Working Efficiently with People
Greg Asimakoupoulos
To be effective outside the church, in the community, people inside the church must get along.
— Greg Asimakoupoulos The infection set in shortly after he arrived at the church. A highly gifted associate, Todd started his Christian education ministry the same weekend our second daughter was born. Both events were celebrated as answers to prayer and appeared equally promising. Nine months had changed everything, however. Whereas I eagerly anticipated each evening greeting my daughter, Allison, I got a knot in my stomach each morning anticipating bumping into Todd. We didn't see eye to eye on many things. My hands-on leadership style frustrated him; his use of time drove me nuts. He questioned my annoyance with his laid-back attitude and struggled to follow through on projects; I struggled to communicate openly with him. Though the congregation was oblivious to our five-year allergic reaction, by the time the rash was visible, the dis-ease required radical surgery. He eventually left the church. To be effective outside the church, to the community, people inside the church must get along. Attending to those doing the work of the ministry, as I painfully learned, can be done inefficiently, grinding the wheels of ministry to a noisy halt. I've since discovered it doesn't have to be that way. From Infirmary to Injury
Sentenced to a starkly furnished hospital waiting room, I confined my solitary thoughts to the events down the closed-off corridor. My 63-year-old father was in surgery to repair the damage of a near fatal heart attack. Five hours and four by-passes later, the surgeon spoke the words for which we had hoped: Dad would pull through. But relief quickly dissolved to fear: a staph infection contracted in the hospital threatened ...
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