Ever wonder why church members seem to complain all the time?
I think it’s because they feel powerless in at least part of their lives, and church is a safe place to deal with that powerlessness. If your boss is a brute, then complain about something at church. Pass along the aggravation.
If I am correct, then the last thing church leaders need to be is power-seekers and power-wielders. Rather, church leaders need to model Jesus’ way, which was to share power and to yield power.
Share is defined as serve alongside other servants, not as a master but as a companion and fellow pilgrim. Yield means not needing to get one’s way, but rather to let go of privilege and supremacy.
Jesus’ way is well documented in the Gospels, but has rarely surfaced in the life of the Church. We have tended to “write the book” on hierarchical wielding of power.
Now, we find that history coming back to bite us. Some avoid us, and some complain.
As you do the annual process of selecting leaders for the coming year, this would be a good time to rethink leadership and power, and to train incoming leaders in how to share and to yield. Your church will be more effective and happier.
To learn more about church leadership, please join the Church Wellness Project. Go to www.churchwellness.com .
Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant, and leader of workshops. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. The church wellness project may be found at www.churchwellness.com
