Post by philiprosenthal on Sept 8, 2006 20:01:06 GMT
Keeping leaders too busy to think, listen to people or hear God
With all the information about problems in EveryNation which pastors experience directly and which many read message board and elsewhere, you would expect many leaders to be seriously thinking and praying to hear God. One would expect there to be meetings to discuss and resolve problems and consider how to stop and avoid them. But most don't seem to be doing that. A strategy I have seen in both this and other dysfunctional ministries is to keep leaders so busy that they have no time to think or consider whether what is happening in the organisation is right or wrong.
This is the attitude I see and hear from many EveryNation leaders:
We must plunge from one meeting to the next; one conference to the next; visits from important leaders who need attention; a new mission to organise; a new church to plant; a new fad issue to teach on; articles to write; people to counsel; money to raise. We need a new building. Then we need to fill it. Then we need lots of activities. Then we need to train new leaders. No time to stop. Corporate prayer meetings don't have time to sit and think and try hear God. We must have noise and activity and lots of shouting. We need testimonies of peoples victories to keep the positive mood. We are far too busy to make space for time to discuss the problems of the organisation. Our programme is already full. If we have a prayer meeting, then there must already be a full agenda of things to pray for so there is no time left for anyone to hear God about anything else. Where are we supposed to find time to read ideas from people in other Christian movements to test our ideas? We must keep the wheels of the organisation turning as fast as possible. If we are growing then that is proof of God's blessing. If we are shrinking then we must work harder to try recover our losses. Just don't let things slow down so people can stop and think. If one goal is achieved, then we must instantly make a new bigger goal so that we never have time to rest and hear from God. If a pastor doesn't have a full diary of appointments, then he can't be that important and he isn't working as hard as all the other pastors. And prayer retreats must also be full of activity. We must be all together all the time so no one has a chance to think and hear God for themselves. Otherwise gosh, someone might pray or think something not approved by the ministry.
And isn't it terrible that people criticise the ministry when we pastors are working so hard. We can't work any harder to solve all the problems of the ministry so we must just ignore the complaints of ungrateful congregants. We have no time to solve problems. What do I think about the scandals that have just happened or my brothers who have been treated like dirt by the ministry? I don't know. I haven't had time to think about it. I am too busy. I don't know exactly what happened and I don't have time to find out.
In actual fact, I am busy with the real work of the ministry. I care for the flock and I evangelise the lost. I haven't got time to influence church politics in the broader movement. Other people are wasting their time on Factnet and should copy me and just preach the gospel and grow God's kingdom. There will always be problems and a few hurt people. I am busy with God's work. Please don't bother me.
And just look at the result. We work hard. Our ministry grows. Other churches are not growing so fast, so we must be right because God is blessing us. They must be wrong because they are not growing so fast. If they critise us, they must just be jealous.
And then when the later result. When I do rise to the top. I deserve to be here. I worked for it. I still work for it. I deserve respect. How dare anyone challenge or criticise me when I am doing God's work. Anyone who tries to break my stride or get me to think - is just an agent of the devil trying to sow division and get in my way. I am busy. I don't have time to listen to your objections.
--------------------------------------------
This is not just a problem in EveryNation. It is also a feature I observe in other ministries which are characterised by cover-up, double standards and abusiveness.
What is wrong with this model of ministry? Answer: Where is God? Are you sure the goals you are working to achieve actually came from God or did your super-apostle just make them up to keep you so busy achieving for God that you can't hear him speak?
For those who think they are working too hard to be able to have time to solve the organisations dysfunction - maybe just think that working too hard is part of the dysfunction. It is just a strategy to keep you so busy that you can't hear God or the people or deal with the really important issues. Does your busyness actually please God? Is it actually earning you reward in heaven? Or is it just part of the strategy of a dysfunctional movement to stop you from thinking and hearing God and the people.
And guess what: Dysfunctional ministries have lots of crises to solve. And crises are a good excuse to work harder so we don't have time to think and rest. And when we don't think, consider, pray talk and rest, then we have more crises. So they cycle continues till something goes so badly wrong that we are forced to stop. And usually that something is horribly painful.
EveryNation pastors: Does your life and ministry sound like the above? Maybe just a bit?
Now some people may think I am caricaturing and attacking hard working pastors above. No this is not my intention. There is a time for hard work. But there is a difference between holy spirit guided hard work - and just helping to spin the wheels of a dysfunctional organisation that is going nowhere. Do you actually need to attend all the meetings that EveryNation wants you to attend or are they just trying to keep you so busy that you can't think?
I feel for these pastors. Many of them are going to burn themselves out and waste the best years of their lives serving a movement that will in the end just exploit them and then when their energy is used up, just kick them in the teeth. Others are going to end up becoming the new fake superheroes that everyone else idolises. But is this really serving God?
------------------------------------------------------------------
EveryNation pastors who read this - I am not attacking you - I am warning you. Please take some time off to stop and think and pray and listen to people about this movement, what it is doing, how it treats people, its problems and unrepentant sins and behaviours. Don't just throw yourself into the next stream of projects and activities. Think about whether your time is being used effectively.
My advice: slow down. Cool it. Seek God and where he is leading you and what he is saying. Spend time with your family. Make some friends outside the ministry. Go visit their churches. Compare how they do things. Spend some time trying to hear God. Chat with people in the ministry who have expressed concerns. Follow up some who have left to find out why. Read some books (but not so many that you get busy again).
And if you want to chat to me, my email address is philip@rosenthal.net ; My phone no is +27216854500 or skype "PhilipRosenthal"
And for others on FactNet: Have you seen this pattern in your church?
