Mini Rant!

I'm not sure when it happened and I'm not sure how it happened. I imagine, like most shifts, it was a slow process that nobody really noticed: The Pastor has been replaced by the Leader. To many church workers, including myself, have elevated the gift of leadership to staggering new heights. We don't want to be pastors...we want to be leaders. "He's not really a leader; he's more of a pastor" and "She's not the type of leader we're looking for; she's more of a shepherd" are comments I've heard in the recent past. What? When did being gifted as a pastor and shepherd become a scarlet letter? I'm as guilty of it as anybody else. In fact, it was my uttering of one of the above statements that woke me up. I'm through with it (I hope)! With God's help I will strive to value his gifts equally. More importantly I'll strive to value the people he's gifted equally!