Call it like it is-Ethics in leadership

There might be a need for more boldness in the church today in leadership. For many years leadership in the church has spiralled further and further downward, meaning, the ethics and morals of leaders. Now if we check out the New Testament we´re going to find that it was a problem back then too. Look at Corinth. Gee whiz!

What I mean by boldness is accountability in areas of ethics. I´m talking about holding each other to a higher standard, that of Christ. No way we can be perfect, not gonna happen. However, we can set our sights higher than those in the world or in the business world. If we as leaders look no different than men and women in the corporate world today, maybe something's gone terribly wrong. If we do the same things, use the same sleazy methods, and follow the same unethical principles as Mr. Madoff, then can we even call ourselves the church?

Now this all has to happen in relationship, close relationship. You sure don´t need some dude from Arizona who you don´t know coming into your office or home and saying, 'Man, you are a messed up guy.' We need brothers and sisters who know us well and call us friend and spend regular time with us to call us on the carpet. Spending regular time with one another in itself might straighten out many ethical issues rather quickly. When we know we are going to be sitting across the table eating lunch with a friend or shooting hoops we just might think twice about some things, you think? Having someone ask you face to face specific questions and the big word 'why' makes it much tougher to allow some of the things into our lives that have come in.

Mentors is the word some use for this. Discipleship is what some would call it. Accountability is another word. use what ever word you want but please let´s hold each other to a standard higher than Tiger Woods, David Letterman, and former President...what was his name? We simply cannot continue down this road that we have drifted. Christ called us to a higher standard, he called us to live a holy life, not perfect, not legalisic, holy. Set apart, called out.

Let´s give it a shot guys and gals. What have we got to lose? The world outside the church is full of people who are broken and hurting and they need to see a different model of lifestyle. Leaders, that´s what they need. Holy leaders who live authentic lives, who mess up, get forgiven, but live a higher calling. Set apart, that´s it.

Stick around/long and short term missions

In 1990 when I first went to Mexico for a 10 day mission trip I thought I was in heaven, except for the room temperature cantaloupe juice I drank. It was one of the highlights and turning points in my life. That trip changed where I was going in life to a whole new direction I would have never figured. I'm thankful my old pal Dwayne Hicks came up with the dream to take a bunch of kids down to Mexico to do a choir/work trip. I'm thankful Cris Garcia put up with all 29 of us.

From that point forward I traveled on many mission trips as a leader, co leader, or just flunkie. We went to more places in Southern Mexico with CIY, sent two groups to Juarez which I planned but did not go on, lead groups to Wash. DC, New Orleans, Atlanta, and who knows where else, LA. Each time I went on a trip I felt the need to go back to the same place and work with the same missionaries and see the same kids. I began to tell the people,'I'll be back', and I meant it. I did go back to most of the sites. For some reason each time the Lord made connections between me and the missionaries, workers, and kids in each of the places I traveled. For me it was more than a nice spiritual adventure, it was something more. It was about relationships.

I can honestly say I still keep in touch with many from those past trips. I wish I could have more contact, go back and visit all of them. I have been able to pop in on a few of them, like my friend Teri Mullens in DC. The thing that I loved most about each of those trips was the people, the relationships. Hearing the story of what God is doing in the lives of people did something to me. It made me hungry to know more of what God is doing all over the world.

I have to say that short term mission trips are a good idea if certain things are done well.

Number one, building of relationships by spending time with the missionaries and workers and kids while on a mission trip. Time, it takes time to get to know someone and talk with them and listen to them. Time equals love, because in spending time with these folks they can sense that someone really cares about them and loves them. I think possibly the most glaring weakness in short term mission work these days is the mentality of 'go, go, go' and 'do, do, do'. Get as much done as humanly possible and then leave.

The first trip I took to southern Mexico we worked with this incredible man of God named Gil Contreras. Now Gil knew how to take a mission trip, cause there was plenty of people time during this trip. We got to know him and his family and hear stories of what God had done in their lives. We got to laugh and tell jokes with him, his kids, and his crazy grandson, Adrian Sanchez. Time, lots of it, was what we had to be with them and enjoy them and get to know them.

The next trip I took to Southern Mexico was very similar and the next and the next. In fact, I went down to Mexico in 2002 after I finished up at a ministry in GA just so I could hang out with Gil and his family. What did we do? We wound up driving up to the border of Texas for a car. We had lots of time on that trip.

Relationship building is still a priority in missions, long term and short term. If you want to stick around on the mission field long term then you better plan on doing this one thing. The others are important too, but this is numero uno. Is it easy? Nope. Is it clean and tidy? No, it gets messy most times. Is it worth it? Definitely!