8. Fear of others seeing weaknesses.
Pastors, in particular, are often expected to be omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.
But the reality is that no leader or pastor is good at everything. Some leaders are fearful that those areas will be exposed to church members.
9. Fear of offending others.
Those who are in vocational ministry often must take stands and speak truth that goes against the grain of culture, and even can offend church members.
While all church leaders should speak truth with an irenic spirit, many do not do so because they don’t desire to hurt the feelings of others.
10. Fear of success.
A number of pastors have shared with me their fear of doing well in some area of ministry, but then not having the ability to build on their successes.
One pastor told me in a moment of vulnerability that he tries to keep his church small because he fears he doesn’t have the skill-set to lead a larger church.
So what is the purpose of this article? Am I trying to shame pastors and other church leaders for their lack of faith and their succumbing to fear? Not really. More than anything else, I am offering it as a reminder and a challenge. We all are prone to different fears and insecurities at times. And, yes, our fear of these types of matters does reflect a lack of faith in God.
Perhaps more than anything else, I am encouraging church leaders to lean more upon the God who called us, the One who promised He would always be with us.
Let me know what you would add to my thoughts.
In the meantime, here are a few verses from the Psalms as good reminders, all verses are from the HCSB:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all fears.” (Psalm 34:4)
“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3)
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:4)
“He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalm 112:7)
