Military Mind

It is interesting that there is no so-called "military mind" when it comes to military commanders. Instead one finds a wide range of qualities which could as well be you and me. But one thing above all sets them apart. They have had to take grave decisions on (more or less) partial and uncertain information -- under pressure, and in danger. In a word, they need robustness. They need to withstand the shocks of war. They don't have the normal breaking strain. The same is true of ministry -- in particular urban ministry. There are important differences, however. In my (Congregational) tradition, the minister is not a commander except to command that all believers should be regarded equally (the commander against commanders, as it were). Yet while the minister does not carry the authority of the commander, in "real life" he or she carries the responsibility of the commander. Which leads us to a second difference.  The minister's capacity for robustness typically has a different source to that of the military commander. It has its origin in God. This having been said, for those who might read this post without recognising such robustness in themselves, if God has called you, then not to worry, He will create it in you. The minister is not meant to be bullet-proof anyway -- in fact the opposite, if one goes by Biblical examples. (Perhaps I shall give one or two examples of "robustness" in a future post).