How to survive COVID-19 as a Christian Leader…
Maybe I expect too much out of church leadership. When I think of a Pastor, I cannot help but imagine certain historical men that took their mantle of leadership and role as representative of the Gospel to the extreme. I think of Leo I meeting the vandals at the gates of Rome, after the political leadership either fled or got caught fleeing, and negotiating the safety of the inhabatants and buildings. I think of Martin Luther finding the contradiction of one verse so apparent that he could not continue in the status quo and risked his life for truth. I think of the young missionaries at the turn of the 20th century, facing an 80% chance of death, would pack their belongings in a coffin for their journey to Africa. I think of Bonhoeffer turning his back on a comfortable life in America and answering his call into Nazi Germany even though it meant certain death. Finally, I think of Peter, Paul, and Jesus who all woke up one morning knowing there was to be no miraculous intervention and they would suffer humiliation, pain, and death that day.
Some people think that if I am calling out one portion of ministry, I am denying everything that is being done. This is not true. Many pastors are doing great things and I have recently been the recipient of pastoral care during a huge family crisis. I am eternally thankful. This care and other ministry does not negate my calling and any ability to say we can do better, as well. I would like to summarize with an analogy from my own life.
I am a Bomb Tech in the USAF. I have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times for the sole purpose of disarming explosive devices that were the number one killer of troops at the time. When I first became an EOD Tech, you wouldn’t believe how proud I was. I remember I had two shirts that advertised my profession and I alternated wearing them throughout the week. Before my first deployment, I trained countless people, mentored my peers, and maintained millions of dollars of equipment. Even in my first deployment, I was a team member and assisted my team leader in ways that more than likely prevented his injury or death. All of these things were good and commendable. Then I became a team leader myself and I faced “going down range” on my first improvised explosive device. There were some uncertainties with what exactly I was dealing with and I was scared. I mean your feet refuse to move kinda fear. If I would have quit right there, it would not have negated all of the previous accomplishments, but it would definitely hinder my ability to accomplish anything in that career field in the future. Long story short, I’m kinda bad a**, so I finished the job. Part of the reason I was able to move forward was due to the legacy of those that went before me and the code (code might be the wrong word, but I can’t think of anything better) that I swore to uphold as an EOD Tech. So let’s take a look at what Christian leaders can do to save their reputation and increase their legitimacy during this crisis.
Paul and Timothy
This section was originally intended to take down the common Romans 13 argument. Turns out after some study, I was wrong in my original opinion on that passage and agree that most of the leaders I have seen using it to limit services is in line with the portion of scripture. That being said, we have heard much from our leaders on what not to do, and nothing demonstrating what has been, or what needs to be, done. Paul wrote to Timothy concerning his responsibilities as a leader. Not much of what Paul writes directly applies to a viral pandemic, but some of his general exhortations are very important for this time. 1 Timothy 4:10 states, “That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” The verse makes some pretty key statements:
1. Leaders are to labor and strive.
2. Leaders are put their hope in God.
3. The Savior is the focus of that hope.
Therefore, anyone in a leadership position should be busy working toward the salvation of others. During this work, the focus is not on circumstances or even the people, but the focus is on God. One cannot possibly make the argument for “not enough work”, for our Savior discredits that notion when he states, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” There is no downtime either. Ecclesiastes 11:6 tells us that we are to be busy working in the morning and evening because we have no idea which time will produce the best results. Again, it is God who gives the increase, but also “how will they hear if nobody is sent?”
Near the end of his second letter to Timothy, Paul states “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” This statement is made specifically in regards to false teachers in the last days, but applies in general. When the world is going mad, the Christian leader is to be the voice of reason. When scared, the Christian leader is to be the example of faith. This can only be done through the public discharging of their duties. We are the only ones who can claim that our cause and purpose transcend the government and earthly circumstances. This does not mean we should be unwise in our approach, but it does mean that we are to endure hardships for the sake of our ministry, which at the end of the day, is saving souls.
The other applicable portion of this verse is the charge to “do the work of an evangelist.” How many souls is worth your health? One? Ten? A million? How many souls would it take for you to dive into this crisis with reckless abandon? The amazing thing is, nobody is asking for reckless abandon, just some general leadership and organization. We know its needed. Yes, communities are just getting by with neighborly care. We also know that we are in a fork in the road at this moment where the virus could get a lot worse or a lot better in the next week or two. Are we ready for the worse? Are people going to die without the Gospel? I hope we have flattened the curve and this will be seen as a rant from an overly opinionated Christian soon. Our cause is too important to plan for a best case scenario.
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