Am I In Trouble?

It happened again recently. A young man asked me that question:

“Am I in trouble?”

There are variations of that question. I’ve heard many of them. One of the more common variations is:

“Have I done something wrong?”

What would prompt a question like that? Why would the first thought of an individual be that he/she is “under investigation” and/or about to be punished?

So, what happened this time? 

What happened was that I asked the young man if he could meet with all of us who serve as elders where he worships. The idea of him being in trouble could not have been further from our minds. Instead, we admire his abilities and are interested in utilizing those abilities in a greater way in our congregation. We intended for the meeting to be a positive experience for all of us. When the meeting did take place, it was, indeed, a positive experience.

My heart aches each time somebody reacts to a request like the one I made in the same way most of us react to being pulled over by a law enforcement officer. As I read my New Testament, I don’t see my role as an elder being compared to somebody with a badge and weapon. If that would happen to be my role, I could see how somebody might be nervous about being in my presence.

I also don’t see my role solely in terms of some sort of administrator; although there are, admittedly, some administrative duties inherent in serving as an elder. If I was only seen as a “boss,” I could see some reason for trepidation about being “called in.”

It seems to be common to view elderships in local congregations only in terms of some sort of “board of directors.” That might also explain why somebody would be nervous about being with them.   

It is my firm opinion that, if more shepherds were truly shepherds, this would eliminate a lot of problems. The first thought of a member of a congregation would not be that he/she is in trouble. 

Instead, that first thought of members of a congregation would be something like:

“Somebody who really cares about me, my soul, and this congregation wants to talk to me. The subject may or may not be something I want to hear, but men who know me and love me have asked me to spend time with them. I have the kind of relationship with them that causes me to think the very best of them.”

If there are members where I serve as an elder who do not have that attitude about me, then:

I am the one in trouble!

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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn