A Joy to Lead

Greg Gilbert is posting a helpful series on what his church looks for in elders. Today, his post included this helpful list of three marks of a member whom it is a joy to lead with reference to disagreement. He writes:

1. That person is a joy to lead who is largely content. Strive not to be a perennial item on the elders’ agenda with some complaint or another. I’m not going to pull punches here. There are some people in the world who complain all the time. Well, why isn’t everyone else complaining and upset, too? Is it that they are just not as observant as you? Or is it that they have learned to bear with some things, to just keep working, to be content?

2. That person is a joy to lead who, when he disagrees, does not usually let his first dissent be a public one. Talk to us before you air a disagreement. Of course there are exceptions. If we come to the Members’ Meeting and announce that we’re jettisoning the Trinity, let us hear it right then.

3. That person is a joy to lead who is able to weigh when it is wise to back down. You may disagree heartily with a decision, but there is wisdom involved in knowing when it is appropriate and wise to push an issue to a vote of the church. You can have strong opinions, but when the elders disagree with you, you need to weigh whether your pushing the issue would be for the church’s good.

Read the whole thing here.