My father, Reg Larson taught me long ago the importance of a husband filling his God-given role. This is to love and to lead. My dad taught that as a man loves and leads his wife the wife then will respect and respond to here husband. The result is the husband fills significant and the wife finds security. Throughout the years I have been amazed at how the breakdown of most marriages can be charted to either a man not loving or leading and/or a woman not respecting or responding. This week I have been working over this role of loving and leading in my mind.
Loving and Leading is also the role of a pastor. I believe God calls men and women to pastor people which in essence is to love and to lead. Last week I took vacation and returned to Sandwich, IL to visit the church and people of Harvest Chapel where I was privileged to pastor for almost nine years. It was so good to see the people that I had grown to love deeply. Now my role is not to lead these people, but I am happy to love these dear ones still. This love though is more passive. I live in Florida and it is hard to actively love through facebook and twitter. I can and do pray for these friends, but the loving and the leading is left to a new pastor. Incidentally Pastor Wes Bell is doing a great job at Harvest.
So hear is my concern. It is a personal challenge and should not be viewed as a criticism of any person or church. I have noticed that in the Church (big C) there is a big trend towards leadership seminars and teaching. This was first really championed by Bill Hybels and John Maxwell. At the time there was not very much being written or taught on leadership. Now everyone is doing leadership. But when is the last time you have been invited to a loving conference? As a pastor it is so easy to get caught in the business of building a church and miss the calling to love and lead the church. The church we all know is people, but we must not treat her as an organization primarily. We must love the church as a group of individuals with unique gifts and challenges. Then we must lead the church. Leading alone might garner respect but to have people truly respond to the call of God a pastor must love.
I am not bashing leadership, but I do want to encourage pastors and myself to love and lead!
Just a thought!
Matt
New Hope 
Good thoughts Matt. I would add that it’s important to love all people, not just church folk. Loving even people that you might find offensive like perhaps a gay couple or someone that doesn’t fit the sensibilities of the main church crowd. Leadership is really talked about a lot but balance is important and I like where you’re message is headed here.
It was great having you visit Harvest this past week. The HC community was blessed to have you lead and love them for 9 years. The balance of love and leadership is the true challenge. Love alone without leadership will not build the “big C Church.” In the same token, leadership alone will not build the “big C Church.” This is why the two working together, hand in hand, lead by Godly direction are so powerful. I think if we were to know people close to Hybels and Maxwell, they would confirm this to be the way they lead their lives. I would wager that there would be no doubt that Bill Hybels and John Maxwell both love people individually with their unique gifts and challenges. Being that leadership is influence, we all have it in one way or another. Whether I am a Pastor, father, fireman or a Christian, I am a leader. My love is expressed in many ways and may not be the same as the person next to me. However, as my Mom would say, “The proof is in the pudding.” How well we balance love and leading will be shown in the fruit that is poduced. The real test is loving and leading as Christ loved and lead. Can’t wait to see you and the family in March!