The MinistryEquip.com Blog

This is the third in a series on the downside of leadership driven by the spoke mentality-when every decision (and in many cases every task) MUST be made by the lead pastor, thus impeding the growth of the church.

  In many churches where leadership patterns have been set, the difficulty is not as much about the pastor, but about the pastor's hesitation to try new leaders in new roles. We all know 2-3 high capacity volunteers who we can trust almost any task  to and expect that it will be carried out, and that it will be done with excellence.

  So many times, the relentless return of the Sabbath leads us to make comfortable decisions for the sake of ease and expedience. While there are certainly moments that call for this kind of solution, there are also many great opportunities that give us ample time to use the upcoming event as a teaching moment for developing new leaders. We still greatly need these high-capacity volunteers, but we need them to shift into training roles and increasingly become hands off with the tasks that they are often deeply connected to and have "owned" for some time.

  Developing "shadows" for all your leaders is an excellent policy. If your leaders have an apprentice, or better yet, a team to accomplish a regular task, the basics of leadership development are already in place. I am often surprised by the number of leaders who simply continue to do it themselves instead of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. 

  In our roles as pastors and leaders, getting the job done isn't the true objective. Spreading the wealth and growth to a ministering congregation should always be the higher goal. 

  Each church and congregation has it's own set of unique challenges and issues to wade through, but we will never move our people toward liberation and growth if we continue to do their job for them. Let's make the meaningful transition from doer to visional trainer. Imagine your church with every member as a minister. It may be closer than you think.

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 This is the second in a series on the downside of leadership driven by the spoke mentality-when every decision (and in many cases every task) MUST be made by the lead pastor, thus impeding the growth of the church.

   After more than 20 years in the ministry, I can say with accuracy that I've had many odd jobs through the years. The very nature of ministry calls us to do many tasks and wear a number of hats, but a major part of the maturing church is the handoff. The tasks that we don't enjoy may not be simple to delegate, but we tend to work at those.

  The difficult tasks to move away from are the ones we enjoy. The difficult tasks to move away from are the ones we know we do best. In many cases, the lead pastor of a small congregation is the best qualified to complete many tasks, but the growth comes when you hold onto many of your tasks loosely, and know when to let go entirely. There are some tasks that never need to be delegated and should always remain in the hands of the lead shepherd. On the other hand, there are tasks that, once delegated, can change a member of your congregation into a leader, or at least owner, of a ministry. 

  Many pastors wonder why they seem to spend all their time accomplishing small tasks and keeping the wheels of the church turning. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but one of the greatest reasons is their inability to relenquish ownership. 

  Pastors must cast the vision God has put before them.

  Pastors must own the vision they feel God has given them.

  But the most overlooked piece of the vision pie is offering ownership. Fear of vision drift is often cited as a key reason for not offering ownership to members of the congregation, but in some cases it is simply egotism. I know I can do it better keeps us from developing new leaders and expanding the ownership team. Vision for your organization is not very unique. But vision that sticks and is being applied in the lives of most of your church members is pretty rare. 

  There are certainly exceptions where the pastor has tried to increase the ownership team and has been turned back. But until the team leader decides he wants a team, you're left in the curious position of shepherding an audience instead of a team of difference makers. Take one of your sacred cows and hand it off to someone today. You might be surprised how God will work and the liberation that will bring.

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 The spoke.

   It's always there. Always to be trusted. Always at the center of the wheel.

    With the average church size in America hovering somewhere under 100, this isn't simply a picture of how a bicycle wheel operates. It's a picture of most lead pastors as they strive to lead their congregations. Of course, a pastor with vision and leadership skills has to set the tone for the direction his congregation needs to be headed.

     The struggle is in knowing when to let go of direct control. 

   Many churches seem to struggle and plateau because of the "ownership" question. There is a subtle complacency that says the preacher will handle that...it's his job. With many who have been in church for decades, this hired gun approach seems natural and accepted, but it's far from the biblical precedent that was set in the new testament church. 

   Truthfully, for as many pastors that struggle to get their church to "own" the ministry, there seems to be almost as many who hold on tightly for fear of mission drift, ego, perfectionism, and other issues. 

  Over the course of this week, we're going to explore some common pastoral actions that perpetuate the spoke and hinder the church in its ability to move outside the walls. If your church is battling the spoke, or if you're a pastor trying to move away from that mentality, check back for some great nuggets over the course of this week,

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   I have an annoying habit in school zones. I focus way too long on the speedometer and only occasionally glance up at the road ahead of me.

  When I was a fairly new driver, I got a hefty speeding ticket in a school zone, and ever since I've been overly cautious when I enter them. Cautious to the point of being unsafe. I tend to keep my eyes and my thoughts on keeping that speedometer under 20 instead of on the very children the law was meant to protect. 

  As I ponder my relationship with Christ and my Christian walk, I tend to go through phases where my gauge...not my Savior...is the center of attention. I convince myself that keeping the law or being the best list follower is the ultimate pursuit in the life of the Christ follower.

But it leaves me dry.

  You see, God didn't create me with a list-shaped void in my heart, but a God-shaped one that only my relationship with Him can fill. In the same way that those children need to be the center of attention when I enter their zone, God, and not the man-made rules that have been assembled around Him, need to be at the center of my purpose in life. Otherwise, I begin to deify the list. I begin to measure those around me according to my list instead of simply loving and valuing them. 

  Our hope lies in a Savior, not in an ever-increasing list of "dos" and "don'ts". Let's pursue a relationship with the One who loved us enough to save us, and leave the lists behind. He is worthy of our attention without the clutter of a man-conceived measuring stick.

Photography: Manu Mohan, manumohan.com

There are thousands...possibly even millions of great leaders in the world, but they all have one thing in common. Their knowledge and inspiration to lead came from following.

    It may be that they were inspired to do what they do by a great youth leader, a good boss, a loving parent, or a helpful manager. If only this were the end of the story. 

   In some cases the great leader rises from a poor boss, an indifferent parent, or a mediocre youth leader.

   Great leadership doesn't function in a vacuum. Great leaders lead....and poor leaders often stay in their positions, just getting by, just doing enough, but failing to have the positive impact that leads to change,

   If you find yourself currently in a leadership role, life-change should be your goal. Too many times we believe that "sufficient" is the aim, when pouring ourselves into the people we lead is really our calling. If we believe we're operating in a vacuum, we're fooling ourselves. Our actions as leaders, good, bad, or indifferent, ALWAYS have results.

   So pour yourselves into the current generation of followers. They WILL be leading before you know it.  

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