to others as a non-anxious presence and through appropriate provision. Help us be wise in how we do this so that we do good and not anything harmful. We pray for those in government to act wisely and to lead us well. Help us as responsible citizens to make their work on our behalf easy. We pray for your grace to lead well in our own areas of responsibility and to care well for our families and those who look to us as their shepherds. We pray for those who are personally affected by the disease. Preserve life and bring healing to them, we ask and comfort those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen

In the first post in this series, we considered the perspective we have in these strange times. In the last post we thought about how we can speak hope, but showing help is also a challenge in these times. That is the focus of this post. It is my conviction, as a medic and as a pastor, that we must be guided by the professionals and the authorities as to what physical contact is possible in these times. Our duty to submit to the authorities and our recognition that all truth is God’s truth, whether we discover it in the book of God’s Word (special revelation in the Scriptures) or the book of God’s world (general revelation in nature accessible through science and reason), should lead us to observe the best guidance about social distancing. This is wisdom in practice and an act of love for the more vulnerable people we could infect and for the healthcare professionals who may be overwhelmed with a more rapid spike in numbers if we do not follow the advice. We must, however, be creative in seeing how we can best respond to practical needs in this time within the guidelines. Such care must begin within the family of faith. Who are the vulnerable people in your congregation who are already self-isolating or may be in the near future? Can you divide them up between younger members who can contact them daily by phone or video call and could deliver essential items to them if needed? Don’t assume that people have families close by or, even if they do, that their families can do this alone – they may hit a point when they have to self-isolate. If you make such plans, remember to build in a facility for people offering this support to lean on others if they also need to self-isolate. Good teamwork and open communication will be essential. Then there is the opportunity to go beyond the church community to the wider society. Why not encourage your members to offer help around the neighbourhood. Some people have advised printing postcards to put through their doors. This may not be advisable given the risk of spreading the virus even through paper, but perhaps going round with an A4 poster to show people through the window without expecting them to open the door might work? Or if you are really brave, go out like a town crier and announce your availability! All of this assumes you don’t already have their phone numbers. If you do, of course just lift the phone! The help you can offer may be limited – deliveries of food or medicines to doorsteps or simply a smiling face of a real person who cared enough to call by – but it can be an expression of genuine compassion. If it can be done clearly in the name of Jesus or of the church, even better. Let Him have the glory for the good deeds you do that are, after all, only a response to His grace to us. On that note, if you decide to act as a church, think about whether you could do this in partnership with other gospel churches in your area. You are more likely to be able to cover the whole neighbourhood without missing any and it is a wonderful opportunity to show unity in Christ. Our concern must not be the reputation just of our own congregation or denomination, still less of ourselves as individual leaders, but the reputation of Christ and the gospel. As discussed above, there are strong biblical reasons for such partnership, but it is also practically wise in this moment. More widely, we need to realise that there will be economic challenges ahead, quite possibly severe and long-term. How can your congregation respond to this? Can you set up a hardship fund? Begin saving now so that when needs increase you can respond. My advice is not to make this your project as a pastor – seek a godly deacon with the right skills and gift to lead the way so that you can remain focused on the ministry of the Word and prayer. Can you facilitate provision of food needs for your church members who will be economically affected? Encourage those who can to buy some extra non-perishable foods (a list from a foodbank will help and enable people to keep them in the church building or office, then let people know they are there. I am not talking here about your regular donations to foodbanks or other ministries helping those outside the church, but an additional pool of food and money to help church members in need. Again this duty begins within the household of faith. And that leads to the final point about showing help. As we do all of this, we must not forget that we are richly blessed in global terms. Even if we hit recession and our community loses much of its disposable income, we will remain relatively well-off compared to people in less developed nations. We will, therefore, need to be sacrificial in our giving. We must inspire people, and set the example for them, to give generously to Christian organisations seeking to engage in holistic care for people in less privileged contexts. We must also remember to continue to give to those who serve our churches as external consultants, speakers and trainers. Their incomes may be severely affected by cancellations of speaking engagements. Think about whether you can and should give even some of the amount you would have given as an honorarium as a gift to them to mitigate their losses. Sharing Help – top tips · We must act within the best guidance of government and healthcare professionals as a fulfilment of our duty to submit to the authorities and to act wisely. · Find ways to ensure that your whole congregation, especially the most vulnerable, is supported through regular communication, delivery of essentials to their doorstep and a hardship fund. · Partner (again) with other gospel churches in your area to provide support to others in your community as far as possible and seek to do so in the name of Christ.

