WORSHIP LEADERS
HOW TO LEAD A TEAM AFTER A MORAL FAILURE | Dave Helmuth
I wish it didn ’ t exist . Sin . Leaders who sin . The evil that destroys . ( all sin does )
Over the years , I ’ ve seen my share of the devastation that unchecked sin has on a team , especially when a leader experiences a moral failure . It just happened again recently . And this is true whether you ’ re thinking of the leader I ’ m referring to or one in your community .
Because it ’ s way too common .
But how can you lead a team after they ’ ve experienced a moral failure ?
It is a difficult time ! The present and future will never be the same as the past . It is a matter of survival !
To make it through this well , do two things : 1 . Guard your heart 2 . Walk in love
GUARD YOUR HEART Above all else , guard your heart , for everything you do flows from it . Proverbs 4:23
• Keep it for Him and be open to Him . Continue to have your first love for the LORD . Speak to Him about the difficulty . Stay close .
• Be honest with your feelings . Feel them completely . Hold them in your hands . Write about them . Don ’ t lie to yourself .
• Do not allow your mind to wander / wonder . It ’ s easy to imagine what happened and get dragged into it . It can even become a temptation . Don ’ t even go there . Be disciplined .
• Grieve well . There ’ s a progression to grief – denial , anger , bargaining , depression , and acceptance . Allow yourself to take the time necessary to make the most of the process . It will help the healing .
• Manage your memories well . When you have a painful memory , ask God to show Himself there , to interpret it for you . Ask Him what He wants you to remember about it .
• Partner up with someone . You need alone time to process , but don ’ t go through the process alone . Use the buddy system .
• Journal about what conclusions you ’ re making and process them with God . This is so crucial ! You will conclude things about God , about ministry , about the church , about leaders . Ask God to edit and inform your conclusions !
WALK IN LOVE And over all these virtues put on love , which binds them all together in perfect unity . Colossians 3:14
• Be toward each other . Determine to stay in a heart posture of love and care for each other . Believe the best about each other . Stay committed to the community .
• Be tenderhearted . Everyone else is also hurting , also grieving . Allow your team to express their grief in their way and withhold judgment if it ’ s different from how you grieve .
• Spill love . What comes out of you when you ’ re squeezed is simply what is inside . “ Live a life filled with love , following the example of Christ .” Ephesians 5:2
• Make loving the focus . Not revenge . Not justice . Not self-protection . Not running . Love . It ’ s a choice empowered only by the Holy Spirit . “ Above all , love each other deeply , because love covers over a multitude of sins .” 1 Peter 4:8
• There but for the grace of God go I . Humility is the heart posture of love . You don ’ t know what you would ’ ve done in their shoes . You don ’ t .
• Pray for the offender . Man , this can be a hard one , but it will shift your heart like nothing else !
• Choose to forgive . Withholding forgiveness is like drinking the poison you think is going to hurt the other person . It doesn ’ t say that what they have done is ok . It sets you free and puts the responsibility of justice on God .
• Aim to reconcile . I don ’ t know if “ ministry of worship ” is in the bible ( in those words ), but “ ministry of reconciliation ” certainly is ! 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 reads , “ All this is from God , who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation : that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ , not counting people ’ s sins against them . And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation .” Reconciliation is our narrative . It ’ s our script . It ’ s our mandate . It ’ s our go-to . It ’ s gotta be !
Grace to you if you ’ re in one of these bewildering seasons .
Dave Helmuth Dave spends his life walking alongside worship leaders , building relationships that strengthen the church , and helping people , teams , and churches be the best versions of themselves . He leads the US-based worship coaching organization Ad Lib Music from the mountains of Costa Rica . To receive an article like this one each Wednesday morning , sign up at ...
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