Serving Bread

We have to remember that reputations are won or lost in a crisis.

— Ken Chenault, CEO American Express

Crises are never fun. They raise my stress level and make me feel frantic, out of control, and it requires me to make quick, on-the-spot decisions. Crises are not restful. They consume my time, my energy, and often my joy.

This past weekend, I encountered a crisis of a greater magnitude than I would ever want. Two hours before we were to board a ferry to Catalina Island for our annual Fall Conference, I get a phonecall that the channel is closed due to high winds. As the conference director working with 10 staff and nearly 200 students, we had to figure out how to save the conference. We worked quickly to find a local church that would house us and begin the conference. Was it messy? Yes! But God worked through it and one student said to me that the crisis served to bond her with others.

A crisis can be an excellent teacher. A crisis serves as a test of our character, our knowledge/experience, and our leadership. A crisis usually serves to highlight whether I will remain faithful and will turn to God and wisdom in general, rather than to coping mechanisms and moral failures. A crisis will also serve to teach me how much I know and how much I don’t know. It forces me to take my leadership even more seriously and to choose whether I’m in it for the long-haul.

This concept is particularly highlighted in John 10. Jesus contrasts the shepherd with the hired hand (or manager). Most people will not be able to tell the difference between the shepherd and the hired hand. It is in a time of crisis when it will be clear who is the shepherd and who is the manager.

Jesus illustrates this beginning in verse 11:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

A crisis highlights the differences between a hired hand and a shepherd. It will force who we are and our leadership to the forefront. Though I don’t think it’s wise to keep looking for crises because they are good character-builders, we must not shy away from a crisis. This past weekend’s crisis tested my composure, patience, and leading a team of people in crisis management.

Years ago, I found myself in a difficult ministry situation, where I felt like everything that I had invested in, was falling apart. I was hitting a leadership and ministry crisis, as well as a personal crisis of whether it was worth it. I have learned a lot through that situation. It has taken me years of reflection to address all the pieces of that particular crisis.

A crisis can ruin us and our leadership. When the wolf comes, the good shepherd risks his life. But if leadership is about shepherding and caring for others, then we have to be people who are willing to address the crises and learn from them.

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