1 Timothy 3:6 The Price Of Leadership

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 

Observation

Leadership is a prized roll. It was in Paul's time and it is in ours as well. I think it is because by calling someone a leader you are designating them special in some way. The list that Paul gives for an elder of the church certainly would make an individual special (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7).  But people tend to rush into leadership because of the attention that it brings and the title received, all the while not really thinking through the price that must be paid.

A new believer can easily fall into this trap. They think that the leadership role that they just received is about them, when the mature believer knows the leadership role has very little to do with them and is primarily for the glory and kingdom of God. A mature believer in leadership knows the snares of satan and spends time in prayer and in God's word armoring up each day for battle. 

Application

There is a huge price to be paid as a leader that most people don't talk about. For one, you have a bigger target on your back. I have a large target on my back each time I lead worship or a small group. The enemy is always trying to devour me, but when you step up into leadership the warfare increases ten fold. My husband would tell you that the spiritual warfare that we encounter each day is the worse part of his wife being involved in full time ministry.  I became a leader in ministry shortly after being involved in church for the first time. I thought it would be no big deal because I have been in a leadership role in the secular workforce since I was 17. Wow, was I wrong. Ministry leadership put me in the fire of refinement full blast, and I'm grateful that God has held me through it all and has made me look more like Him because of it.  But I can see the wisdom in waiting for maturity to set in before becoming a ministry leader.

When people come to me wanting me to help them be a worship leader, I am always hesitant because of the price that must be paid. I warn them of the price, I tell them where their heart has to be, but still nothing seems to prepare them for the warfare they encounter. And every time one who has desired leadership is lost, disheartened by the church, burnout by the work, infected by the mess, and the walk away, my heart breaks.

Prayer

Father, thank You for holding me. Thank You for allowing me to lead others to You. Thank You for helping me persevere and cleansing me from the infection and purifying me from sin. I am the leader I am today because of Your faithfulness and not my own. I love You!