Keeping Your People Happy

• Romans 1:1 (NKJV) Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

The best preachers and teachers care about people.

We’ve all sat under the ministry of someone who loves to preach or teach but they don’t really love people.  We may leave commenting on the great performance but it is doubtful we will leave feeling loved and affirmed.  On the other hand, we’ve also sat under the ministry of someone whose communication skills and expertise where not that strong but they had a great impact on us because we knew they loved you.  There’s a world of difference.

However, one of the most difficult things for a caring preacher or teacher to do is to keep the balance between serving the people and pleasing them.

I have found that one of the common denominators among ministers of the Gospel is their desire to help people.  They want to resolve conflict, trouble and hardships.  In other words, they want people to be happy.

However, there is a subtle danger than can influence our treatment of those we serve – we can translate our desire for people to be happy into our need for them to be happy with us.  The Bible calls it being a “people-pleaser” and in the end that attitude will undermine your ability to really help your people.

Remember, some of God’s greatest gifts are “tough times”.  The tests and trials of life are the crucibles that refine and renew us; they are character building times; moments of destiny that change forever the direction of our lives.  To try to protect our people from them is not in their best interest.  When we allow our need to be liked to influence what we teach and how we lead we are doing a great disservice to those we are called to serve and we are cheapening the call that God has placed upon our lives.

So how is this issue resolved?  There is no simple answer – leading is difficult; giving the full-counsel of God can get you killed and minimally will cause people to sometimes get upset at you.

So what are you to do?  A number of years ago I ran across this statement in a book I read (see below) and it helped put into a succinct statement the answer we are looking for.  It read: “I am your servant, but you are not my master.”

Never forget who you Master is.  At the end of the day, a slave is only answerable to his master.  Actually, a slave is one of the freest people in all the world: all he has to do is please his master.  Everybody in the world can be mad at him but if his master is pleased then he is a success.  Furthermore, a slave can be very powerful for they represent their master.  And dear friend, as a communicator of the Gospel of God you represent the most powerful being in the universe.

Tomorrow you will yet again stand before your people and proclaim the good news that Jesus is risen!  Give it your best; serve your people with all your heart…but remember who your Master is.

Resource: Brian J. Dodd, Empowered Church Leadership