There has been a lot of debate over the years regarding leadership, and especially the subject of church leadership. Over the number of years I have been in the church, I have seen all sorts of models of leadership. I have seen team leadership, married couple leadership, double friendship leadership, elder leadership, committee leadership, and even congregation leadership. Each one of these leadership structures has had a combination of systems underpinning them. Whether that is a staff or senior leadership team, eldership, committee, multi-campus input, congregation vote, denominational oversight, etc., the options are mind-boggling. I have seen highly structured leadership environments and low-structured ones. I have seen structures where the senior leader or group has a lot of freedom and some where they have little freedom. Each version extols its virtues, and everyone has their favorite, but from what I have witnessed over the years, the truth very simply is that each of them has both advantages and disadvantages.

There is no perfect leadership structure because imperfect people have to lead and inhabit those structures

The only thing that I ‘think’ I have seen people agree on over the years regarding leadership in the church is that, on some level, it is required! I have heard the debates regarding how we don’t need leadership (outside of God) and that each of us should be trusted to go on our own. Much of this comes from people having experienced the downfall of leaders who became intoxicated by the power that leadership positions can give. However, to reject leadership because of some leaders is the definition of ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater.’ We only have to spend a little time in the Scriptures to see what happens to the people when strong biblical leadership is absent.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 21:25

Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances Proverbs 11:14

When he (Jesus) looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd Matthew 9:36

In pondering this, I began to think about the specific things that leaders do, or should do, that help us move toward who we’re meant to be in Jesus. Why are they required to stop us from descending into madness? Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some things that have popped into my mind;

Leaders devote their thinking to the big – when we aren’t leading, our attention naturally goes to ourselves and our experiences. Whether this is on a macro level or a micro level e.g. our experience of a church service, we think ‘me’ first and make a call on the subject in question based on our experience. Because we all do this individually, we end up with a varied range of results as to whether the church service was a good or bad thing. Church leaders, however, don’t have the luxury of thinking about their personal preferences. It’s not that they don’t have one; it’s just that they have to devote their thinking to something much bigger than what they would like to happen. They have a vision, a direction, a calling that they must keep to. I’ve led many church services over the years, and I remember the criticism I would receive, often weekly, from people who didn’t like this song, that worship leader, that announcement, or thought my teaching, or another’s, wasn’t up to scratch. At times they might have been right in their assessment, but my job was to keep the big picture in mind that God had called us to as a community. Sometimes the song we didn’t like was something that communicated what we needed to say; sometimes the speaker or worship leader who might not have been our favorite was being developed for something beyond that Sunday. Sometimes we had to sacrifice some things to achieve another. Without leaders, we will rarely think beyond ourselves, and that means no one else will grow into who God has called them to be because we will reduce ourselves to doing what we see fit.

Leaders prepare so others can experience – I’ve become more and more aware of this reality in the last year. Church leaders spend the vast majority of their days praying, preparing, thinking, and strategizing the different things their community will engage with. They prepare series, teaching points, events, groups, etc., over weeks and weeks. They think about how it all fits together, how they should introduce it, the different options and/or challenges it may present so that people can most easily engage with it. Then, once all that thinking is done, they let the rest of us know; perhaps at a Sunday service, a weekday meeting, or through a church email. Often we step into these things, sometimes we don’t, without realizing the work that was put into the preparation. I was once told that a leader’s job was to travel to the land ahead and make it more palatable for those who are coming behind – think about the idea of an explorer chopping through a thick section of rainforest so that those coming behind can easily walk through. No church vision, service, teaching series, small groups, events, missions, etc., happens by accident. Someone, or many someones, had to pray and think it all through so that we could most easily engage with it. They may have done a great job or not, but I am thankful that they worked hard to allow me to walk through more easily. If leaders didn’t prepare, we would all have to work hard to forge a way, and unfortunately, many would end up getting lost in the wildness!

Leaders hold to the line amongst the pressure to move – any leader will feel the pressure from the people they lead. What I’ve learned over the years is that when we put enough people together, opposing opinions will form within groups. As people, we aren’t particularly good at being quiet about our opposing opinions, and as a leader, this can be a difficult experience. It’s difficult to head in a certain direction while knowing that there are certain groups of people who would prefer to go another way. Depending on the people involved, the opposition can be loud or quiet, but it is always there. I am not saying that a leader shouldn’t listen to the opinions of others, especially those who have a different viewpoint. This, in fact, is a very healthy way to lead, but a leader has to be very careful about what they do with these opinions. What each leader must remember is that those who have the opinions are not in the position the leader is. They don’t have the view the leader has, they don’t see all the complexities, and they haven’t had all the conversations that go along with the job of leading. They most likely haven’t prayed about the decision, nor has it been on their mind day in and day out. They most probably don’t have the same training, experience, or knowledge that the leader has. I was always told that I should always listen to and consider feedback from others, but I should also remember that I was the one flying the plane, no one else. I might have ideas and thoughts about how a pilot flew that plane, but ultimately I have to trust the one who has been put in charge of the flight. Great leaders learn how to hold the line in the midst of the pressure around them to divert, adjust, and redirect. They know how to be aware of their blind spots, consider the words from those who oppose, but stick to the job and direction at hand.

Leaders step forward when no one wants to – I’ve realized that I am a much better leader when I don’t have to lead. When I’m on the sidelines watching someone else take the lead, I have all the answers, and I never make mistakes. It’s easy to see what they should do, how they should do it, and when it should be executed. I imagine we are all like that in one way or another. However, it’s very different when we are the ones on the field calling the shots. It’s harder to make decisions when your head is the one above the parapet. We all know this as well, which is why so many of us choose not to. Leaders are the ones who are prepared to step onto the field and take that risk. They are prepared to take responsibility and bear the weight of getting decisions right or wrong. They are aware that those still on the sidelines will have their opinions, but they do it anyway.

I am convinced that without leadership in our churches, chaos would ensue. I am so thankful that God has put great leaders in my life. What I am learning is that even on the rare occasions when I struggle with the decisions a certain leader makes, I want to be very careful about what I do in those moments. I always want to honor those who are thinking about something bigger than I am, the ones who’ve prepared so I can easily walk in, the ones who hold the line when it would be easy to move, and the ones who stepped forward when I didn’t.

Thank you leaders for all you do!