God's Cycle of Trust

[clein]

I am sometimes surprised at the amount of trust that the flock puts in us shepherds. I mean I can see that being true for shepherd and sheep. But the people in my congregation are not sheep. They are people; smart people with businesses to run and assets to manage and still they put an almost inordinate amount of trust in me – and our staff.

In a lot of ways that’s a good thing and a good sign. It’s a good thing because it enables us to lead. We don’t have to be reestablishing credibility every time we want to move the flock. We don’t have to wonder if anybody will be following us into the future.

And it’s a good sign. These folks aren’t stupid. Most people, at least in my context, are skeptical of religious people and especially religious leaders. So their trust is a very precious gift that should not be abused.

In a lot of ways that trust they have in us is a necessity for mission and ministry. At the same time our faithfulness to God’s mission and ministry engenders that trust. It’s an interesting cycle that God authors and when it is honored and valued it is an awesome thing. When it is broken it is a tragedy.