The Followers during Crisis

When I was in high school, I decided to join the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. I graduated as the 3rd highest rank a cadet could achieve at the time, called drill master by my Senior Marine Instructor, and was awarded the position of Supply Officer and the first ever Chaplain. I was put in leadership for many reasons and came to realize one thing about those who looked to me for leadership: They are blind to certain things.

When I was working with cadets, I always heard the same phrase come out in the middle of a gossip session. It was always “If I was in leadership, I would have done that differently.” Cadets looked for guidance, yet never liked what the guidance was. Much like in our political climate now, when we looked to our leaders and not like their call. Much like the churches in the midst of this crisis who are not liking what their leadership decides on. This is because the follower hasn’t had to see the whole picture.

Our communities are split into two categories. Leaders and Followers. People can be both at the same time, but there is a distinction between the two. A Leader takes on the responsibility to fulfill the needs of the followers and get them to the goal. A Follower takes on the responsibility of holding their leaders accountable and helping reach the goal by doing what they can.

This is by no means an article meant to bash the followers in our communities, rather I would like to offer those who follow a few points to take into consideration before you jump online and decide to go on that rant.

1. It is okay to be a follower. Followers make up a majority of our communities. I always tell my kids that I see leadership potential in them and that is absolutely true. I am considered a leader in my church, but I follow Christ and my fellow pastors. Being a follower means that you rely on leadership to guide you to be stronger in whatever you are trying to accomplish. So, please continue to be a follower.

2. You don’t see the whole picture just yet. When working with the drill team, I came to realize that the platoon commander had to pay attention to a lot more than what every other member had to. The platoon had to focus on the person in front of them and the commands from the commander, but the commander had to focus on the whole field. The commander had to understand the timing of their steps and commands, how far to bring their platoon before making their next move so they would not run out of room, and so much more. Our leaders have the same issue. You may only see the small things like “Church was cancelled” or “Work was closed” but the leadership sees that the elderly and newborns need to be protected and this is the best way to do it.

3. The Mission given to leadership is not just the Great Commission. Lately, I have seen a lot of posts claiming that pastors forget that they are supposed to be spreading the Gospel and not closing doors. This claim is completely right. Pastors, along with every Christian worldwide, are supposed to be spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, there is another mission that is laid upon the leadership’s back. Pastors are called to be under-shepherds by Christ. This means we are called to tend the flock of Christ and to protect them just as much. It is a mission that we chose to accept and a mission we will follow through.

4. Leaders are trying their best. Sometimes our leaders fail, sometimes they don’t make us happy, but the reality of it all is that leaders are trying their best. What the leader needs from you is encouragement and not shame, trust and not treason, help and not hindrance. Although you look to your leaders, your leaders are doing their best to serve a mass group of people. They cannot make everyone happy, but they are going to try to do what is best for the whole group.