In the first post in this series, we considered the perspective we have in these strange times. Now our focus shifts to the first of our two responses – speaking hope. As gospel people, we want to speak hope to our neighbours amidst the current stress. That will mean making the most of every opportunity to season our conversations with grace and to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We need to be bold in sharing the gospel with others, the divine call to repentance and promise of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Christ, crucified for our sins and risen and exalted as Lord of all. We also need to think about how our conversation about the virus and its implications can spark interest in the reason for our hope and point people to ultimate realities. I think that means walking a line between two unhelpful approaches. On one hand we must not join with the media, which seems to have little to say but fear-mongering. On the other, we must void trite theological comments that, although they may be orthodox, show no compassion for those whose lives and livelihoods are under threat. We are not called to condemn the world but in compassion to testify to the One who came to save it. We do not want to promote fear, but we must also avoid allaying it falsely. Since it is likely that much of our speaking in coming weeks and months will be done online, there are specific implications for how we comment on social media. Messages of gospel hope, confidence in God’s providence and assurance of the promise of God’s good purposes for humankind are much needed. They must, however, be combined with honesty about the seriousness of our situation and the reality of people’s pain and fear. This is a moment to remember God’s covenant commitment to the endurance of humankind given to Noah and his family after the Flood, along with Christ’s transformation of suffering in God’s redeeming purposes. The other aspect of our online communication in this time is likely to be through shifting our preaching to technology. If we are live-streaming or putting out pre-recorded messages, we should think through how we speak and where we speak from. I know we may want to stick to already-made planned series, but I would encourage you to think if that is the best thing. May this context require a fresh look at the portions of Scripture that most readily speak to people in fearful situations? Perhaps Daniel, with its assurances of divine providence? Or maybe Habakkuk’s wrestle with God as he thought of the approaching Babylonians? Or vignettes from the Gospels that draw our minds to the enduring nature of God’s kingdom and the reassuring “non-anxious presence” (Rabbi Edwin Friedman’s term for a leader) of the Lord Jesus as He lived to His Father’s timetable in dependence on His Father’s loving care? Or, what about a series in the psalms, exploring the dynamic of the life of faith in the midst of life’s challenges? Whichever part of the Scriptures we settle on, it is worth thinking about how our acts of shared worship can allow space for expression of the varied emotions we are feeling – lament and distress as well as joy and thanksgiving. It is also worth thinking about how your content can be creative and keeping blocks of spoken teaching short enough for people to engage fully (15 minutes at a time is probably adequate). Finally, find ways to encourage community between people – perhaps through conference call or group chat software – as well as maintaining a clear leadership in the Word of God. We should also remember the needs of all age groups in the congregation. Can you find a way to support families in building into the lives of their children? The cancellation of children’s programmes does not have to mean a decline in the progress of little ones in the faith. Creative content for parents to use with their children, especially video content recorded by familiar children’s workers, will go a long way to helping the family be a worshipping community in the home. A final note here concerns the unity of the Church in the gospel. These times provide another nudge towards a united approach for practical reasons. It is my conviction that there are gospel reasons why we should already be seeking to work in local gospel partnerships – understanding each of our congregations as part of the whole Church in our area rather than working in isolation. For that reason, pause as you make your plans to replace gatherings to ask whether you may be able to do better if you work with others. If you are resource rich in technological proficiency, why not offer to facilitate other congregations who are not in supporting their members? Or what about online ‘pulpit sharing’ in this time so that there is a clear message together of God’s faithfulness. Perhaps this is a moment to forge partnerships that we should have developed long ago? Speaking Hope – top tips · Ensure communication is neither fearful nor insensitive. Walk the line between denial of the seriousness of this moment and its implications and denial of gospel confidence. · Use social media and online church output (preaching etc.) to present a positive message of hope with compassion and space to express lament. What Scriptures will you share in these days? · Explore ways to partner with other gospel churches for both practical reasons (some may struggle to shift to online output) and as an expression of our oneness in Christ.

