by I’ve been tremendously blessed to grow up and through institutions that knew how to laugh. Though, I can’t pretend that the humor was always appropriate–it was present. The home I grew up in, my high school, my home church, my college, both hospitals I’ve served in, and the seminary I attended all were consistently places where I can remember laughing until my sides hurt.
When I interviewed for my present pastoral position, One of the many things I was listening for was laughter. Do the leaders laugh together? Does the congregation laugh? Or is there a persistent, palpable tension that makes even the funniest moments not funny. Again, the Lord has blessed me in this church with leaders that know how to use humor well, and a serious community that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“Humor humanizes and warms the heart. Those who follow you know that you have weaknesses and foibles, so let them share in the humor you direct at yourself. Humor should never be used at another’s expense, but it can be used to make people feel at ease, to relieve tension, and even to affirm humanity. Humor must never be crude or disrespectful, but it can build respect.”
“Leaders know how to laugh with their team, with their people, with the public, and at themselves. Humor is a public admission that leaders are completely human, and that, in itself, is a virtue.”
Albert Mohler, The Conviction to Lead, 155, 156.