Wait for me, I'm the leader

A friend of mine accepted the pastorate of another church a few years ago.  He had served his previous church for over ten years but had very little success leading them out of their comfort zone.  Like many churches, they said the right things, but when it came time to making the changes necessary for those things to happen, they refused.  A few months after moving to his new place of service I asked my friend what the biggest difference was between the two churches.  He quickly replied that in the previous church he felt like he was always trying to move an object that would not budge; at the new church he was having to run to keep up.  Fortunately, he is an excellent pastor and leader, and he has had no trouble getting out in front and providing the leadership this church expects from their pastor.

That is not the case with many pastors.  The church today has many needs, but one of the greatest is they need a pastor who can provide leadership.  I've referred to John Maxwell's book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition), numerous times in this blog in which he reminds us that everything rises and falls on leadership.  This is true in businesses, in families, on sports teams, and it is certainly true for churches.  When things are going poorly in any organization one can point the finger at many possible causes, but it eventually comes back to leadership. 

I heard Maxwell make that statement when his book was first published several years ago.  At the time I was the pastor of a church and managing a small business our family owned.  Neither was going well, and I blamed everything and everyone.  Then I heard Maxwell say, "Everything rises and falls on leadership."  I sat there stunned and angry.  He was blaming me for the problems in our church and business!  The longer I sat in the audience the more I realized he was absolutely right.  I was the leader of both organizations.  I was the person responsible to see that they functioned properly.  I was the one expected to provide the vision and the plans to see those visions achieved.  If I did not provide leadership, how could I expect anyone to follow?  I had to immediately change how I served in both organizations, and when I did things began to improve.

Leadership is not simply having a position or a title.  It's not about educational degrees nor is it the ability to force people to do things they don't want to do.  Leadership is about influence.  It's the ability to cast a clear vision and influence others to go with you on the journey to see that vision fulfilled.  One cannot have influence without being a person of integrity and one others can trust to lead them.  And, yes, it is about leading.  A leader is one who is out in front of those who follow.  He or she must be able to see further than anyone else because as a leader he is she is leading from the front.  Leadership is also about being willing to take risks to accomplish the tasks that need to be accomplished. 

If you have no vision for your church or your organization, by definition you cannot be the leader.  You are not leading them anywhere because you have no idea where they are to go or what they are to do.  If that describes you, and you are supposed to be in a position of leadership, you need to fall on your knees before God and seek His vision for your church.  If you are a person who lacks integrity with those you are supposed to lead you will never be able to lead them.  People will not follow those they do not trust.  If you are not willing to get out in front of the people and lead them, you cannot be a leader.  Finally, if you are not willing to take risks to accomplish the vision God gives you, you will never be able to lead your church.  If any of these describe you, you have two choices.  Either repent and correct the problem or resign your position.  Your church deserves better.

The church has drifted along for too long.  A church without a leader is like a ship without a rudder, and without a rudder the ship can only drift.  Our society today is paying a terrible price because the church is failing to be the church God intended it to be.  If the church is to have any impact on our society it must have men and women who are willing to rise up and become the leaders our churches require.