How Love Transforms Your Leadership Team
As I was speaking to the elders and staff of a large church gathered to hear about the power of love in community, I learned that they had devoted a lot of time and energy strategizing how to protect the church from the weaknesses of each pastor.
It was a morass of guardrails and convoluted communication lines. Every ‘i’ dotted, every ‘t’ crossed. Fifteen minutes in, I told them that unless they were willing to give up their controlling ways, I couldn’t work with them.
During the ensuing conversation, one elder objected, saying that things were running smoothly. “Not for long,” I warned.
“You’re living in a dangerous place and without me even asking, I suspect you have a brutal history of staff turnover and disunifying squabbles. You have settled for a diminished expression of every leader’s giftedness and calling from God.”
When they asked what I would recommend for them, I didn’t hesitate, “You need to abandon trying to control your church and trust the love of God to transform your leadership team.”