2020. What. A. Year. Because leading a church wasn’t challenging enough already, we’ve had to learn how to pivot fast, how to navigate new technology, how to pastorally support people we can’t meet, how to manage declining income and how to stay positive, embracing the opportunities as they arise.

We’ve also had to take time off when there’s nowhere to go and now we have to work out when and how we can gather again! It has been a bit of a rollercoaster.

This year has also seen the new challenge of basing church HQ entirely at home. Not only have team dynamics been disrupted, but family dynamics have been disturbed too. Any vague boundary that existed between ministry and family life have been well and truly obliterated!

We have been so aware that our children’s ears and brains have been listening to conversations and calls and processing what is happening around them. After all, our children are like sponges who absorb their surroundings, watching and learning from what they see.

Living in such close proximity, our children are more integrated into the nuts and bolts of the highs and lows of our church community than ever. Likewise, they see more of our leadership, and may catch us doing some things right, but may well also catch us doing some things wrong!

They will see us when we are excited but also when we are exasperated. While we understandably want to protect our children and to share appropriately with them according to their age, perhaps more than ever, God has given us opportunities to be honest, to love and invest in those we are closest to.

This intense season is a reminder that God never handed out a church leader hat, a spouse hat and a parent hat to wear at different times. We are disciples who are called to grow disciples, at home and in our ministries. That doesn’t mean being perfect and having it all together all of the time.

Of course, leadership isn’t ever easy and family life isn’t always a picnic either. But in this strange and challenging season, our leadership has come home. Let’s pray and believe that we can grow stronger and more confident about who God wants us to be as we share, learn, laugh, cry and serve together.

As a family

Take some time as a family to reflect on the last few months. Talk about how it has made you feel as well as asking your children and explain to them the difficulties that you have felt as well. Then pray together and ask God to refresh and strengthen you as a family.