It was the 19th of May, 1994—our last teaching on the Ranch. Mark van Gilder from Palmdale came to speak to us. He had condensed an old movie, "The Caine Mutiny." We watched it. Then, he shared his insights on leadership. I wish every Christian could see and hear his teaching, as it would make a pastor’s life much easier. Humphrey Bogart played a new captain on a warship. He replaced the well-liked previous captain. The crew favoured their former captain over the new one.

 

Under pressure, the new captain made poor decisions. During the story, the crew removed him and took over the ship. In the court martial after their return to shore, the judge asked the seamen's leader, "Would this captain have made different decisions if you had supported him?" It was an excellent question that stressed the importance of supporting one’s leader.

 

A church's pastor or leader faces big challenges in answering God's call to full-time ministry. It's not about applying for a new job. It requires a divine calling and a commitment to authority as a service to God. This is even more true in church planting. One often doesn't know where the next pay cheque will come from. Some feel ready to enter full-time ministry. Yet, I've seen many give up after a few years.

 

We, as a congregation, are quick to criticize. We do so without knowing the whole story, especially the parts the pastor knows. A pastor cannot share every detail with everyone because there are laws governing clergy.

I have faced times when people disagreed with our decisions. We needed their trust. Surely, they know us by now? We often try to dictate to God what His church should look like, but God reminds us, “No, that is not how I see my bride.” There is always a choice in how to follow a leader, and God’s way is: with humility. Hendrik and I worked under several church leaders. We trusted our senior pastors, even when we disagreed with their methods. We knew that one day we would have our own church, and we could do things our way. Often, once we were in that position, we found ourselves thinking, “Oh, this is why they did it that way.”

 

There was only one instance when I encountered difficulties with an assistant pastor. I spent two weeks on my knees in prayer before I approached him to discuss the issue. I felt that I shouldn't speak to him unless I could offer a heartfelt blessing upon him. I believe he should not have been in the role as a pastor. He did have a special task to fulfil for the church at that time. A task he executed brilliantly, but that did not include pastoring. In the following years, when we moved on to the next stage of our mission, the Lord spoke to him and called him out of ministry. God handled that most lovingly because he was God's child, cherished by His Father. I never mentioned this to the senior pastor.