The Remnant Effect

Focusing Not on Who Left, but Who is Left

When you step into a ReLeading role, you're likely to encounter what I like to call the "Remnant." This term may not be part of your daily vocabulary, but it aptly describes what's left behind. Picture arriving at a scene strewn with the aftermath: the wreckage of a crash, scorch from a fire, the fallout from failed relationships, the fragments of dysfunctional systems, teams, budgets, or a fractured organizational culture. As a ReLeader, you're tasked with the challenging yet rewarding job of rallying what remains to try to build something great.

In my experience, one of the toughest aspects was steering clear of dwelling on the past. It's easy to get caught up in the "if only’s," a topic we've explored in previous discussions. But as ReLeaders, our focus needs to shift from what was to what could be.

My family has a favorite show: I Shouldn’t Be Alive. If you haven’t seen it, it’s fascinating. The show presents reenactments of true stories about people who faced impossible odds and survived to tell about it: stranded at sea, lost in the jungle, stuck in a snowstorm on top of a mountain, lived through an airplane crash, attacked by a lion, and dozens of other stories. These shocking scenarios of survival keep my family on the edge of our seats for an hour at a time. One thing we’ve noticed is the show’s ‘alone’ factor. Some face the threat of death with others while some face it by themselves. But those who face the hardship alone always have a harder time surviving the mental component of the ordeal.

On November 2, 2014, I was officially introduced as the new lead pastor of Victory Church. One week later, on November 9th, I stood backstage before the beginning of the service and wondered if anyone had come back from the previous week. I remember thinking, Our church has been through so much; why would they stay? Wouldn’t it be easier for them to find a church with less trauma and drama? And who am I? Why would they want to follow me?

I can’t forget the moment I opened the door and looked out at the auditorium. It was true that hundreds, if not more than a thousand, had left over the summer months after ‘the incident’ and while I was interim. But as I looked, I saw … the remnant.

That remnant was larger than those who had left, but it was a painful reminder of the trauma.

Every week for the next couple of years, I would walk toward the sanctuary, wondering if more had left and whether anyone had come back. And week after week, I was blown away at the faithfulness of the remnant.

Thinking back on the story of the rebuilding of the Temple, did you consider the fact that in Haggai 1:14, God didn’t call Zerubbabel or Jeshua; He called Zerubbabel and Jeshua?

And did you notice Zerubbabel and Jeshua were not the only ones who responded? Haggai reported, ‘So the LORD sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel … and the enthusiasm of Jeshua … and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people (NLT, bold added).’

I love that.

God never sends ReLeaders out on their own.

As I reflect on my journey, both at the church and the university, I realize I was never alone in my ReLeading assignments. Yes, many left during those difficult seasons of transition, but God surrounded me with a remnant who had received the same spark and who also responded to the call to rebuild.

At the church, God surrounded me with warriors like Dale Swanson, Wade Smith, Oscar Ortiz, Adam Fredrick, Steven and Sam Votaw, Jacque Parker, and hundreds of others whom God filled with the same enthusiasm to rebuild. At The King’s University, God also surrounded me with faithful co-laborers who were committed to the cause.

So, ReLeader, look around you. God has surrounded you with people who have the same spark that you received. Perhaps you could take a moment to thank God for them, and maybe reach out and express your gratitude to them.

If you feel alone, then what I wonder is if those people are there, but you haven’t let them in or relied on them. Is it time for you to acknowledge the remnant and focus on who still remains?

Not Who Has Left, But Who Is Left

The hardest part of my ReLeading journey was seeing people I loved, leave. While I understood why they would respond that way to our Lead Pastor’s moral failure, I couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed.

It hurt.

I found myself constantly thinking of people I hadn’t seen in weeks, adding them to the list of families who had walked out and would not return. I would torment myself with “if only’s.” If only I had preached better. If only I had called them and taken them to lunch. If only we had better facilities we could attract more families.

I felt like I was sinking into, and was afraid I’d settle into, the sadness.

Finally, God pierced my heart with a thought that would become almost a mantra for me:

It seems obvious, but when you’re in a season of rebuilding, it’s easy to become distracted by the many who are leaving.

Who is Left

The movie 300 is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in the Greco-Persian Wars. King Leonidas leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian army of over 300,000 soldiers. There are bizarre goat people and an army of immortal monsters, but the movie still has the kernel of a true story at its heart.

Over 600 years before the Battle of Thermopylae there is a completely true story from history, recorded for us in the book of Judges, and also featuring an undersized, outmatched army of 300. But much like the church I was called to pastor and the university I was called to lead, it started much larger.

If anyone understood the idea of a remnant, it was Gideon.

In Judges 6, an angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, who is threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress. I’m no expert, but even I know wheat does not belong in a winepress. So why was Gideon doing his work in such a strange place? He was mortified by the Midianites who are described as “enemy hordes, coming … as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count” (Judges 6:5).

Gideon is horrified and is hiding in the winepress when the angel shows up, greeting him as “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). I wonder if Gideon laughed. Gideon knew the one thing he was not was a mighty warrior.

After Gideon denies his calling, the angel of the Lord commands him to “go in the strength you have” (Judges 6:14).

Gideon finally accepts the call, and then instantly God challenges him with the size of his army. He was about to experience the “remnant effect” that every ReLeader will face.

After blowing the ram’s horn and putting out the call to arms, an army of 32,000 men shows up, ready to follow Gideon into battle. Then God says something that must have bewildered Gideon. “You have too many warriors with you” (Judges 7:2). Too many warriors? But the enemy has so many more. Why too many? “If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength” (Judges 7:2).

So, God has Gideon start whittling down his army. He begins with, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home” (Judges 7:2). Like, “Fellas, if you don’t have that spark, if you aren’t clothed with power, you can get to steppin’.” And … 22,000 leave!

Now 10,000 who “were willing to fight” (Judges 7:3) remain, but God says, “There are still too many!” (Judges 7:4) and gets rid of another 9,700.

Suddenly there were … 300.

What I learned from Gideon is that while the number of people who have left may seem significant, we should never underestimate the power of God or the enthusiasm of the remnant.

The remnant is powerful.
The remnant is called to ReLead with you.
The remnant is “clothed with power” from the Lord.
The remnant is passionate and strong.
The remnant can take you and your organization to new levels.

For Gideon, the remnant was less than 1% of his original group. Our church lost several hundred, perhaps even a thousand people, but we were left with a lot more than 1%.

I bet you were too.

So, let’s remember: ReLeaders learn to not focus on who has left, but who is left.