These are strange times. I have thought this many times and heard it repeatedly from various church leaders I have spoken to in recent days. As a society we are faced with a challenge greater than any we have seen in my lifetime or the lifetimes of anyone close to me. Even those who lived through the last world war are saying they can’t remember any event of such dramatic societal consequence since the Blitz. How are we to respond to this situation as Christians and, especially, as leaders of God’s people? I am not thinking here primarily of the practical questions of when to end church meetings, how to replace them with alternatives through smart use of technology or even how to conduct funerals and other special events while being wise in our following of government guidance. These are important questions for pastors and others are better positioned than I to comment on them. What I am thinking about, however, is the matters of the heart and our pastoral care for others. How can we maintain our faith and what words can we share with others in this moment? This is the first of five daily blog posts and video messages from Living Leadership for church leaders in these times. Over the next few days we want to encourage you to speak hope, share help, support shepherds and stay centred. But, first, some reflections on our perspective in these strange times. The situation we find ourselves in is a potentially toxic cocktail of factors: fear for personal health; concern for the well-being of elderly and vulnerable friends and relatives; worries about financial security for all of us and especially for those who are self-employed or employers of others; anxiety about the implications for education and exams if schools are closed; the fear of dying alone or knowing that one’s loved one may die alone without us by their side. We need to know what we believe and to think about how to communicate it to others in such times. In some ways, this moment is bringing us abruptly back to a situation that has been the ‘norm’ for many people throughout history and remains the ‘norm’ for people in less developed countries even today. The illusion of stability and security on the basis of progress and economic growth has been shaken before in recent years – the financial crash and the environmental crisis are the foremost reasons – but not on this scale or with this rapidity. This is a moment of awakening for many to the fragility of life and the uncertainty of our economic and political systems. I do not mean to be a prophet of doom and gloom in saying that, but I think it is important that whilst we look for solutions to these issues – and Christians can be at the forefront of finding creative responses to economic and social hardship – we do not allow ourselves to be swept up in the belief that these issues will ultimately be solved through our efforts. The lies that echo through the ages ring out in this moment. The now-exposed lie of Sodom that says we can live forever in prosperity and pleasure and the still not fully exposed lie of Babel that says we can build our way to Heaven through our combined efforts without God are no less seductive in this moment than the lie that we are all doomed. In place of these deceptions, we need a clear understanding of biblical truth. My mind is drawn to the book of Daniel with its emphasis on the sovereign rule of God. The insights Daniel is given in visions, confusing and overwhelming as they may feel, tell us the true story of human history. Rising powers, collapsing civilisations, declarations of great strength and demonstrations of great weakness are all part of the dynamic of history. Yet Daniel is given a glimpse into two truths. Firstly, that behind these twists and turns of history is a constant and unchanging truth, that God is sovereign. There is conflict in the heavenly realms as powers of evil seek to thwart God’s good purpose, but there is no question that He remains in control. Secondly, his purpose is to bring all things to a very good conclusion when all authority is handed over to one who is described as being 'like a Son of Man'. That One, who once walked the dusty streets of Judea and Galilee, has already been enthroned at His Father’s right hand and will soon return to establish His kingdom in its fullness. The One who did battle against disease during His life on earth – presumably viruses were on his list of conquered enemies – and who won the decisive victory over sin and death through His cross and resurrection, will soon call an end to all hostilities, destroying every foe by the breath of his mouth. These truths frame our lives in this uncertain world. We have a living hope of a certain inheritance through the resurrection of Christ from the dead and we are kept by the power of God. We also trust that God is working out His purpose through all things for our good, bringing history towards the goal of His children being revealed in glory. This confidence frees us to devote ourselves to God’s service. We are called to be gospel people, sharing the message of Christ with others and serving them through good works in response to God’s grace. As our culture faces a moment of existential crisis we must do both of these things. We must speak hope and show help. In tomorrow's post we will think about the first of those duties - speaking hope. Strange Times – top tips · We are living in a challenging moment of fears about health and economic uncertainties which presents challenges and opportunities for the Church. · We need to think not just of practical ways to replace cancelled services, but also of how we can respond by speaking hope and showing help in Christ’s name. · We can have confidence in God’s providence in this time – Daniel is a wonderful reminder of His outworking of His sovereign purposes through history.

