HELP
In the 18th Chapter of the Old Testament Book of Exodus, Jethro, the father-in-law to Moses comes to pay Moses a visit in an effort to provide some good fatherly advice. After observing the working habits and extensive level of responsibility that Moses shouldered in leading a captive people into a land of freedom, Jethro was compelled to speak up. Ultimately, Jethro advised Moses that what he was doing was wrong and if he continued on the path he was treading, he would wear himself out and the people as well. The Good News in this story is that Moses took the advice of Jethro and made some adjustments in his administrative leadership style that made a huge difference in his results and performance as a leader of God’s people.
In the case of Moses, there was no system of delegation of duty and there was no organizational chart to assist Moses in being effective; he just worked as hard as he could and did the best he could with what he had to work with. Many experts of today would say that Moses was “flying by the seat of his pants.” In those days, Moses did not realize that he could solicit help nor did he realize that the job of moving a captive people to a land of Promise was as difficult as it was. In fact, Moses probably assumed that the thought of freedom would be enough to mobilize the people to get to their promised destination. Little did Moses know that the people would meet strong resistance from one another, face the elements of nature and suffer from a lack of food and other resources for survival. All Moses was depending upon was for God to lead them with “A pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night.”
For us the story is a tad bit different. Yes, as the leader of the church, I do need help; however, the help I need is based on a preexisting ministry organizational plan; I need help from the leadership that is elected to serve us and I need cooperation from the members of the congregation who sit in the pew. Without you and your assistance, what we are doing is wrong and going to wear all of us out. Already many of you are suffering from burnout, and if we don’t begin to pull together toward a common goal and in a common direction, we will end up wandering around in the desert of our own inadequacy.
For the mean time, as we tweak our system to be more efficient, just know that I need your help. The most important aspect of your cooperation is this: If you are able to get out, yet need a pastoral visit; please don’t hesitate to come by the church and see me, I’d love to talk to you. If you can’t get out, please call Mary Lee McElfresh and set up a time that I can come to see you. All persons who are in the hospital or are experiencing a crisis, I will see you immediately and adjust my schedule accordingly.
We are in the midst of a great awakening and we are in the midst of an awesome movement of God concerning us. This means that we can’t afford to stop the positive momentum of moving forward. These are exciting times and we are making great progress in the name of Jesus. My prayer as we continue to receive the blessings from God for being faithful to the task of revitalization and wholeness as a congregation is for each of you to do your part in assisting me in meeting your individual needs.
