Hand Actress

previous blog, I wrote about a conversation with a friend who was a stand-in for the filming of a commercial. My friend literally stood on the set while the lights and cameras were placed. She walked through the commercial so that the director could make sure that everything was just right before the star emerged. As it turns out, my friend’s hand was used for less than a second in the final cut of the commercial, which qualified her as a “hand actress.” (I’m not making this up!) All of this so that the star could sit in a comfortable trailer and do whatever the elite do when they’re not in the public eye. If you’re a senior pastor or some other first chair leader, who are the stand-ins and hand actors and actresses that are making your life easier? The truth is that it takes a lot of people working behind the scenes so that you can do your visible role well. You are neither more nor less important than they are – you just have different roles. The church in Corinth struggled with this. Paul addressed it in the well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 12, including these words: “As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Cor. 12:20-21). In truth, the head needs to be grateful for the feet, not condescending. How often do you express your appreciation for and to those who serve “off-camera”? My friend was glad to have the opportunity to be part of this commercial, but I could tell that she derived extra satisfaction from being “upgraded” from stand-in to hand actress. Are there some simple things that you can do to “upgrade” the experiences of your volunteers or staff members? One final note: you may be one of those leaders who doesn’t like to ask others to do “menial” tasks. You would be on the set the entire time, rather than sitting in the trailer while a stand-in takes your place. While I commend your attitude toward others (“in humility consider others better than yourselves,” Phil 2:3), I want to challenge you to consider the unique role that God has called you to play. What are the things that only you can do (as the senior pastor) but don’t have time to do? Do you run out of time because you’re reluctant to delegate to others? Perhaps your church, and God’s Kingdom, would be better served if you allowed someone to stand-in for you, and then showed great appreciation to them for their service.]]>