Leading a river

In an odd moment the other day it occurred to me that
leadership in a church is like trying to use stones to change the course of a
river.

First, in order to use the stones effectively you have to
put them in the river. But if you simply pile them up like a dam it is highly
likely that the river will either wash round them or push them over leaving you
with some turbulence but nothing to show for it.

The most effective way to use the stones is to know the river course well and to pick your
spot with care, to line up a few stones so that the water is pushed towards a
bank to gently erode the side and allow the other side to silt up; gradually adding more stones until the energy in the river pushes out a new route. It might
take some time to make the change permanent but it will work.

Perhaps ministers should think of their influence like a set
of stones. Each month you get a new stone – what do you do with it?