Sadly, this is the response in too many churches across the nation.  When we start approaching the subject of developing our people to be better principled church leaders and doers, we assume that they even want to help out with small things around the church.  However, the push back continues from ministry leaders across the country – “They just don’t do anything, let alone get trained.”  And so solid Christian seminars, around leadership and leader ethics get pushed aside.

BEWARE Church-Goers… An epidemic is spreading from our culture into our churches.  It’s the epidemic of “Blind Lazy Followership” or BLF for short.  As Americans, we have become victims to everything around us.  We have methodically masked this epidemic with words like rights, swamped, overloaded, tired, stressed, or whatever it may be.  We have given up our responsibility to actively change the world around us, to passively let someone else tell us what is best (culture or our pastor, whichever seems easiest at the time).  Then, when we do passively become a BLF (Blind Lazy Follower), we don’t even take the action to do what someone else has told us.  We think that life will just hand us success, peace, love, joy, or whatever on a silver plate.

News Alert!  No one has ever changed anything around him or her by being passive.  Has anyone noticed what all the hottest talk shows circle around?  It is the subject of “taking control of one’s life”?  Why?  Because we are all BLF’s in America today.  We have let ourselves de-prioritize pretty much everything except ‘survival’.  As we have tried to take control of our lives, we have lost total control of time, values, action, and development.

BEWARE Church Leaders.  As you sit there reading this today, you are probably smiling and saying, “preach it”.  But wait… are you not doing the same thing by acting like the victim?  What have you done recently to drive action and intentionality within your followers?  Have you ever tried to actually reproduce yourself in one of your people, to bring them up as a new leader?  Have you provided training or development opportunities lately for them to break free of the BLF epidemic?  Have you stopped trying yourself because your church has become inundated with BLF’s?  If you have, add yourself to the BLF camp. 

As leaders, as church-goers, and as Believers, we are called to a higher standard.  So, if you find yourself in the Blind Lazy Followership parade, take a detour and start stepping up.  Start seeking ways to influence those around you, to take on leadership opportunities, to become a team, to develop others, and to drive your church body towards life change.