PASSING THE TORCH

Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17

 “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ The Lord replied, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.’”

 “John answered their questions by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”

“Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.”

There comes a time when every leader must pass the torch of leadership to another.  Those who do so gracefully are a blessing to their successors.  Those who hang onto a ministry contrary to God’s Will find themselves substituting perspiration for inspiration as their spiritual authority erodes beneath them. The end result is usually bitterness and hurt feelings, at best.  At worst, a schism can result which prevents any effective ministry at all.  Moses and John the Baptist got it right, and we would do well to follow their example.

I have started more than one ministry that changed and diverged from its original course.  After several years of leading a Singles Ministry, for example, it became very clear I had nothing left to say. It was disconcerting to feel the Spirit pull the inspirational rug out from under me. I wondered if I had misinterpreted the call from the start. Turned out, I had gotten too comfortable. The Lord wanted me to move on to a different opportunity. God reminded me even Paul played a limited role as planter; others were to water, nourish, prune, etc. the ministries he began.  So, the lesson was, first, that Christian leaders need to reconcile themselves to the idea that ministries, just like people, grow, develop and change according to the Spirit’s Will and not necessarily according to our expectations or hopes. Indeed, the change may even separate leader and ministry. That’s OK; if the ministry is truly viable, Christ will sustain it without them.

Second, if the ministry depends on the person more than the Spirit, it’s on very thin ice to begin.  By definition, every Christian “ministry” belongs to Jesus; “leaders” are but servants and messengers. When we forget and begin thinking ourselves indispensible, we put too much focus and pressure on ourselves and are bound to fail eventually.

Finally, accepting that the ministry does belong to the Father, we have to trust Him to sustain it, change it or end it according to His purpose and Will.  It’s tough to see a ministry die. It can be difficult even to see someone else take over, especially if it involves a change in direction. But the Spirit still rewards those who hold ministries with open palms and graciously defer to their successors.