Monday, December 8, 2014

The inside line of ministry

He's going to ask her out...
She's going to break up with him...
Someone's thinking of leaving the church...
A staff member's going to resign...
Money has gone missing...
An abuse scandal's about it hit...

When you work for a church, sometimes - due to your position, you get the inside line for information, getting advanced warning of an impending problem.

And then a weird chain-of-events takes place...

You're made aware of a problem...
You begin to mentally process the potential fallout...

Then, eventually, you witness the problem drop...
And then you see everyone else go through a similar process to the one you've wrestled with, and potentially resolved, earlier.

The benefit of the inside line is that, in order to support others effectively, the event is not as raw or out-of-the-blue.
And, you have the opportunity to secure resources as you process your own thoughts and feelings.

No comments: