It’s a tough time to be a leader.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s never been a time when serving in leadership was a cakewalk. But some seasons are more comfortable than others.

It’s tough, man. I don’t care if you’re a pastor, a politician, a police chief, or a restaurant owner. We’re all struggling to some degree.

I can speak for pastors. I am one. We don’t always know what to do. But our eyes are on the Lord. We’re listening to God’s Word and praying.

The individuals in our congregation and our community are in our constant thoughts. We’re concerned about you. Your physical health is among our great concerns. But the quality of your faith and your soul care is our number one concern.

I’ve been involved in ministry for nearly thirty years. This is the most unique season of leadership I’ve served through. I’ve served through election years before. I’ve served through the scandalous behavior of other ministers before. I’ve even served through seasons when my family was silently going through the ugliest of trials.

This crisis season is as unique as it is long. This extended season has had an onslaught of accompanying crises cohabitating with it. I’ve never served through a global pandemic that coincided with political elections.

What’s my situation like? Well, my rant goes like this. One would have thought that online and on-campus attendance numbers would be through the roof. It’s not fair that I had to lead through the campus closure, and as soon as we were back for on-campus worship, we got slung right into the politicization of every issue known to humanity. Why can’t we just return to faithfully gathering to worship Christ without all the drama?!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Right?!

Well, throughout the crisis, we’ve made the necessary tactical changes that kept us safely serving people. But as we are going forward, I’ve been leading more with vision. Mission, vision, and goals are the words I’ve been using. Our focus is on aligning these to ensure God’s Kingdom work continues.

So for all of my friends, frenemies, and far-reaching contacts, I have a favor to ask of you. Please be cautious with your remarks. I know things look simple from your recliner or backseat. But there are so many variables at stake in our daily decisions. And we honestly want to do what’s best for everyone.

We know everyone is not pleased with the decisions we’ve made. Or maybe there’s a decision we didn’t make that has you rattled. The truth is we even question ourselves. But if you are a Christian, I humbly ask you to pray for us.

As leaders, we need God’s help more than we need your sarcasm. We need your prayers more than we need your memes. Like you did the last time you were going through a huge struggle, we need a friend who will pray.