Challenges of watchfulness

[tstew]

On page 118, Laniak says, "But at the center of the leader's role is...discerning, attentive oversight. Leading means watching." I feel the challenge of this as a pastor in an urban church whose congregation is spread throughout the city. Because we are not a neighborhood church or parish model, I do not naturally and informally see most of our people and interact with them during the week. My interaction with our members comes during times like lunch appointments or set meetings. This makes watchfulness to discern what is truly going on in their lives more difficult (i.e. observing their lives in unguarded, real moments). Because of this, the role of our Gospel Community leaders (small group leaders) is even more crucial. We say that the job description of our GC leaders is to "walk with God and shepherd people." So ideally, every member of our church is under the watchful care of an "under shepherd" who sees them regularly and knows what is going on in their lives. As one of the pastors/elders of the church, I need to do two things related to watchfulness. First, I need to make sure our GC leaders are coached in the "hows and whys" of watchfulness. Meaning, do they know what to look for? Do people in their group need comfort, care, counsel, correction, or connection? And what are the signs of those things? Second, I need to be in regular contact with GC leaders about the health of their group. The GC leaders are the watchful eyes in our church that can speak to the morale, health, and challenges of our congregation.