 |  A special theme section on how to have an inviting and healthy biblical community.
Winter 1999
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Building Your Leaders
January 1, 1999
Not long after my arrival at the church, Mike, a committed, long-time church leader, took me to lunch. Mike had over the years pieced together, built, rebuilt, wired and re-wired, and run the church's sound system.
We had a cordial meal and chatted about worship styles and our dreams for the church. We discussed the hours and the money he had invested in our sound system. When he dropped me off at the office, Mike leaned over and said, "Don't ever forget, Pastor, I need you, but you need me, too."
I wondered if that was a request for affirmation or a warning. I soon learned it was the latter.
Months later, Mike missed an Easter sunrise rehearsal because "I've been doing it for years, and don't need it." On Easter Sunday at 6 a.m., worshipers were supposed to gather silently in the dark; timpani would begin a roll that swelled as an "angelic voice" announced the Resurrection: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!" The lights would burst on; and the organ and brass would erupt with "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!"
Sure enough, Mike missed his cue: the angel's mike was not turned on; the angel delivered a muffled report that sounded as if the stone were still firmly in place.
I realized Mike had moved from leading the sound-system ministry to controlling it. Mike himself told me he was concerned that he "always had to be around."
After Easter, the director of music and I agreed we had to confront Mike. She planned to invite the general manager of the radio station on which we were broadcasting to examine our sound system to improve our broadcasts. I was to meet with Mike, tell him our decision to consult with the radio station, and ask him to prepare a schematic diagram, so more than one person ...
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