Leaders Will

By Eddie Lowen

 

I”ve come to a surprising realization about all the churches where my friends and family lead: they all are healthy. In fact, many of these churches are outright thriving! Statistically, that reality is striking because research suggests the majority of churches are in decline, spiritually and numerically. Yet, among my close connections, I can”t think of anyone who presides over a dying or wilting church.

And I think I know at least one reason why.

Because we are fallen, individually and corporately, the tendency of a church is toward decline. My friends” and family”s churches defy that propensity because, as leaders, they resist it strongly. How? They have tough conversations. They make bold decisions. They disappoint people who view the church through the lens of self-interest. They guide people out of roles for which they no longer have the right attitude or gifts, even when those people still want those roles. Such leaders will their churches toward health and growth. It sometimes costs them approval, support, and even friendship””but they do it because the mission and majesty of the church take priority.

If I fail to acknowledge God”s sovereignty over the church, someone will point it out. So, I do, sincerely. Ephesians 3:20 makes it clear that a blessed-beyond-imagination church results from “his power that is at work within us.” Ultimately, God”s Word, Christ”s resurrection, and the Holy Spirit”s favor are the powers that propel a church upward. Without those resources, we have nothing meaningful to offer and nowhere to lead. I also realize that God hasn”t provided every church the same circumstances. Ministry success is doing well with the specific circumstances you are given. (As evidence that God resources churches differently, see the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.)

 

No Substitute

However, when it comes to church health and growth, there is no substitute for key leaders with perpetual determination: drive . . . passion . . . will. I”m not suggesting that human leadership makes God”s part optional or obsolete. I”m saying God designed the church in a way that ties each congregation”s vitality to the skill and resolve of its leaders, especially its key leader.

This is a dangerous truth because it can be exaggerated or perverted. Churches can be ruined by tyrannical preachers. To protect against this possibility, many churches have neutered the lead minister”s role through restrictive bylaws and governance models that handcuff. Every change is subject to open commentary from a variety of voices. Such churches require ministry strategy to meet the approval of everyone with a leadership role (even if the Bible didn”t intend that role to include decision-making authority). I know of one church where the office receptionist determines whether or not new initiatives succeed or fail.

 

Protecting the Church””but from What?

In my view, the greater danger for a church is not an overly aggressive or willful lead pastor. It is a frightened, comfortable, or delegitimized pastor. The model of leadership I discern from the New Testament is humble and self-effacing, for certain. But the earliest church leaders were bold””and they were strong-willed. They made real mistakes, but they also made real progress. 

I can”t make room in this short article to fully document the claim, but any objective analysis of Peter or Paul”s leadership will verify it. If you want one clear illustrative passage, look at 2 Corinthians 10:10, 11 where Paul confronts a group of church wolves. In his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice (think The Terminator), Paul warns, “I”ll be back.” Paul”s message: don”t confuse my willingness to lay down my life for Christ with a willingness to let you ruin this church””that ain”t gonna happen. Paul didn”t want a fight, but if one broke out, he intended to win because the Corinthian church needed him to win.

A friend recently shared a letter he wrote to a ministry mentor during his most desperate leadership season. People who opposed his vision for a church that wins lost people to Jesus in large numbers nearly drove my friend away. In truth, these people were afraid of losing control of the church, as they preferred it. As always happens with people of this mind-set, they projected their own self-serving motives onto the pastor and lobbied against his leadership.

Since it appeared the tide against him was unstoppable, he requested his mentor”s help finding another ministry setting. God didn”t open that door. My friend stayed and prayed. But, just as importantly, he dug in. Eventually the detractors and opponents left in disgust. Since then, the church has flourished and grown by more than tenfold. Thousands of people now participate in an exciting church where lives are being constantly transformed.

What happened? Did God grant more power? Did God add to what the Bible reveals about the church? No and no. Did God finally step in? No, again. God had been there “among the lampstands” all along. So, what did happen? The key leader checked his motives, consulted his mentors, confirmed God”s will for the church, and then he willed that church toward a healthier future. God”s vision prevailed when a leader”s resolve grew.

 

Your Setting

What I cannot do in an article of this length is explain how these principles apply to your specific church and its leadership team. Yes, I acknowledge that subtleties and exceptions make this a nuanced principle. But my greater concern is that many churches have castrated the lead pastor role and twisted concepts like accountability and oversight into something the Bible does not prescribe. As a result, churches are not being led by gifted, visionary leaders as much as they are being managed (or even manipulated) by status quo members.

Frankly, not every minister can be trusted with the degree of leadership influence a healthy church should grant. But that”s no excuse for taming and fencing in the key leader. We owe it to the church and to God to see what the key leader can accomplish when his leadership horsepower is exercised through a full gallop. Churches must find leaders of integrity and competence, then say GO far more often than NO. And, even when the key leader”s instincts do not match those of the most opinionated lay leaders, some latitude should be given. Time will reveal whether or not the key leader has a high enough batting average to become a franchise player.

Let”s restore the leader-of-leaders role in the church. Such leaders do not come without risk. Thank God for the elder team of my church; because they hired a willful guy like me, they have delegated a lot of day-to-day control over our church”s ministry. They have also forgiven some occasional words and actions from me that were just too strong. But, far more importantly, they have tapped the gifts and determination that God hard-wired into me for the good of the church. My goal is to make them glad they did. With God”s help, I will.

 

Eddie Lowen serves as lead minister with West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and on Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee.