A simple organizational leadership map

Over nearly 30 years of ministry, I’ve witnessed countless pastors and churches who see some ministry effort, outreach event, leadership structure, teaching series, or program that “worked” in another church. Quickly, they decide to implement it, expecting to see the same fruitful results in their church.

One wave of attempts to imitate a “successful” church began in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. To some degree, it persists to this day. Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Church was published in 1995 and has sold over a million copies. Many pastors who bought and read the book applied the principles in their churches. Some saw significant fruit. Others found themselves looking for a new place to serve.

Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger’s Simple Church was another best seller that offered principles for churches to simplify the organizational structure and activities of local churches. The anticipated outcome was a more efficient and effective process to accomplish the fundamental mission of every church: making mature disciples. The reality for some pastors was the same as many of those who attempted to apply the Purpose Drive Church as a template. They found themselves in search of a new place to serve.

Less dramatic and less traumatic efforts to mimic other churches have resulted in less disastrous but no more effective outcomes. A year or so ago, I heard a church express bewilderment that their years of annual “Trunk or Treat” events had yielded no new believers nor increase in church attendance. Changes in music style, updated tech equipment, new signage, and replacing pews with chairs may be reasonable and necessary actions for a church to take. However, taking those actions because a nearby growing church did has rarely resulted in moving churches toward fulfilling their stated mission.

Pastoral ministry, church planting, sole proprietorship of a business, or any other form of organizational leadership involves more than a “plug-and-play” approach. Once we acknowledge that reality, we either slump back into a maintenance mentality or make an effort to grow toward effective organizational leadership.

Below is a simple process to help you become more effective as an organizational leader. It can also serve as a gauge for assessing the efforts and effectiveness of the church, professional practice, or volunteer team you lead. Maybe you and a few other pastors or leaders can use it to help each other in a formal or informal cohort to sharpen one another.

Mission and Vision take priority. To some degree, the mission of every church is already determined for us: make mature disciples. However, it remains critical for a pastor to be able to state that mission clearly in a way that he and those he leads can understand, embrace, and embody. While planting in Arizona, I eventually reminded the people of Crosspointe every Sunday, “We want to lead people to be transformed, ever-maturing followers of Jesus.”

With enough time and emotional distance to reflect on it, I realized I did not cast a clear enough or big enough vision for Crosspointe. One of the men on our leadership team pointed out that within the first year after our launch, we had fulfilled the vision I had first shared with him and his wife two years earlier. That felt satisfying and affirming in the moment. However, I’ve grown to realize it only meant the vision was too small.

Once the mission and vision are clear, they will serve as both destination and guardrails for your leadership journey.

Settle on a strategy. One reality that derails many leaders is that they attempt to take specific actions without regard to whether they fit into their strategy. If I decide to take a trip to the South Pole, I can’t drive my car there just because I like my car and know I am competent and comfortable driving it. If the South Pole were my destination, I would have to contact one of a handful of experienced people and companies that take people there. If I don’t like flying or am afraid of flying, I will never make it to the South Pole.

When we planted in Arizona, our strategy, which evolved because I didn’t have a clear enough idea of what I was doing initially, became a matter of cultivating a healthy community among our neighbors. The relationships that developed from that sense of belonging were the conduit through which the Gospel flowed and the church grew.

Utilize tactics that fit the strategy. The church that hosted “Trunk or Treat” events every October for the last few years did not see fruit from that tactic because it was not an expression of any clear strategy.

It might be fruitful if it were part of a strategy of cultivating community and building relationships with families new to the area. In that scenario, it would be one of several community events the church hosted that included some opportunity for interaction between everyone involved, not just brief interaction between the guest families and vehicle hosts. It would also include a way to capture contact information to follow up with more than an invitation to attend church services.

Constant reevaluation is invaluable. The Apple Maps app on my Apple CarPlay is active whenever I drive. Various routes may be available to me depending on where I am going. Sometimes, traffic conditions will change along the way, and I will adjust my route.

Once we are clearly set on where we are going, how we need to get there, and what tactics we will implement in our strategy, it’s essential to constantly check our progress, trajectory, and conditions along the way. Doing so will allow us to make any necessary adjustments.

What about you? Are you and those you lead clear about where you are headed? Do you have a clear strategy to get there? What tactics do you currently use that may be ineffective? How can you adjust them? Are there tactics you need to forsake? How and with whom do you regularly evaluate your progress?

Enjoy your weekend - and your journey!

The views and opinions expressed in my Thursday Thoughts on Leadership are my own. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina or any affiliated churches.