Before I'm 40... Part 6, Learn your trade

There used to be such a thing as apprenticeships. A young man would work alongside an older man, watching, learning, copying, acquiring skill. After a period of years the apprentice would eventually be credited with the same ability as the teacher and able to trade and take apprentices in his own right.

This doesn’t really happen anymore. Nowadays things tend to be more trial and error – have a go and see how you do. I have fitted my own kitchen and bathrooms in the past, but I have made mistakes. I won’t make those same mistakes again, but if I’d been working alongside someone who actually knew what he was doing I wouldn’t have made them in the first place! There is only so much you can work out from reading books and looking at pipe work – sometimes you need a master to show you the ropes.

This really should happen in church leadership, as ‘apprenticeship’ is just another way of describing what it means to be a disciple.

I have been able to watch and learn from some spiritual masters. At times though I didn’t get the apprenticeship I needed. For example, I never had a good preacher sit down with me and work through the strengths and weaknesses of my own preaching – which is why I now try to give that kind of feedback and instruction to those I ask to preach.

So the first key to learning your trade is to find a teacher. Ask someone to help you. Don’t just rely on trial and error.

The next thing is to be prepared to take your time, just as an apprentice had to. If the trade you want to learn is preaching then its going to take time. I reckon I didn’t really begin to get a handle on preaching until I had done it about 300 times. That takes time, If you are appointed as the sole preacher in a church with two Sunday services you’ll be getting the hang of it after two or three years. If (like me) preaching opportunities don’t come along too regularly at first its going to take you ten years to get good – which is why its sensible to get going before you’re 40. (Of course, if you get a good coach, rather than just learning by trial and error, you should be able to cut this timeframe down considerably.)

A third thing is to be prepared to put the graft in. Any trade worth knowing takes hard work and discipline to master. The trouble with church leadership is that every church member thinks they are expert in it and has an opinion on it. Because they are sitting there every Sunday they think they know how it should be done! Funny thing is, I wouldn’t tell an architect, or a surgeon, or a mechanic, how to do their job, even though I live in a house, visit the doctor, and get my car serviced regularly. I know they have worked hard to acquire skills I don’t have. Don’t think that just because you are a Christian and have sat in a lot of church meetings that you can straight away be an effective leader – its going to take blood, sweat and tears.

Fourthly, keep on learning! The leaders who are most inspirational to me are those who remain curious and engaged even once they are well established and respected. One of my living heroes is Terry Virgo, leader of the Newfrontiers family of churches. Terry wouldn’t have to do another thing to command respect. He could just turn up and smile and everyone would be happy. But Terry keeps on learning. Every time I speak with him he has read another book, met someone new, increased his store of knowledge and understanding. Terry keeps getting better at his trade.

Finally, don’t get frustrated and give up. If a trade is worth learning a few set-backs along the way are worth riding out. With enough application, and with the help of a teacher, the day will come when you are skilled enough to do the job well and pass your skills on to others.