The real deal

I can confess to you that the most frustrating thing about attempting to grow a church has been attempting to find a few leaders that are the real deal. A group of people who are devoted to the church, love the church and want to see it grow and flourish. It's tough and very frustrating, I have been prepared by the number of youth helpers I have attempted and the number that I have actually had. I have seen potential in hundreds of teens but looking back less than 20 or 25 thru the years have actually been great leaders. It's up to God to hand pick them, not me. It's also up to God to help the church flourish and grow, not me.
There is so much involved in putting together church leadership and getting things headed in the right direction, but there's a story from Chuck Swindoll's book "Living above the level of mediocrity" that drives home what every Pastor is looking for when embarking on this endeavor.
He tells about a church in the Soviet Union a few years ago that was forced to meet secretly because the holding of house church services was illegal.
They tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as they gathered on Sunday to worship the Lord, so they came at different times & casually walked into the house until they had all arrived. Then they would close the doors, pull the curtains, & quietly worship the Lord.
But one Sunday, right in the midst of their worship service, two soldiers broke into the room, & at gunpoint lined the Christians up against the wall. One shouted, "If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, leave now!"
Two or three quickly left, then another, & then two more. Again the soldier spoke, "This is your last chance. Either leave now & renounce your faith in Christ, or stay & suffer the consequences." Another left, & then another, almost hiding their faces in shame as they went out. But the rest stood their ground, children standing beside their parents, trembling, some even crying as their parents stood with their hands in the air, fully expecting to be gunned down or imprisoned.
After all had left who chose to flee, the other soldier closed the doors, looked back at those who stood against the wall & said, "Keep your hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. We, too, are Christians."
The two soldiers explained that some time earlier they had been sent to another house church to arrest the Christians there. But in the process, they had heard the gospel & had accepted Jesus as their Lord & Savior, too. But they explained, "We have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted."
So pastors aren't necessarily looking for people that will die for their church, but people who would die for their faith. People who put their faith first, and their church not far behind, who are willing to sweat and struggle a little to see a community reached for Christ.
Thanks for reading and have an awesome weekend!