Jesus was a self-differentiated leader

Jesus passionately believed in the Good News that he proclaimed, but he was also clear on what his limitations were. In the story of the rich, young ruler, Jesus did not change his mind when the young man couldn't fulfill Jesus' requirement to sell everything.

Codependency is a common dynamic, especially among pastors

So many of us have difficulty saying "no" appropriately. We want to please others and be liked and so we say yes to things that are not our responsibility or our calling.

When we are spiritually healthy, we allow our "yes" to be yes and our "no" to be no

God calls us to certain ministries and tasks. God has also created us to be gifted in some areas and not in others. The clearer are about those ministries and our giftedness with ourselves and others, the healthier we are and the healthier the church is.

Implications

All of us, pastor, staff and members need to be clear about our callings - we need to prayerfully discern those places where God calls us to ministry and where God calls others.

We need to discover ways to honor the various callings of our lives - in ministry, in our families, in our relationships, in our community. God desires that we be integrated persons who are faithful stewards of every area of our life.

The pastor needs to be clear about his or her responsibilities and his or her limitations. This will be worked out over time in dialogue and joint discernment.