Leaders are thermostats
During my earliest days of ministry, three other pastors and I met weekly on Wednesday afternoons. Our "agenda" was always loose. Over the course of two hours, we sometimes laughed. We sometimes cried. We occasionally sang. We always prayed.
One Wednesday afternoon, one of my friends shared an experience he had observed over the several years he had led the church he pastored. Whenever he was involved in any church leadership meeting, a committee within the church structure, or an ad-hoc group to plan some ministry event, he wound up functioning like a thermostat in the discussion.
Delving deeper into the details, he compared several meetings of the church's leadership. There were some serious, even contentious, matters they confronted over several months. The pastor said he noticed that any time his emotions began to show among the others, the "temperature" of the room increased. The volume of their discussion escalated. The words they used became gradually more harsh. Differences of view became sharp disagreements.
As he noted these rising passions among the church leaders, he began to work intentionally to remain calm in those meetings. The results, he shared, were revealing, compelling, and convicting. When he strove to keep the tone of his voice even and measured, the passions lowered. When he responded calmly to the difficult decisions they had to address, the others around the table remained calm. When he was composed and confident in the face of a significant challenge, the others were less anxious and animated.
His experience was enlightening, intriguing, and informative at the moment. It has remained with me for some 25 years. However, the value of what he shared that day has only increased over time.
There are many environments where a leader has significant formal authority. A small business owner, the sole-proprietor of a professional practice, and a Chief Executive Officer of a large corporation all have the authority to make decisions that chart a specific course for the future of the business. Church planters are typically afforded more deference in decision-making in a wide range of matters.
However, for pastors of small-town Baptist churches like my friend, leadership is often more an exercise of influence than authority.
Whether a pastor or director of a non-profit with a governing board, our responsibility of leadership increases rather than decreases in these situations. The governing documents of the church or non-profit may limit the duties of the pastor or director to planning, preparing, and leading worship gatherings or other formal events. Yet, the responsibility that comes with the role is far more significant.
Whether formally defined and empowered or not, the leader's responsibility will always include setting the temperature for meetings. The way the leader manages his own emotions will set the temperature for the entire church, team, or organization. Increasing the temperature will typically increase disagreement and division. Decreasing the temperature too drastically may lead others to ignore a vital matter. Finding the temperature that is just right is the leader's responsibility.
How do you set the thermostat for your church, business, professional practice, or non-profit? Whom can you trust to give you some helpful feedback? How can you begin to prepare for the meetings where you determine the temperature in the room? What matters need to have the temperature increased? What discussions have gotten too heated already? How can you lower the temperature for those?
I am praying for you as you lead!
Enjoy your weekend.