still learning to lead

The majority of the fellow pastor blogs I read from around the country tend to focus most on leadership issues. Things like vision, staff performance, setting church goals…etc. I’ve held leadership positions in and outside the church since I was 19 years old. I have co-served with some great and not so great leaders, all of whom have left an indelible imprint. In the business world, I was fortunate to sit under some of the most brilliant minds in the marketing industry, people who set and shaped national marketing trends. Seeing them in action behind the scenes and then watch their ideas take shape in the national media arena was pretty thrilling. The staff I presently work with is an outstanding crew. The crazy thing about leadership for me is that it’s very last thing I ever wanted do. Being chronically shy, I’m most at home in the last row yet God has consistently pressed me into leadership venues.

Church leadership does have many of the same dynamics you would find in any other organization. The pursuit of excellence, keeping staff motivated, meeting the expectations of those you serve and taking your congregation soundly into the future is as much a pastoral teams responsibility as it would be any general manager or company VP. The dramatic difference between leadership in the church vs. the private sector is the soul of the leader. I’ve seen people with immense organizational/leadership skills take absolutely no stock in the health of their inner-self. While the company they navigate thrives and enjoys explosive growth, the home-front is in ruin. Doing our best in the ministry environment is a must but most important for the Christ follower is the level of their spirtual health.

Christian leadership is far more about who you are than what you do. The apostle Paul was very comfortable telling young believers to simply watch his life and follow his example until their own faith matured. As a church leader, my deepest desire is to provide a consistent godly example for my co-servants. People at all levels desperately need to experience and be challenged by the fruit of the Holy Spirit emanating from the ideas, speech, emotions and inter-action they have with those who lead them.