While watching on television the Summer Olympic Games that recently took place in Rio, I caught some of the equestrian competition. The announcer mentioned that one competitor had earned $1 million riding her horse. I immediately thought to myself, “A million dollars just for riding a horse? Sign me up for some of that!”

Then it occurred to me that it was probably more difficult than it looks. The jumps were long and high. I know that the training takes a lot of time and effort, the expenses are costly and the traveling must be grueling. After all of that, you have to beat your competitors to earn big money. Yes, there is more to the equestrian competition than first meets the eye.

It’s the same for operating a local church. For the casual observer, it seems like a piece of cake. Anyone could do it, right? So, many people feel that they could make the decisions and set the course.

However, leading a local congregation is much more difficult than many people realize. It requires planning and organization. You have to know the issues facing the church. You have to know the difference between a minor concern and a major problem. You must know how to delegate and how to manage conflict. You have to have thick skin, but a soft heart. It takes a lot of time, effort and energy—a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Before you saddle up and try to be a policy-maker in the church, you had better understand that it’s not as easy as it looks!

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is…to lead, do it diligently…”—Romans 12:6-8.