The Theology of Traffic Jams

By Charles G. Scott
Like a fiery serpent stretched across the landscape the endless line of vehicles stretches as far as the eye can see. It is at the same time bewildering and frustrating: you need to move, you want to move and you wonder what is going on that is not allowing you to move.

It must be horrific. It must be a massive problem. It must be gigantic.

You arrive at the scene of the bottleneck. There is nothing there.

What caused the traffic jam?

For some of you this is a rare if ever occurring situation. You live and commute in an area where traffic jams rarely interfere with your progress. For others it is daily or several times a day and you plan your schedule around the snarls of shuttling sojourners. For all of us working in the realm of the Kingdom of God spiritual setbacks and slowdowns are a constant companion.

A lot can be learned from traffic jams that apply to our spiritual lives.

According to research done by a team of mathematicians, the leading cause of traffic jams is human error. Someone drives too fast or pokes along too slow. The mistake of one driver can cause a ripple effect slowing down traffic for miles and hours of time. The impact of an unexpected event on the road causes a “backward traveling wave” that can slow down traffic as far as thirty miles!

The team developed a mathematical model to show the impact of unexpected events such as a tractor-trailer pulling out of its lane on a dual carriageway (divided highway with median between traffic going in opposite directions). Their model revealed that slowing down below a critical speed when reacting to such an event, a driver would force the car behind to slow down further and the next car back to reduce its speed further still. The result of this is that several miles back, cars would finally grind to a halt, with drivers oblivious to the reason for their delay.

The model predicts that this is a very typical scenario on a busy highway (above 15 vehicles per km). The jam moves backwards through the traffic creating a so-called ‘backward traveling wave’, which drivers may encounter many miles upstream, several minutes after it was triggered. (Science Daily)

Leaders have to deal with “backward traveling waves.” The progress you are desperately trying to achieve can come to a grinding halt by the action, lack of action or reaction of a solitary soul. The result is spiritual stagnation, atrophy and people become frustrated and some even pull off the road you’re trying to lead them and decide to travel another direction.

How do you deal with the spiritual traffic jams in your ministry? The key is found in your prayer life and your personal relationship with Christ.

Traffic jams or leadership/visionary jams occur in every organization at practically every level. Leaders often misperceive that their church, group or organization is facing a “jam” that is peculiar to them. Not true. People are people, organizations are organizations and the problems do not vary. Jams often occur because of these reasons across the board, whether you are driving or leading your organization:

1. Not every one moves at the same pace – It is a hard lesson for leaders to learn but not every one operates at the same speed. When the light turns green some drivers are ready to get across the intersection and move! Others adjust their mirrors, check incoming traffic, turn up the volume on the radio, talk to their passengers, the list is endless. But the point is that not everyone goes at the same pace. When a vision is cast, some people are ready to go! They have been waiting for direction and they are motivated to move! Others are later adopters – the key for leaders to understand is that neither is all right nor is either all wrong. When leaders try to make late adopters feel bad for not moving faster, relationship issues can become bigger than the visionary goal. Leaders must identify the early movers and the late adopters and learn to communicate effectively to both. Early adopters need to make sure they do not run over innocent people in their pursuit of progress. Late adopters need time to adjust their mirrors before they get started. The leader is the key to keep the traffic moving toward the desired end. It doesn’t matter who gets there first. What matters is that we arrive safely and soundly.
2. Something is in the way – The main cause of congestion on the freeway or in the organization is an obstacle of some means. It is amazing how traffic slows when a car has pulled off the driveway with a flat tire! Everyone slows down to look! Leaders know that people in general get sidetracked easily! We all do! Most of us carry a phone, laptop, digital tablet, paper tablet, and other devices into meetings. These tools can become major distractions. Our policy dictates meeting requirements that no email, text messaging or accepting phone calls can be done while in the meeting. We can lose our concentration and get distracted by simple things and cause a major jam in the progress!
3. There is a detour ahead – This is a hard truth for leaders to swallow: sometimes the direction that has been vision cast has to be detoured! We want to believe that we are always perfectly in tune with the need, the direction and the methods necessary to get where we want to go – but sometimes the issue is: we are trying to get where we want to go and NOT where God wants us to go! My favorite chapter is Acts 27. The moral of the stormy story of Acts 27 is simple: it is a redirection of a ship to get Paul to an island that desperately needs the Gospel and a manifestation of the power of God! A stubborn resistance to reroute, redirect and readdress direction can cause severe backups to the plan of God. A rebellion in the leadership took Israel on an extra forty-year journey that delayed an entire nation! Leaders must remain humble and sensitive to the Holy Spirit; this can only occur through extended times of prayer, fasting and accountability to the Word of God. When leaders determine to go their direction it causes snarls to the Body of Christ.

