"When your body is out of alignment, exercise and stretching hurt it more than help it."
My chiropractor is a stud, but not known for pearls of wisdom. Usually we talk about our kids or how my cycling is going, but today he made this quote in reference to some neck and shoulder pain I had been having.
Much talk is made these days about 'every person a minister' and in CCC mobilizing all kinds of people from high school students to college professors to help with our mission.
During these conversations or speeches my mind drifts to the question 'Why am I a full-time minister if anyone can do my job?' Seriously, I have quite a few back-up jobs that don't include raising financial support, spiritual warfare, and high relational demands (I'm an introvert).
This morning reminded me of why, as I shared with a friend how complicated and layered the relational dynamics of a team are and how wise and discerning one must be in selecting and placing people in various leadership roles.
Having a decent amount of experience in ministry now I have to say that I'm more aligned to these sorts of issues and dynamics than the lay person. I can also confidently say that a lay person, if put in a leadership capacity, would hurt more than help the ministry at Chico State.
It feels slightly sacrilegious to say that, but it's true. As much as Christian culture trumpets the need for all to participate in the Great Commission (I love the every person a minister slogan), I would love to see more confidence from ministers (especially para-church peeps) in their expertise as professional ministers.
Many CCC staff including myself experience feelings of inadequacy or low confidence in leadership because they lack a title such as Pastor. I would love for our organizational culture to integrate a development plan that parallels equivalent jobs outside of CCC and in the workforce. Not necessarily adopting their specifics, but that would generally translate to its equivalent.
Although the assumption joining staff is that one would stay on forever, the reality is that most staff last under 10 years. I wonder if more integrated training of this nature would increase that number by decreasing the fears or need to leave staff earlier than they would like in order to start building on a career path that is not available in CCC.
