When A Leader Should Quit

Yesterday I blogged about expecting more from our spiritual leaders.  It's easy to say, "well pastor so and so is so busy, it's a wonder how he gets his Sunday sermon done."  To me, the most important part of a pastors life is shepherding the flock. Shepherding means you teach the congregation, and you warn them, giving them spiritual insight that they can use to discern the day in which they live. And secondly you give them tools they can use in order to conduct their lives in an ungodly world. 

So when should a spiritual leader step aside?  Many leaders hang on to their jobs long after they should, because they have lost the vision for what God has called them to do. i have known countless Christian leaders who are holding on to the forum of leadership, but never lead.  When a surgeon gets to the point he is not assured of himself to do surgery anymore, he goes into teaching.  When a pastor feels that the stress of the pastorate is too much, what does he do?  If he is fortunate enough, he might be able to put his experience into a teaching role at a local Bible school, but rarely does that happen these days. So what does an aging leader do when he/she seems to have lost the ability to lead?  The toll of people problems, a changing world, pressure to keep contributions to the level that will meet the needs of the ministry, and a vision that seemingly has been lost in the daily routine of keeping the doors open are all factors that grind away vision.  I think the key to this dilemma is to rekindle the vision, and resort to being the leader God called you to become. Caleb was an elderly man, but he still had vision for the promised land. If a leader loses vision, you have to ask the questions, "why was it lost?" or  "how was it lost?" What happens to leaders who no longer lead?  Many of them resort to being cynical people who blame others for the lost vision, and complain about what is not right in the ministry. Leadership isn't about blaming others, nor is it finding fault with everything associated with the ministry that is wrong. If a leader can not reinvent themselves into a position of leading, then it would be time to quit. Begin to seek help to discover a role in which you can be lead by others who have a vision and exhibit leadership that is making a difference in the lives of  people.  If a leader is no longer affecting change in the lives of people through the ministry, it's time to quit.  To maintain a leadership role in a ministry but never affect change in the lives of people, means, there is something wrong in that leader or with their vision.

So my simple conclusion to a complex issure is.

1. A leader should quit when he/she has lost vision

2. A leader should quit when they are no longer are able to affect change in the lives of people. 

There are too many leaders who have sold out to maintaining the status quo, that they don't realize how inept they have become.  That is why each of us need to expect more from our leaders, and if they aren't willing to step up to that challenge, they need to quit. Without a clear vision, a leader has no ability to lead.

Proverbs 29:18  18Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Keeping it honest and truthful....K