We love to complain about our leaders. They’re too serious or too funny. They’re to strict or too easy going. They took too much time or didn’t take long enough. They’re too ‘spiritual’ or not spiritual enough. They didn’t say thanks, they didn’t say hi, they didn’t come over for that piece of pie. It seems to be easy to complain about other people for (our perception of) their deficits without remembering we also have deficits in other’s perceptions.
So what do you do if you think your leader needs to change? Recognize first that we ALL need to change for the better, and that God hasn’t finished with any of us yet.* Then what you don’t do is complain about them to everyone around you. That serves no purpose other than causing negativity to spread unnecessarily. And don’t think you can hide your complaining behind ‘prayers’ for them or just a slight, offhand comment without giving details. Anyone who has any discernment will pick it up. A preacher once said ‘It is difficult to complain about someone you are continually praying for.’ This tends to be true, especially if you are sincerely praying for them. We all need to change, even our leaders and we should be praying for them continually as they have an important job to do in leading and running ministries in our local assemblies. We can follow the prayers of Paul for the Colossians:
For this cause we also (the disciples), since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire (ask, beg, call for) that ye might be filled (crammed) with the knowledge (recognition, discernment) of his (God’s) will in all wisdom (worldly and spiritual) and spiritual (non carnal) understanding; Col. 1:9
We should be praying this prayer and many others for all Christians everywhere, but more so for those people on the frontlines of ministry where the arrows of the enemy fly more frequently. Instead of opening up our mouths to complain we need to open our mouths to pray for our leaders. Oh, that we would ALL be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
*Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Php. 1:6
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:17,18