In our fast-paced world, it can be all too easy to become caught up in the pursuit of a distant vision. This is especially true in the sphere of church leadership. Today, as part of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast's Thanksgiving series, we invite church staff members to shift their perspective and find gratitude in the present moment.
A common illusion divulges church leadership into constantly chasing after an improved version of their church. The one with more staff, fewer problems, shinier services, healthier budgets. While having a vision is essential for leadership, if your gratitude only resides in the future, you could be missing what God has planned for right now.
The church you lead today might not be where you envisioned it to be. Perhaps the resources are low, the team half-full, or the problems overwhelming. Regardless, the hard truth remains - this church is still God's church. He is still moving within it and utilizing you to guide its progress.
Miracles sometimes manifest in the most subtle of ways. It could be the first-time attendee, a volunteer saying "yes" after years of declining, or a couple sticking together after counseling. These unnoticed glimmers of grace are where true gratitude springs from. It doesn't live in some imagined future but in the reality of the church God has entrusted to you today.
Many church leaders become disheartened, not merely due to the trouble they face, but often because they've set an unattainable ideal of what success in church leadership looks like. This disappointment supplants the very seed of thankfulness they could sow. But by looking with new, grateful eyes at the work God is carrying out right now, they often find that their church remains a place of love, service, and perseverance - albeit imperfect.
Take a moment to reflect: What are three things about your church for which you can genuinely feel thankful today? They can be small things. Tiny moments of grace that revitalized your ministry.
Follow it up with another pertinent question: How might your leadership alter if it began from a place of gratitude instead of frustration? Pondering these questions could illuminate pathways to a more gratitude-centered church leadership approach.
To deepen further into this perspective, tune in to today's episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Empower yourself to usher in gratitude into the current version of your church, bear witness to God's blessings in action, and transform your church leadership journey into a more fulfilling one.