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 3 In this third of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter concludes his exploration of the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by thinking about the leader's task in relationship to others. Listen now

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 2 In this second of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter continues to explore the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by focusing on the nature of obedience in leadership. Listen now

What’s your life? Fight or Journey? No contest, right? It’s got to be Journey. Ah-ah, no mixing the two. No ‘well, what about a fight while I’m on my journey?’ The point about the metaphor is that you have to choose one. Just one. Fight or Journey. First, some reasons why we avoid the idea of Fight. Well, it involves violence and most of us are not physically violent. We might engage in arguments – let’s call them fights – but for the most part, we avoid physical violence. Very understandable. I love Elton John’s Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting, but I’m not familiar with that kind of scene. Be thankful you don’t live in the Middle Ages, where your lifespan would probably have been determined by your physical ability with sword or bow. Second, a fight has winners and losers and this is anathema to people who are committed to community. A community – the church – is surely about downplaying conflict and highlighting shared values. Furthermore, who wants to think of life in terms of what you’re against? Fighting is so . . . unpleasant. With me so far? Hope so. What’s the attraction of the journey? Well, for one, it has great antecedents. Pilgrim’s Progress, for example. The life of faith has to do with progress. We’re moving closer to God. Movement is surely a journey. We feel this inside instinctively. Not surprising, then, that ‘journey’ is a well-worn theme in art and culture. Dante’s Divine Comedy (Hell, Purgatory and Paradise) is the archetype of the Christian journey, second to none in its depiction of the soul’s progress towards God (even given some of its mistaken theology). And then there’s the depiction of journey in the Old Testament. From Abe to Zerubbabel, the Israelites are on the move. There is almost no OT figure who doesn’t travel long distances. They may be seeking to stay still, but they don’t do it. They move and as they move, they learn and make mistakes and more importantly, we learn about God’s character in the process of their journeying. New Testament. More movement. Jesus, the itinerant preacher. Luke emphasizes Christ’s decision to travel to Jerusalem (Luke 9.51) as a high point of his gospel. Indeed, Luke-Acts uses ‘journey’ as its dominant motif. Not only this, but some of the most famous parables include journeys. The Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son both use journeys as metaphors into which spiritual truths are poured. You could also add The Parable of the Tenants, when the King leaves and sends his son back to his land. Finally, St. Paul’s missionary journeys form an essential part of God’s message about mission. All believers are called to ‘go.’ We’re all to journey and while we go, we will experience the presence of the Spirit, who is with his journeying believers. A strong metaphor for our spiritual journey towards God, surely. So, which one should we favour? If we had to choose. Which one aligns most closely with Scripture? It’s a close call, but I’m going to make a controversial case for Fight. But not this week. My case for Fight comes next time. This week, we’re releasing the first of a series of articles on Divorce by Neil Powell, the City of London Director for City to City U.K. and a chair of City to City Europe, a church planting organisation . They are excellent. Click here for the first one entitled ‘What does God think of divorce?’

