Why Good Leaders Get Messy

Recently I was at a high school church camp. The last two days of camp we had some bad weather. Heavy rain forced the camp to shut down most of the outdoor recreation.Although the rain was pouring, it didn’t stop the crazy high school students from playing in the rain, and jumping in the mud. That is when I noticed something about leadership.

It was easy to spot who the good adult leaders were.

Some of the leaders complained about the rain. They chose to be negative about the situation. They lamented that their group wasn’t able to play paintball or climb the rock wall.

Some of the leaders decided to stay dry inside. They withdrew from the uncomfortable weather. They sat in their cabins, away from their students, and did nothing at all.

Some of the leaders jumped in the mud. They embraced the moment, joined in with their students, and got messy. Their students loved and respected them for it.

You could easily identify the good leaders, because they were soaking wet and covered in mud.

The first two groups of leaders were cleaner and more rested, but the muddy leaders made the biggest impact.

Good Leaders Get Messy

Good leaders run towards the mess.

Ministry is messy. Why? Because people are messy.

Any time you have imperfect people, you have imperfect situations.

Leadership is messy, but when we embrace the mess we see huge returns. That is the point of Proverbs 14:4:

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. (ESV)

Translation: The more oxen you have, the more poop you have to clean.

It is the same with leading people. The more people you have, the more poop you have to deal with.

You can either complain about the mess, avoid the mess, or jump in with both feet.

When that one person in your congregation is causing problems again, you can either complain about them, ignore them, or wade into the mud with them to find a solution.

When a prominent church member has an affair, you can either talk bad about them, reject them, or walk through the mud with them to help them find healing and restoration.

When lost and broken people in your community are acting like lost and broken people, you can either look down on them, ignore them, or get messy and embrace them.

Good leaders get messy.

Great pastors have mud-caked shoes.

If you don’t believe me, just look at Jesus. He left the perfect kingdom of Heaven to be born in a smelly manger. He traded a crown of gold for a crown of thorns. He stepped down from His throne and picked up a cross.

Yes, messy situations are uncomfortable, and sometimes painful. But they are always an opportunity for us to model the love of Christ.

So, next time you face a mess, what will you do?

Will you embrace the mess?

Good leaders get messy.