With all the information about problems in EveryNation which pastors experience directly and which many read message board and elsewhere, you would expect many leaders to be seriously thinking and praying to hear God. One would expect there to be meetings to discuss and resolve problems and consider how to stop and avoid them. But most don't seem to be doing that. A strategy I have seen in both this and other dysfunctional ministries is to keep leaders so busy that they have no time to think or consider whether what is happening in the organisation is right or wrong.
This is the attitude I see and hear from many EveryNation leaders:
We must plunge from one meeting to the next; one conference to the next; visits from important leaders who need attention; a new mission to organise; a new church to plant; a new fad issue to teach on; articles to write; people to counsel; money to raise. We need a new building. Then we need to fill it. Then we need lots of activities. Then we need to train new leaders. No time to stop. Corporate prayer meetings don't have time to sit and think and try hear God. We must have noise and activity and lots of shouting. We need testimonies of peoples victories to keep the positive mood. We are far too busy to make space for time to discuss the problems of the organisation. Our programme is already full. If we have a prayer meeting, then there must already be a full agenda of things to pray for so there is no time left for anyone to hear God about anything else. Where are we supposed to find time to read ideas from people in other Christian movements to test our ideas? We must keep the wheels of the organisation turning as fast as possible. If we are growing then that is proof of God's blessing. If we are shrinking then we must work harder to try recover our losses. Just don't let things slow down so people can stop and think. If one goal is achieved, then we must instantly make a new bigger goal so that we never have time to rest and hear from God. If a pastor doesn't have a full diary of appointments, then he can't be that important and he isn't working as hard as all the other pastors. And prayer retreats must also be full of activity. We must be all together all the time so no one has a chance to think and hear God for themselves. Otherwise gosh, someone might pray or think something not approved by the ministry.
And isn't it terrible that people criticise the ministry when we pastors are working so hard. We can't work any harder to solve all the problems of the ministry so we must just ignore the complaints of ungrateful congregants. We have no time to solve problems. What do I think about the scandals that have just happened or my brothers who have been treated like dirt by the ministry? I don't know. I haven't had time to think about it. I am too busy. I don't know exactly what happened and I don't have time to find out.
In actual fact, I am busy with the real work of the ministry. I care for the flock and I evangelise the lost. I haven't got time to influence church politics in the broader movement. Other people are wasting their time on Factnet and should copy me and just preach the gospel and grow God's kingdom. There will always be problems and a few hurt people. I am busy with God's work. Please don't bother me.
And just look at the result. We work hard. Our ministry grows. Other churches are not growing so fast, so we must be right because God is blessing us. They must be wrong because they are not growing so fast. If they critise us, they must just be jealous.
And then when the later result. When I do rise to the top. I deserve to be here. I worked for it. I still work for it. I deserve respect. How dare anyone challenge or criticise me when I am doing God's work. Anyone who tries to break my stride or get me to think - is just an agent of the devil trying to sow division and get in my way. I am busy. I don't have time to listen to your objections.
--------------------------------------------
This is not just a problem in EveryNation. It is also a feature I observe in other ministries which are characterised by cover-up, double standards and abusiveness.
What is wrong with this model of ministry? Answer: Where is God? Are you sure the goals you are working to achieve actually came from God or did your super-apostle just make them up to keep you so busy achieving for God that you can't hear him speak?
For those who think they are working too hard to be able to have time to solve the organisations dysfunction - maybe just think that working too hard is part of the dysfunction. It is just a strategy to keep you so busy that you can't hear God or the people or deal with the really important issues. Does your busyness actually please God? Is it actually earning you reward in heaven? Or is it just part of the strategy of a dysfunctional movement to stop you from thinking and hearing God and the people.
And guess what: Dysfunctional ministries have lots of crises to solve. And crises are a good excuse to work harder so we don't have time to think and rest. And when we don't think, consider, pray talk and rest, then we have more crises. So they cycle continues till something goes so badly wrong that we are forced to stop. And usually that something is horribly painful.
EveryNation pastors: Does your life and ministry sound like the above? Maybe just a bit?
Now some people may think I am caricaturing and attacking hard working pastors above. No this is not my intention. There is a time for hard work. But there is a difference between holy spirit guided hard work - and just helping to spin the wheels of a dysfunctional organisation that is going nowhere. Do you actually need to attend all the meetings that EveryNation wants you to attend or are they just trying to keep you so busy that you can't think?
I feel for these pastors. Many of them are going to burn themselves out and waste the best years of their lives serving a movement that will in the end just exploit them and then when their energy is used up, just kick them in the teeth. Others are going to end up becoming the new fake superheroes that everyone else idolises. But is this really serving God?
------------------------------------------------------------------
EveryNation pastors who read this - I am not attacking you - I am warning you. Please take some time off to stop and think and pray and listen to people about this movement, what it is doing, how it treats people, its problems and unrepentant sins and behaviours. Don't just throw yourself into the next stream of projects and activities. Think about whether your time is being used effectively.
My advice: slow down. Cool it. Seek God and where he is leading you and what he is saying. Spend time with your family. Make some friends outside the ministry. Go visit their churches. Compare how they do things. Spend some time trying to hear God. Chat with people in the ministry who have expressed concerns. Follow up some who have left to find out why. Read some books (but not so many that you get busy again).
And if you want to chat to me, my email address is philip@rosenthal.net ; My phone no is +27216854500 or skype "PhilipRosenthal"
And for others on FactNet: Have you seen this pattern in your church?