“Waiting, I waited”. So the opening words of Psalm 40 say in the Hebrew. Translators usually express it, “I waited patiently”, avoiding repetition and evoking the eager expectation the Hebrew word apparently expresses. Not the tedium of shivering at the bus stop until the delayed number 9 arrives. Nor the irritation of queuing for doors to open at a show. Rather, it is the excitement of a child counting off sleeps as she marks days on an advent calendar. “Expecting, I expected!” Still, the literal translation expresses something rich. What else is there to do while we await something we can’t expedite but to wait? Sure, life’s routines continue, but everything drains of colour when the mind fixates on something longed for. In our age of fast food, high-speed rail links and super-fast broadband (or, at least, the expectation of all of the above!), waiting time is a waste of time. Not so in God’s providence. In His economy, time is never void. He wove the principle of fruitful delay into nature. From a seed germinating slowly beneath soil to a developing body hidden in a womb, change is often unseen and slow, but it is real and cannot be rushed. This principle extends to the ways of the heart. Growth in faith is seldom instant and God’s schedule cannot be hurried. Consider Christ, intentionally delaying his journey to Bethany where Lazarus lay close to death and saying, “for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:15). Hear the apostolic command to “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:15). God’s timing is perfect. “Waiting, I had to wait!” But waiting is hard. Expecting, hoping, longing for God’s deliverance, David waited. It wasn’t a picnic. You don’t welcome delays when life feels bottomless, like you’re being swallowed by a quagmire! But, in His time, God lifted David on to a solid rock and gave him a new song. From this new perspective, things looked different. Where there had been darkness and doubt, now he saw innumerable reasons to praise (verse 5). Where he had felt like God always demands sacrifices, he now realised that offerings were an expression of a readiness to obey that should be all-embracing (verse 6). Where life had been reduced to a drive to survive, its purpose was now shaped by a higher calling - God’s Law, buried in his heart, bubbled up in joyful surrender to God’s will (verses 7-8). From heart-felt conviction, David testified to the great congregation of God's deliverance (verse 10). But the Lord made him wait first! God’s salvation transformed David, but so did the wait. Before his tongue could be loosed to speak for God, his ears had to be bored open to hear Him. We too, people tasked to teach God’s truth, cannot speak with conviction until it enters our stubborn hearts. It’s in delay that we learn dependence. In anticipation, we develop patience. In frustrations, we grow faith. We may not like it, but we can trust in the Lord’s faithfulness as David did (verse 11). He has promised our deliverance and His promise is sure. We await salvation from heaven when Christ returns. And as we wait for future salvation we testify to past deliverance. Because waiting, we still wait. David’s troubles were far from over as he wrote this psalm. The confident, “As for you”, of verse 11, which declares God’s faithfulness, is met with the contrite, “As for me”, of verse 17, which confesses his own neediness. David was encompassed by evils without and overtaken by iniquities from within (verse 12). Yes, his enemies delighted in his hurt, but the greatest conflict, the one that most threatened him, was within. If we are honest as leaders, I suspect we are the same. Our greatest challenge is not a hostile culture or an unruly congregation but a wayward heart. Prone to giving in, wearing out, puffing up and breaking down, we too are poor and needy. Yet how often we pretend! Donning masks, we hide our weakness. But David, the king, had no such inhibition. He confessed his need as He praised His Saviour. In the congregation he was simply one of the worshippers – another sinner saved by grace! Just a poor and needy soul for whom the Lord took thought. Waiting still, we can be still as we wait. David ends the psalm where he begins. Grateful, but still broken. Confident in the Lord’s power, but doubtful of his own resilience. Knowing the Lord’s saving work in him wasn’t complete. The season we call Lent will soon be upon us. It’s a time to reflect on temptation and deny our desires in expectation of Easter joy. As we edge towards it, take time to remember the Lord’s salvation and to confess your continuing need of Him. Pray with me David’s words in verses 11 and 17 of Psalm 40: As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

Living Leadership podcast Series 3, Episode 1 In this first of a three-part series based on John 21, Paul Coulter begins to explore the statement that "Faithful ministers lead people in obedience to Jesus" by focusing on the person of Jesus and the leader's relationship with Him. Listen now

Overwork. If you’ve reached the point where you can see it, that’s good. But it’s just the start. Ministers who work too much often live in a state of denial, but perhaps you don’t. You know your hours are damaging you and those around you. And you want to change. Time to examine the drivers that have been there for a long, long time. Since you were young. You probably know where this is going. It’s time to think about the most important people in your life: your parents (or caregivers). Until you have taken a long, hard look at how you were raised, you’ll never be able to understand why it is that you function the way you do. So, let me introduce you to Tony. He’s the eldest of three, a typical eldest child. Diligent, earnest and rather serious. High standards have always been a part of his life. High standards require hard work. That’s just how the world works. His parents rarely affirmed him or valued his achievements, it was just expected. He came to faith in his late teens and now ministers in a church with a bottomless pit of needs. His sermons are carefully prepared but inside he’s dying. He feels that he will never meet the standards that he thinks God requires. He trots out the gospel, but it’s never really penetrated his soul. So he works hard in the subconscious hope that his deeds will be sufficient. For his God or his parents, he cannot distinguish. Now meet Philip. He’s a middle child of five. His siblings are multi-talented, the older two excelling in their chosen professions. However, his youngest brother drained the home of all its emotional energy. While Phil was in his teen years, Bruce was occupying most of his parents’ attention. So Phil feels lost; he’s angry that no one seemed to notice his achievements, his awards, his A grades. In addition, his father worked ridiculous hours. Leaving early and returning home late, that’s the model he has observed his entire life. So now he leads a church. He works hard, following the model of his father. Work = life. He can’t seem to distinguish between ministry and life in general. It’s all just one constant flow. But at least now he’s noticed. And often appreciated. Nowadays, even his father notices him. But that will surely only last while he’s putting in 70-hour weeks. Finally, meet Pete. Gregarious, charismatic Pete has a testimony to match any ex-offender’s. Rebellious during his teens, he spent time on the streets, kicked a heroine habit, left his faith and has now returned. He’s experienced true grace, but inside he desperately wants to compensate for his past. His parents say they forgive him, but his father seems distant. So he works to prove himself. He works to show he’s a new man. And if that means long hours, then so be it. The honest truth is that without his work, he doesn’t feel he deserves anything. So he must work. He must keep going. As with many addicts, he fears the dark and lonely places, which still pull at him. And work keeps those away. But at a cost. You may or may not see yourself in one of these descriptions. But one thing is absolutely certain. If you work long hours, it’s an absolute certainty that your past is part of the explanation. It just is. You may have ways of coping. You may have ways of rationalising your behaviour. But perhaps you’ve reached a point where you’re starting to see what’s driving the overwork. If that’s the case, then you’re in a good place. God’s answer to our fractured pasts is always the same. His love and grace. Not the concepts. The reality of his abiding presence in our hearts. By his Spirit. His Spirit tells us who we are. And he can guide us into understanding how it is that we’ve become the people we now are. At 25. At 45. At 70. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Your present is the result of your past. Especially those first 18 years. And God has a way of healing our pasts by drawing us into truth. Because he is the Truth. This week, we’re releasing Part Two of an article by Marcus Honeysett on the importance of a church leader’s home life. Click here.

