What are we building in leadership and Church?

Thought this was a great blog post by Steve Furtick of Elevation Church:

The house you have to live in

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 03:01 AM PDT

I once asked a group of fifteen pastors if they would attend the churches they were leading if they were not on staff. In other words, if they were just random people in the community working in different fields and they didn’t have to be there, would they actually want to be a part of their church? Would the programs impress them? Would the culture entice them? Would the vision inspire them?

Only two raised their hands.

Only two wanted to be a part of the church and the culture they themselves were trying to build.

It reminds me of an old illustration about a contractor who had been building houses for a friend. Eventually the friend gave the contractor one last house to build. He provided him with all the dimensions and told him to use the best material. But since it was his last house, the contractor decided to cut some corners thinking he could cover it up and save money. After the house was built, to his surprise his friend tossed him the keys to the house and told him it was his reward for his hard work.

We’re all building something.

Everyone is building their reputation. Their legacy. Their character. Parents are building marriages and families. Business leaders are building corporations. Pastors are building churches.

Whatever you’re building, make sure that it’s something you would actually want to live in yourself. Because you’re going to have to.

The reputation you’re building is the reputation you have to live with. The family you’re building is the family you have to come home to every day. The organization you’re building, whether it’s a business or a church, is the organization you’re going to have to lead.

So build something you would live in, even if you didn’t have to.