Don't let this message make you cynical

Recently I have heard some public comments from a few people where a specific experience with church leaders and others in our faith community caused them to feel hurt, confused, and even betrayed.

This has led these individuals to become cynical of the Church and leadership in general.

I’d like to say I’ve never fallen into this cynical trap, but I too am mortal.

Maybe you have even noticed tones of my personal cynicism in these newsletter messages in the past.

It gets even worse for me when I find myself in a casual conversation after a long tiring day.

I can criticize too strongly and end up complaining for too long.

The reality is, the world is messy.

People are messy.

The Church is messy.

Church leadership is messy.

And because of this messiness, which is spurred on by us mortals, cynicism is desperate to sprout in the middle of it all.

Cynicism causes us to dismiss the good leaders around us who are trying their best.

We replace leaders’ good intentions with bad…

Devotion with greed…

Misunderstanding with personal dismissal.

Cynicism becomes a malignant tumor determined to kill trust, engagement, conviction, and love.

Some days, in the middle of the mess…

I just have to take a deep breath and pray for perspective.

I don’t want to let the stories that have made me cynical direct my paths (and believe me, I’ve got stories that would cause anyone to be cynical).

In these personal moments, I love considering the encouragement from Dale Carnegie…

“Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.”

It’s almost too simple.

So simple it feels impossible.

But it isn’t.

This is where the mission of Leading Saints becomes complicated.

The danger of cynicism should not discourage us from exploring leadership in our faith community.

Many have avoided this effort because it seemed impossible to do so without criticizing, condemning, or complaining.

Just as I hope every leader that engages with Leading Saints will begin to grow out of old, ineffective leadership habits, I also hope we can leave cynicism behind.

So my hope this week is to simply point at the threat of cynicism and be hyper aware of its impact on us personally.

Let’s assume the best in all our leaders (especially ourselves).

Let’s give overwhelming amounts of grace to our leaders (especially ourselves).

Let’s believe in our leaders and never become a cynic.

Sincerely,

Kurt Francom, Executive Director, Leading Saints

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