Readers of this blog know that I often write about vision. Vision is the key to any successful endeavor. As a Resource Minister in our region I always began my first meeting with a pastor search team by asking for the vision of the church. Not once in 14 years could any pastor search team tell me their church's vision. I then explained that without a vision how could they know what they needed in their next pastor. If they didn't now where God was leading them, how could they know if the person they might interview was capable of taking them there. A few churches allowed me to help them discern a vison from God, but most just wanted to continue their search for a pastor. Those churches are still wandering around in the wilderness.
Vision is key, but one thing is even more important. That is the character of the leader. As Jon Gordon writes in The Power of Positive Leadership, "You can have the greatest vision and mission statement in the world and be optimistic and positive, but if you are not someone people want to follow, they are not getting on your bus. People follow the leader first and their vision second." John Maxwell says that leaders have to have the heart of the people before they can expect the people to follow them. The leader's character determines whether or not others will follow him or her.
When I began my first pastorate the youth told me they wanted to go to King's Island. When I announced at a business meeting we would be taking the youth to that amusement park it was made very clear that I wasn't taking the kids anywhere. My first business meeting as a new pastor made me think being a pastor might not have been such a great idea! Later that evening one of the lay leaders called and explained the reaction I had received from those attending. There was a history I knew nothing about that triggered the response.
Jump forward about 15 years later. Some of our members were at a piano store and asked me to join them. The store had a sale on an electronic piano that was similar, but a step above the one our pianist had in her home, and it was less expensive than she had paid for hers. I was asked what we had to do to buy the piano, and I explained they all knew the Baptist history. We need to form a committee and let them discuss it for a few months before the church votes. While they knew all that, they also knew the sale ended that day. I explained the other option was that we buy the piano. We did, I put it on my credit card, and it was delivered the following Monday. The church voted to reimburse me for the piano, and there was not a single objection to our buying it.
Why the different reactions? Over the years the congregation got to know my heart. I had earned their trust. They were willing to follow me because they knew I loved that church and would do nothing intentionally to hurt it. It was also important that I had not made the decision to buy the piano alone; the decision was made with three other trusted leaders in the church.
It takes time to model character to a congregation. They have to know first of all that you love them and want only the best for them. Once that is settled, then they become willing to follow your vision. If they determine you do not have their best interest at heart, or if your character is lacking in important areas, they will not follow you.
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