I sat in on my first MPT meeting at work yesterday. MPT stands for “Ministry Planning Team”; it is the senior leadership team at the church. I was a little nervous for this first meeting; I didn’t want to make any mistakes or say anything too stupid. I’ve worked with everyone on that team for two years and have never had any problems with any of them. Still, walking into the room, I was a little anxious for what the next three hours would hold.
As a young leader I’m always caught between the place of not saying enough and saying too much. I spent many of my early days in leadership thinking I knew everything; I never want to get to that place again so I tend to listen more than I speak. Obviously listening is good practic but we shouldn’t always be listeners, sometimes we need to be the speakers. My desire to avoid the mistakes of my early leadership experiences is so great that sometimes I think it stifles my desire to speak my mind and share my insights. While I didn’t know that much when I was 19 and just getting started as a leader, over the past 10 years in ministry I have finally gained some insights and I have opinions worth sharing.
The great part about the MPT is that a lot of the other members have encouraged me to speak my mind and share my insights; in a way they have more confidence in what I bring to the table than I do. They all agreed to invite me to that table, not as a token young person, but because they believed that I have insights that will elevate the conversation and help our church fall more in line with where God wants us to be. Even thinking about it now, it is so encouraging that this group that I respect has chosen to empower me by giving me this new opportunity.
My only struggle now is fully embracing the role I’ve been given. I cannot simply listen anymore; I have to trust that I’m on this team for a reason and need to bring something to the table. For me, there is always the danger of slipping into arrogance, which is a dangerous prospect for any leader. But it’s just as dangerous to allow a false sense of humility to keep us from fully engaging and speaking when given the opportunity. I know that a seat on this team is the next step in my progression as a leader; I just hope it’s a step I take fully, moving forward and not looking back.
How do you balance the arrogance and humility of leadership?
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