Leading When You're Tanked

Leadership 101.1

Are you tanked? Do you ever feel like you’ve lost your strength to do ministry? Are you exhausted by the burden? Tired? Burned out? Even thinking about quitting? You are not alone. Thousands of pastors leave the ministry annually. Thousands of Christians give up on leadership, volunteering, and sometimes give up on the church altogether.

September 2010 was perhaps the most exciting time in our church’s history. We were a 6-year-old church plant hitting 1600+ in attendance in Salt Lake City of all places, and we were on the verge of starting a second campus, fulfilling the first part of our dream to be a multiplying church. At the time I was the Children’s Director.
As a guy who wants to see churches grow, I could not be more thrilled to be a part of this team. But the following 24 months were about as painful as anything I have ever experienced. After one month, the campus pastor went on a leave of absence and never came back. I ended up co-leading the campus with the worship leader. Then three months later my legs went numb. I had Gillian-Barres syndrome, a rare neurological disease that demyelinated my nerves. The pain was excruciating. But I still have to lead. Every week there was a 4 AM Sunday start time. I was barely able to stand, but went in with the team to set up four trailers worth of equipment, then run two services, and tear it all down. By God's grace, people were coming to know Christ! But before our new campus hit our two year mark, some key staff members resigned, and we ended up closing the campus when the 2012 economy tanked.

Tanked. A great word to describe how I felt during that season. During those two years, my physical pain was so intense that I had a hard time concentrating. Not good for a leader. But somehow, by God’s grace, I survived, and our church has survived. I have never more resonated with the words of the Apostle Paul: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

We are now in a season of rebuilding, reorganizing, and are ready to move to a new facility. I am physically regaining my strength, but still have where I fill drained and suffer pain. Our church is beginning to regain it’s strength with renewed vision, but still have many hurdles to overcome. John Maxwell once said, “Failure isn’t final.” James said, “the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4)

If you’re going through tough times in your church now, remember, God is on your side. You may be tanked. You may feel drained of strength, lacking focus, or physically diminished. Your church may not have gone as planned. You may even be ready to give up. But remember, when you are working for Christ’s sake: “when you are weak, then you are strong.” I would encourage you to gather around yourselves a couple people who you can share your weakness with. Ask for prayer, admit your human frailty, ask for help. Let God’s grace abound, and even save the very ministry He is calling you to.

dave.elshaug@intentionalchurches.com

by church leaders //
for church leaders