After preaching one Sunday I stepped down from the stage to have a man greet me and ask:
“How many more sermons are you doing?”
“That was the last one. Steve (our lead pastor) will be back next week.”
He leaned in and said “Well, I’m really going to miss your preaching.”
The message was clear. Uncomfortable, I quickly dismissed myself and headed out the worship area.
I kid you not – 30 seconds after that conversation I had this one with a lady waiting in the back:
“When is Steve coming back?”
“He’ll be back next week.”
“Good! You’re OK … but it’s just not the same.”
Yep, she’s the wind beneath my wings.
The point is this – Steve and I don’t care.
When you don’t care who receives credit it’s amazing how much you can accomplish.
Needing credit can be dangerous, especially in ministry. Left unchecked it can lead to:
- over-telling stories – repeating a story to anyone who will listen
- pointing out achievements – if others can’t see them you kindly oblige
- dominating conversations – speaking a little longer and louder than others
- not investing in others – fear of someone else getting credit
- drama addiction – always in a “crisis”
- minimizing others – behind their backs or to their face
- bullying – intimidation to get their way; keep others down
- manipulation – using people to achieve their goals
- lying – deciding the truth isn’t good enough
- not admitting mistakes
- pity – getting “credit” for how difficult life is – “I work … so … hard …
The solution – remember…
- God’s glory – it’s why we do this
- God’s vision – it’s bigger than us; we can’t do it alone
- Love others – makes it hard to look down on others
- Serve others – it’s what leaders do
Can you think of other way to combat seeking recognition?
Spearhead Coaching 