Encourage Young Leaders

“But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” (De 1:38 AV)

To the generation who refused to enter Palestine, Moses speaks these words.  They were delivered from Egypt by the mighty hand of God.  They saw ten plagues that completely destroyed a kingdom.  They saw the Red Sea parted.  They were taken care of in the wilderness.  Yet, they would not trust the LORD to enter their promised rest.  For this, they wandered in the wilderness waiting for the end of life.  They faced one trial after another to which the LORD provided for all.  They succeeded.  But they fail far more often.  Because they would not step up in faith, they were not allowed to live in the blessings of another’s faith.  Even though they had forty years of wandering to look forward to, they were still required to encourage the leader who would eventually lead the nation to victory.  We can apply this principle in a more general way.  We don’t have to be a failing generation in order to heed the command to encourage younger leaders.  Even the obedient and faithful are still required to encourage younger leadership.  The generation that failed had a choice.  They could ignore their failure and continue to be a wet blanket over the nation, or they could admit they lacked the faith and courage by encouraging those who follow to do what they could not do.  They chose the latter.

As we age, our ability to do things for the LORD diminishes.  Or, better put, they change.  We can’t go on a wilderness mission trip and built a church building in the middle of the jungle.  There are no pharmacies nearby.  We cannot spend an entire day knocking on doors.  Our prosthetics will collapse.  We can’t preach for two hours because our voice wouldn’t hold out.  Praying on our knees requires a few people to lift us off them.  We become limited.  But we are not dead!  Just because we can’t do what we once did does not mean that we cannot do anything.  In fact, it is because of our experience, that we can offer more encouragement than those half our age.  Many years ago, in a church in rural western NY, I had the privilege of serving as a bi-vocational assistant pastor.  The church had a decent amount of property.  There were about two acres of a field on the backside that adjoined woods.  Around the back of the building was a dirt-and-stone driveway.  The parking lot was paved, but this driveway gave access to some sheds and such on the backside of the building.  When mowing time arrived, stones that migrated onto to grass had to be removed lest a stone goes flying and break a window somewhere.  Two older retired men kept the grounds and buildings in a constant state of good repair.  I distinctly remember these two men walking the yard and picking up rocks.  Ralph was one of the guys and I cannot remember the name of the other.  One particular morning, I was looking out the back door and there they were, bending over or raking to remove stones from the yard back onto the pebble driveway.  They did this from spring to fall.  At least once a week.  There were other chores they did without being asked.  Almost every day they were at the church building fixing something.  Our pastor never had to worry one bit about the upkeep of the properties.  It may not seem much, but Ralph and his friend took a burden from the pastor and encouraged him by simple acts of labor.

Young preachers need encouragement.  When someone of age tells them prayers for their ministry ascend unabated, it means a lot.  It often means more coming from someone of age than it does someone his own age.  Giving the younger leader opportunity to lead can be an encouragement.  Compliments go a long way.  Sharing how much their ministry means to you is a great encouragement.  Recognizing successes while offering constructive observations in times of failure can also be an encouragement.  Even if we cannot do what we once did, doing something means a lot.  Maybe we can’t get down on our knees, but coming to the front and praying in the front pew just might be what spurs that young man on one more week.  If we cannot walk from house to house, perhaps offering to drive a group to apartment complexes as they hand out tracks and buying them an ice cream cone afterward would bring revival to any church.  Offering to do some of the more mundane office chores would go a long way.  Most of all, optimism is the best source of encouragement one can offer.  A young leader can quickly become discouraged because he lacks the patience to wait on God.  He has much ambition and his vision is wide.  Seeing the faith of someone who has gone through it himself and knows God can do anything, will see tomorrow with hope rather than somberness.  There are many ways to encourage a young leader.  Just because we are not what we used to be, does not release us from the responsibility to be an encouragement to those who will follow.