Living Leadership Podcast - special episode A one off episode exploring what pastoral care is in terms of motivation, methods and means derived from the triune God who is our Shepherd. This episode marks the launch of the Gospel-Shaped Pastoral Care Course in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, next Monday (3 February 2020). Listen now

Last time, I asked the question, ‘Overwork – what’s that all about?’ Over the next few posts, I’d like to address the major reasons why church leaders work too much. So let’s be clear. This is a serious problem. It is not virtuous. It is not good. Some leaders may think they have ‘extra capacity.’ They do not. And finally, it is damaging. To the leader. To the church. Time to figure out what’s driving your overwork. This week, the Protestant work ethic. The leaders I know are wonderful, caring, conscientious people. They are diligent, they are often disciplined and they get a lot done. But many work in environments created for them by the denomination or the church ruling body which, frankly, are unhealthy. The expectations are unrealistic – just one more home visit, one more meeting, one more service – and because of their work ethic, they soldier on. The virtue which resides inside so many leaders – that they are compassionate, caring people – is the very thing which is causing them harm. It’s damaging to health and relationships. They feel trapped. The only word I have to offer is ‘boundaries.’ In many cases, leaders do actually have the ability to set out boundaries. You may think you don’t have this ability, but you do. I’ve lost count of the reasons I’ve heard from leaders trying to justify their overwork. No one else can do it. They want me, they won’t accept anyone else. The leader has always done this. The board says I have to do it. It’s my job. I could go on. Boundaries. Yes, you can set them. Yes, some things won’t be done which used to be done. Yes, some people will be disappointed, perhaps even upset. They may even speak badly of you. But it’s simply false to say ‘I have no choice.’ You do have a choice. You also have a choice to see clearly the damage that results from overwork. Here are some of the downsides of overworking: As a leader, you are a model, so when you overwork, you create a culture in which your overwork is viewed as normative. Many, especially younger church staff, will view your overwork as virtue, when it isn’t. It’s unhealthy. When you overwork, you are probably harming relationships in ways of which you are almost certainly unaware. When you overwork, you do not present as a mature leader, but one who is driven by something other than a clear understanding of your identity in Christ. As a leader, that’s disastrous for those you lead. Your overwork is almost certainly a sign that you haven’t learned to embrace a major part of your role: equipping and releasing your people. So, here is a set of statements that might be helpful to embrace: It is healthy to say ‘no.’ It is healthy to stop working at a certain time, and limit your access to emergencies only. It is healthy to turn down invitations. It is a sign of health when others take on leadership roles in your church. It is a sign of health when others are equipped to serve. Others can preach. Others can lead services. Your reputation is not paramount, your physical and spiritual health is more important. You can change. I’ve barely got started, but this is a blog post and my word limit is almost up. To conclude, however, I wish to offer hope. That final one, you can change. It’s a message we all need in some area of our lives. God has called you into leadership because of his grace, not your work capacity. The grace that you have preached on more times than you’ve had hot dinners, it’s a never-ending stream of wonder. With God’s grace, you can address the problem. But only if you’re prepared to look it in the face and acknowledge it. God’s grace is designed to draw you back again and again to your core identity: God’s beloved child. Out of this will flow good work practices. Be encouraged. There’s hope. This week, we’re releasing an article by Marcus Honeysett on the importance of a church leader’s home life. Click here