Directing traffic is part of leadership. Moving people into the flow of God’s direction for their lives and the organization means navigating the snarled backflow of jams that occur along the way. It is your duty to God and people to stay on the highway and keep directing traffic! Eventually, the highway will open to the God-directed destiny ordained for you and the people you serve!

Encounter Conference 2013: Hunger

By Josh Rogers

The Encounter Conference for young leaders took place on Friday, January 11 and Saturday, January 12, 2013. Leaders from 12 different states were encouraged to “Hunger” after God in a way they had never hungered before.

The weekend was kicked off with passionate and energetic worship by the SOS (Spirit of St. Louis) Church worship team led by Mike Skiles, followed by a message given by NYD Joe Skiles. He challenged students, ministers, and bishops to hunger and thirst after righteousness according to Matthew 5:6.

Next ILD Director Randy Lawrence Jr. spoke on the importance of remaining hungry, and warned against the dangers of a spirit with no appetite. The afternoon session brought in a panel of leaders to take on the questions of both those in attendance and those “tweeting” in over live stream. Pastors Russell Hylton and Eric Scott of Bethel Family Worship Center in Indianapolis, IN, and National Youth Directors Joe and Teena Skiles gave wisdom to those listening as they answered questions, such as “How can I grow my youth?” and “How can I be a leader as the youngest person in my youth group?”


Keynote speaker Adam McCain brought forth a message about Multi-Generational Ministry. Tom Skiles, pastor of SOS Church, taught on Saturday morning the importance of those who were formerly prodigal sons and daughters reaching out to the LOST prodigal sons and daughters. Then Adam McCain took the stage for the last session teaching on the importance of Faith, Hope, and Love.

While what I stated above is a report of what physically happened over the weekend, the truly incredible things are what spiritually happened. While I can’t speak to the experience of others, I can honestly say that the presence of God came and rested on the Encounter Conference and did not once relent. I watched as people fell to their knees for their Creator with a hunger that sent pangs through the spirit and refused to be satisfied by anything else. I saw a generation, my generation, that refused to be called fatherless, kneel in the presence of a Heavenly Father. I saw a generation that wasn’t lost, but desired, above all, revival. I watched as leaders poured through the doors having driven ten or more hours just to have an encounter with God. I didn’t see a generation that evades responsibility, or that has no respect for their Pentecostal heritage, but a generation with a craving to be used by God, willing to be forged by fire, and desiring to take up the mantle of those that have gone before them.

Encounter Conference was not just a youth conference; it was a glimpse into the bright and vibrant future of the Pentecostal Church of God. There were moments where age didn’t matter, experience didn’t matter, education didn’t matter, because we all stood together as prodigal sons and daughters rejoicing because we once were lost but now we are found.

The real report is about people having an encounter; and that we did. I sat in the video booth and watched with tears rolling down my face as young and old stood together with a desire to shake the pillars of heaven. I saw current pastors empowering future pastors. I saw district bishops crying out to God for the young leaders of this organization. If you didn’t make it to Encounter Conference 2013, then plan for 2014. It’s not another youth service; it’s not another camp meeting; it is an encounter with the Creator, a Creator that loves us.