A Hammer and Hope

I’ve had two recent conversations with pastors, both of whom are in turnaround situations. Turnarounds are nothing new, but I was surprised at the contrast in how they are leading their churches. One is relying on a “hammer” – a forceful leadership style that makes quick decisions and tackles problems head on. The other is using a much softer approach, caring for the people and trying to instill hope in the congregation. The most interesting aspect of these two stories is that I think that both may be right in how they are approaching their churches. The first congregation has been fairly lethargic, satisfied with the status quo and showing no motivation to change. The second congregation, while also stagnant and resistant to change, has been deeply hurt by conflict and division in previous pastorates. The pastor of the first congregation was a hard-charging business leader prior to experiencing a call into ministry. The second has been in pastoral ministry his entire career and has a warm, caring temperament. One danger in heeding the advice of leadership “experts” (or even this blog) is that you can think that there is a “right” answer for each leadership situation, or even a particular “style” or personality that a leader must have. The best leaders learn from the experts, but they also know their own strengths and personalities. They don’t try to become something that doesn’t fit who they are. They also conduct a deep assessment of the context in which they are leading. (Think of the difference between a turnaround church that is apathetic versus one that is wounded.) Only after they put all of this together will they decide whether to use a hammer or hope. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>