Having recently returned from a Caribbean cruise I began to play with the similarities between observations of life aboard a cruise ship and leadership of a congregation.

If you have had a similar experience please feel free to add your own observations. Here are mine in no particular order.

1. Most people are old. (Note to self: avoid mirrors).
2. On second glance young people and children are aboard, they are just not as visible or (often) as pushy.
3. A few people are cranky – and that affects the mood of all those around them.
4. Some people need to know the big picture of the ship – the location of all the different eating places, lounges, shops, observatories, current maps and ship data, etc – and they carry a map with them.
5. Most rely upon those who carry the map, i.e. “are you sure this is the right way?”
6. People like to be fed.
7. People don’t need to be fed as much as they think they do.
8. Some react to movement much more than others.
9. The most effective work is done by teams.
10. The sun does not shine on both sides of the ship at the same time. [Tweet “The sun does not shine on both sides of the ship at the same time”]