Leadership that Works by Leith Anderson

Author:Leith Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: leadership, church

Emerging Expectations

The new rules of church leadership are not available in any list. Like everything else, they are continually changing. But here are some examples that help to explain the changes in leadership expectations. In some instances, the rules for tomorrow are a resuscitation of rules from yesterday.

Old rule: Faithfulness is sufficient.

New rule: Effectiveness is expected.

Listen to leaders born before 1950 when they honor individuals retiring from ministry. The most common praise given is for their “faithfulness.” Faithfulness means loyalty, showing up, working hard, not complaining, and tolerating less-than-the-best pay and working conditions.

Listen to leaders born after 1950 and the praise you’ll hear is for “effectiveness.”

The rules have changed. Faithfulness used to be sufficient. Now effectiveness is expected.

This is not to say that an earlier generation rewarded incompetence, nor that today’s leaders need not be faithful. It is to say that the pendulum has swung toward an expectation that leaders will not only show up but also know what to do when they get there and get it done before they leave. If they are ineffective, they are more likely to be terminated than they would have been a generation earlier.

The problem arises when a veteran leader is asked to step aside for not doing a good enough job. His response? “But I’ve worked here for over twenty years. I took a pay cut when the budget was short. I’ve given my life to this organization.” He is explaining why he should stay under the old rules, not realizing that those rules may no longer apply. The new rules ask, “What have you done lately that has made a difference for good?”

Old rule: Godliness is assumed but not required.

New rule: Godliness is required but not assumed.

Not too long ago, pastors were assumed to be godly. If a person graduated from seminary and was ordained to the ministry, surely that person must be godly. As long as the pastor carried out the duties of preaching, visiting, marrying, burying, and pastoral care, and didn’t do anything bizarre, he was considered a good pastor. Then came the blockbuster revelations of moral failure and financial impropriety among many high-visibility religious leaders during the 1980s and 1990s.

Churches and religious organizations moved godliness to the top of the list of leadership qualifications and increased diligence in determining leaders’ character and spirituality. In some cases, would-be leaders are assumed to be less than godly until proven otherwise. The leader is expected to have a close personal relationship with God that is lived out in prayer, chastity, financial accountability, integrity, and relational authenticity. When a flaw is detected, followers are slower to give the leader the benefit of the doubt.

The new rules apply to more than religious leaders. Police officers are screened for use of illegal drugs. Preschool teachers must have annual police background checks. Employers are verifying all academic records listed on a resume. Search committees are asking pastoral candidates about their sexual morality, prayer and Bible reading habits, sermon study habits, and doctrinal idiosyncrasies. A pastoral

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