Super Vison Supervision

Do you get my drift? Do you see how we can limit ourselves by becoming to intrenched in a particular role or seeing someone else as entrenched in a particular role? That can even happen in the pastor congregation relationship. As I approach my tenth year with you as my congregation and as you approach your tenth year with me as your pastor, we are in danger of becoming to familiar with one another.

Having been with you for so long, I may begin to see only what you have done in the past and lose my sense of seeing what you might be able to do in the future. In the same way, you may become fixated in seeing only what I have done in the past and not be able to see what I might be able to do in the future. I will give you an example.

Do you know what compliment I hear from you the most often? “Vernon does a really great funeral.” Now don’t get me wrong. I appreciate that compliment. But do you realize what the implications are for you putting me in that role exclusively? Of course you do. Eventually Vernon is going to run out of people to have funerals for. What a lonely occupation that would be; to be the best funeral preacher in the world without anyone to have funerals for. I would like to think that there are other roles to be discovered and other roles to be engaged in the furtherance of God’s coming kingdom here at Norview.

I need to have super vision when it comes to me seeing you and your gifts. And you need to have super vision when it comes to you seeing me and my gifts.

We both need “supervision”. And by supervision I don’t mean supervision in the traditional sense of that word. I don’t mean some superior guy telling some inferior guy what to do. I am talking about the knack for encouraging one another. I am talking about the ability to see and then affirm gifts of other people which may not be obvious to the world. I am talking about the vision to see beyond the roles we have been playing and to see roles we can be playing.

I was mighty proud of our commissioner to the Presbytery meeting yesterday. Indeed, I think his courageous stand was crucial to a major decision which the Presbytery made yesterday. Let me tell you about it:

The Presbytery was engaged in a major debate over the approval of the budget. Those on one side said we ought to cut the budget because the funds were not available. The other side argued that we ought to solicit more funds from the people so the budget would not have to be cut. It seemed to me that we had arrived at a stalemate. And then Bobby (Our Commissioner) arose to his feet. Now remember, this was Bobby’s first time at Presbytery meeting. But he stood, nevertheless, and offered a different view. “Why don’t we leave the budget as it is”, he said. “And why don’t we leave the pledges as they are”, he continued. “Why don’t we simply proceed on faith, believing that God will honor our faith and meet our needs”.

Bobby then sat down. A vote was immediately taken, and the budget was unanimously approved. Now, that, my friends, is an example of supervision.