Why it’s important to look back before leading forward . . .
What’s the first thing you do when you get in your car? For me, I check the mirrors. After my wife uses my truck, I always find the mirrors to be a little out of whack. But why bother adjusting the mirrors? If you know where you’re going, does it really matter what’s behind you? If you listen to many leaders in our churches, some think what’s in a ministry’s rearview mirror is irrelevant. Just look ahead!
I remember a scene from a movie called The Gumball Rally made in the 1970’s. One line from the film still stands out in my mind. As the driver of a vintage roadster races other teams across the country, he evidences his enthusiasm for the competition by reaching up, grabbing the rearview mirror, and ripping it off the windshield. With a flamboyant gesture he declares, “What’s behind me in not important!” You have to say it with a thick Italian accent to get the full effect.
Unfortunately, that choice to ignore the past, which is how many mission-driven pastors and church leaders address church health, quickly becomes an anchor to slow them down if not sink them completely. Leaders can get so enthused for the race before them that they ignore what’s behind them, believing it has no bearing on where they’re headed.
Why check the rear view mirror of your church? We need to be mindful that things in the past may catch up to us and undermine where we hope to go. Just as the flashing lights of a police car instantly grab our attention and cause us to check our speed, God has ways of slowing our mission down if we gloss over painful events in our church’s past that sit unrectified, unforgiven, or unreconciled. He wants us to address our church’s painful history so He can bless our church’s future!
I recently saw a video of a mini-van with a broken rear hatch. When the driver—a grandfather—accelerated, the rear hatch opened and a small child fell out of the van! The bewildered toddler stumbled through traffic and thankfully survived. His grandfather never looked in his rearview mirror to notice who went missing or why. He doubtless thought the only important thing was where he was going.
This is the greatest danger we face in being mission-driven. If we attempt to overlook in our ministry’s past what Jesus refuses to overlook, we may discover that He also refuses to let us get anywhere in accomplishing our mission. If we’re fortunate, someone lets us know before we get too far down the road that we have left Someone important behind. Otherwise, we travel on oblivious until He allows our history to drag us down once again.
Mission-driven leaders are essential to the health of the church. We desperately need those called to help us make forward progress in our churches. No church wants to be stuck on the side of the road, though many are. But leaders need to understand the importance of looking back, of checking the rearview mirror to insure nothing has been lost out the back that Jesus will not allow us to go forward without. Effective leadership always requires looking back before leading forward. If you have concerns about your church’s past consider using our free diagnostic tool, the ChurchScan Inventory. It will help you discern if painful events in your church’s rearview mirror are closer than they appear.
Rev. Mark Barnard serves as President of Blessing Point Ministries. Blessing Point works to heal local churches that have been wounded by painful crises. Barnard is the author of the recently released book, Diagnosing the Heart of Your Church – How Church Leaders Can Assess Systemic Corporate Dysfunction.
What in your church’s past has tended to get in the way of it’s present and perhaps its future? We welcome your comments!