When there is no leadership

One of the problems that some churches have is a lack of leadership. Weak leadership results in weak churches. As many, including myself, have written, everything rises and falls on leadership. No organization can rise any higher than the lid of its leadership. This includes churches. If a pastor has a leadership lid of a three, the church can never rise above a two in its effectiveness. The problem is further compounded by the fact that it will not attract lay leaders who have leadership lids above a two either. Strong leaders will not remain in an organization led by weaker leaders. Why would they?

Why do many pastors struggle being leaders? One, is that many were never trained to be leaders. Seminaries primarily teach people how to be managers, not leaders. A minister can graduate from many seminaries and never take one leadership course. They might know everything about Christian and denominational history, but they are never taught how to lead a church into the future.

Some ministers do not want to be leaders. They do not see it as their calling. They focus on providing pastoral care and sound sermons, which are both good, but they are not enough. If a church wants to provide excellent ministry in the future, it must be led to do so. Seldom does any organization stumble into excellence. Leaders have a clear vision of where God is leading them and have a plan for going there.

Another reason that some pastors refuse to lead is that they are too codependent on what others think about them. Some ministers do not want anyone to think less of them, and leaders will make decisions that will upset some people. If you are not occasionally making some people upset you are probably not leading. Codependent people cannot stand to have anyone upset with them, so they refuse to lead and take the chance that someone will get upset.

There are some churches that won't let the pastor lead. They may claim they want a pastor who will lead them into the future, but many are simply looking for a chaplain to tend to their needs. This is especially true in smaller churches. I've said in seminars that some small churches are not only seeking chaplains, they are seeking hospice chaplains. They want someone to help them die with dignity. This may seem harsh, but I've worked with too many with this attitude. If a pastor went to many of these churches and actually tried to lead them, he or she would be quickly dismissed.

Our churches need strong pastoral leaders if they want to remain relevant and effective in the 21st century. They need pastors who are seeking a fresh vision from God with the ability to communicate that vision, and the courage to lead the church in the fulfillment of that vision. Only then will the church recapture its rightful place in our world.