McNeal

The Preacher’s Heart – Part 3

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Culture and call, community and communion.  All arenas of life, sub-plots in the story God is writing in us.  All are arenas of critical importance for us, since it is in respect to these that our choices in response to God’s initiative determine how God shapes our hearts.  The final two arenas:

Arena 5: Conflict – Conflict is guaranteed in leadership (it may be personal, relational, demonic, or organizational).  Criticism is also part of the package.  This is no less the case for preachers.  How do you engage with the inevitable conflicts that come your way?  These are not distractions from your growth as a leader, these are key moments in shaping your heart for leadership.  (Again consider how Moses was shaped by conflict in Egypt, and criticism in the wilderness.  Or think of David versus Saul, and versus Absalom.  And Paul faced challenges from the church as a new convert, conflict with Barnabas, persecution from Jews and opposition within the church regarding his apostleship.)

Arena 6: Commonplace –  In the ordinary mundane things of life you are being shaped.  The normal routine, when no-one is watching, when you are “plugging away” in your role, in your relationships.  To be shaped well: look for God in these times, keep learning, say yes to God (obey in the small stuff), stay grateful.  We can sometimes rush toward the exciting end of ministry, but remember how God shapes us in these low-key times.  For Moses it was decades in the desert, for David there were the years on the run, for Paul there was obscurity for the first years, and so much more.  For us, perhaps we have wilderness seasons, but also the repetitious routine of time in the study.

It all counts, as long as we choose to respond well.  God uses every element of life to shape us as preachers, as leaders, as men and women after His own heart.

The Preacher’s Heart – Part 2

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Last time I introduced the first two categories in Reggie McNeal’s book, A Work of Heart.  These six “arenas” are the sub-plots of our lives through which God is shaping us as his followers, as preachers, as leaders.  How we respond to these initiatives will determine what we become.  Last time we considered briefly culture and call.

Arena 3: Community – We are, by nature, creatures of community.  Your family of origin, current family, relationships, friendships, all are shaping and sustaining you for leadership.  Issues here include love, forgiveness, identity, and purposeful relationships (mentoring).  Consider the influence of Moses’ families of origin, Jethro, Joshua.  Consider David’s family background, his mighty men, his Abigail.  Consider how Paul was shaped by Barnabas, Timothy and Silas, Luke, Epaphras, etc.

Arena 4: Communion – Your conscious cultivation of your own relationship with God – rest, conversation, devotion, worship.  It is so easy, with hindsight, to see the value of Paul’s time in obscurity, or David’s years on the run, or Moses’ decades in the desert and then the weeks on the mountain.  How much they fellowshipped with God, what sweet communion they enjoyed.  Yet at the time, without hindsight, so many would choose rather to dry up in the heart.

Any understanding of the Christian life that is not, at its core, about relationship with God and with others, is surely grossly inadequate.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to take some time to evaluate your own state of heart in respect to communion with God and community (how easy to fall into the trap of “lone rangering” in ministry…how dangerous!)

The Preacher’s Heart – Part 1

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Whenever you teach a preaching course you are faced with the same challenge.  It is possible to teach skills and principles, but it is not possible to fully train a preacher.  There is that element that can only come from God’s work in a person’s life.  Partially it is a matter of spiritual formation and maturity.  Partially it involves gifting and even natural ability (also a gift).  I’d like to take a couple of posts to scratch the surface of this vast subject.

Reggie McNeal’s book, A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders is a first-rate volume.  I refer to it as my favorite book on leadership.  As preachers, we are leaders.  Whether or not the other trappings of leadership and organizational structure exist, when we preach, we lead.  McNeal rightly points out that leadership is ultimately a matter of the heart.  God is always at work, shaping the hearts of leaders.  Our privilege is to respond to God’s initiative in at least six arenas of life.  The choices we make in response to God’s initiative “are the story of your life.”

Arena 1: Culture – Moses was shaped by Egyptian, Hebrew and Midianite culture.  Paul drew on his Jewish and Roman cultural background.  We need to study our own culture, and other cultures.  No culture is neutral, each has positive and negative elements.  So how do we respond to where God has placed us culturally?  God calls us to engage with culture, and also transcend it or be distinct within it.

Arena 2: Call – A sense of destiny and purpose is important in ministry.  Though each story is different, there is usually both critical moments and an ongoing discovery process.  Moses had the burning bush, and a whole lot of process to work through.  David was anointed by Samuel, followed by much time for soul-searching.  Paul knew both the crisis and the process.  Why you are here on earth, now, wired as you are (gifts, talents, skills, personality), for what purpose?  What is your sense of destiny and direction, passion and purpose? 

The choices we make in response to these realities are critical in the shaping of our lives.

In the next two posts I will share two more pairs of “arenas of God’s heart-shaping initiative” in all our stories.