Who’s really “gritty?”
I sat across the table from a Campus Director at a coffee shop. He was the director of the main campus of a multi-thousand-person multi-site church. I was being considered for a role at the church’s main campus. Two out of three of the interviewers had to approve my hire. One did not, and one did. This campus director was the deciding factor. And he was skeptical of me.
He reviewed my education and background and did not believe I was a good fit for the role. Not because I had the wrong education, but because I had actual education in the role.
He stated, “We are looking for people who are ‘gritty’ and ‘scrappy.” And I simply don’t think you have what it takes to do this job.” No amount of discussion could change his mind.
I left disappointed. He could not see what I saw in myself, what my family saw in me. I had come from one of the seven campuses of this church to the main campus to interview. I was sent to the main campus with the encouragement and endorsement of several branch campus leaders from my part of the state, who had worked with me for years at that point. When I returned unemployed, they were surprised. I held a Master’s degree and had over 15 years of experience in the field for which they were looking to hire. But I was not considered. So I continued to volunteer at my old branch campus. A second role became available at that main campus. I interviewed with the same campus director. He rejected me a second time. I went back to my branch campus, and they were shocked and slightly embarrassed. The branch campus leaders offered me smaller localized roles at the local branch of the 7,000-person church. However, I turned them down, unsure if I wanted to serve in a place where it was obvious that there would be no upward momentum or growth available, and no real creativity allowed because the director of the main campus (who was not a pastor himself) did not feel I was “gritty” enough. Instead, I stayed and volunteered, working multiple jobs as an independent consultant, rideshare driver, and freelance editor. Ironically I was working as an independent consultant at large multi thousand person churches in the field I was being turned down for cause I was not “gritty” enough.
Since then, I have learned a few things.
Do you know who’s really “gritty?”
The rural church pastor and the inner-city urban church planter. Because it is very simple, they have no other option every week.
Every week, they look at the bank account and the small group of volunteers and say, “Ok, how are we gonna make this work? What are we gonna do differently this week? How can we utilize the funds generously donated to the church effectively, even though we know that most weeks it falls short of what is needed? Half the team is unavailable or moving or transitioning. We stretch dimes into dollars, pray through, and provide consistent ministry experiences to our people with virtually nothing at times.
It’s crazy to look at someone who has served in a rural context (this is my third rural church experience) as a pastor and tell them, ‘You’re not “gritty” or “scrappy” enough to be in leadership at our 7,000-person church.’ When the reality is, the the one at the multi campus rarely recognizes true grit.
What the multi site mega church leaders are looking at might be shiny-ness. And mistake that for grit. So they often over look the truly gritty leaders. The middle managers, with few resources and much talent, so good at what they do that they have become irreplaceable or unpromotable because what would they do without them? What would denominations do without their rural gritty rural or urban church pastors?
This has become increasingly evident to me when I listen to the stories of fellow rural and urban, inner-city church pastors.
What do these two culturally different environments have in common? The pastors have no choice but to be gritty and scrappy, resourceful, talented, and never let anyone see you sweat about it, because the focus is always where it should be, not in the lack of resources, but on the God of the Bible who is our source and the people whom God has called that pastor to serve. As I continue to listen to stories of rural and inner urban pastors, sometimes several hours away from me, I hear grit, determination, passion, and prayer requests. I often remind them, as we pray together on the phone, “Lord, we may not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Help us to know what our next steps need to be as leaders of our communities.” People in these communities deserve good Bible-based, grounded, and consistent leaders. Gritty, touch, talented, resourceful. After all they have no other choice. Some choose bi-vocation intentionally not to lose the “grittiness” or to keep grounded in the community working as substitute school teachers, Chaplains, medical technologists, custodians, coffee shop owners or nonprofit community organizers.
We call this being intentionally missional.
“Gritty” is just what we are.
Whatever it takes to stay in the lives of people in the community.
These are the grittiest church leaders out there.
Perhaps some of our Multisite mega churches might learn about grit by sitting down with a rural or urban church planter who is working multiple jobs, managing pastoral care, loving his community, showing up for his family, and praying like it matters.
That director no longer has his position at that mega church.
I received message and it was suggested that I consider submitting my resume, potentially returning to take the place of the director who turned me down. I said no. God has called us here to the gritty ministry of the rural church for such a time as this.
The calling makes you gritty, tenaciously patient, and long-sufferingly passionate.
But perhaps the mega churches should consider other rural church pastors for their campus leaders.
After all, they are the “grittiest” leaders I know.