Leadership is not easy, and most of us get frustrated at some point. Some leaders, though, give up too easily. In the church world, some leaders spend their entire ministry giving up in one place and moving to the next. Here are some characteristics of those who give up too easily:
- They expect believers to be perfect. They may not say that, but they get exasperated every time a believer doesn’t live up to their expectations. Even Jesus didn’t have a perfect team, however.
- They see circumstances more than the God who is bigger than the circumstances. Their first response is to see the mountain rather than the God who rules over the mountain.
- They blame others before looking at themselves. Everybody else is the problem, so it’s simplest just to walk away from them. And, those problems are seemingly in every church they lead…
- They don’t pray much. This one may, in fact, be the biggest issue. It’s easy to give up when you don’t even talk to God about your struggles.
- They are pessimists. No matter what good God might be doing, they never see it first. There’s always a cloud on the horizon.
- They are sometimes in the wrong seat. When you’re in the wrong seat on the bus, you’ll never find rest in what you do—and you then keep looking in the next place.
- They are impatient. That’s the nature of giving up easily. If you want answers yesterday, you don’t wait very long today before moving on.
- They’ve been hurt in the past. Those who’ve been wounded already are often hypersensitive to warning signs of trouble. Rather than get wounded again, they give up.
- They don’t recognize the reality of spiritual warfare. The battle we face is intense. Those who don’t understand its reality often surrender quickly.
- They have few friends or mentors. That is, they’re doing ministry alone. It’s always easier to give up when you feel like you’re the only one in the battle.
What characteristics would you add to this list?
This article originally appeared here.
