The Myths of Leadershhip (Pt. 1)

Dispelling the Myths of Leadership

Often we approach our role with fear and apprehension because of the prevalent myths that plague our view of our role. These misconceptions, if allowed to remain and influence our thinking, will cloud our perspective, ultimately undermining our effectiveness as leaders within the church.

Myth #1: “I’m Just a ______________.”

Often we allow our society and culture to determine our opinion of ourselves and others. Because of this, we can approach leadership with a negative view. At times in rural areas we can easily fall prey to the thinking that “I’m just a farmer and I don’t have the abilities to do anything significant within the church.” In more suburban area, when we are in occupations that society determines to be a non-leading role, we assume that we have nothing to contribute and we cannot be effective as a leader within the church. For example, we may assume that because we are blue-collar workers we may not possess leadership qualities.
This is further compounded because we often lack training in both general leadership and church leadership which results in apprehension about serving as a board member. The problem, however, is not a lack of training, nor is it in our perception of ourselves, rather it is in our perception of God. What we fail to realize is that spiritual leadership is not based upon abilities, talents or training; rather it is based upon character and empowerment by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 1:12). We can serve effectively, not because of who we are, but because of what God can do through us (Jeremiah 9:23-24). When we are faced with difficult decisions in the church we can have confidence in knowing that God has equipped and empowered us to be fully prepared to meet any challenge we face (Matthew 10:19-20; Philippians 4:13). Often the most effective board members are not the ones who are leaders in the secular world, but the ranch hand, the blue-collar worker, the carpenter, the average individual, who manifest a deep love for Christ, a commitment and knowledge of God’s Word and reliance upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction.

Myth #2 “We’re just a small church.”

It was a long day, the people were tired and hungry. For hours they had sat upon the hillside listening to the itinerate preacher proclaim the Word of God with authority. However, as the sun began to set in the western sky, many were faced with a long walk home. There were no fast food restaurants. There were no supermarkets to stop at along the way. The only food available was a small lunch prepared by a loving mother for her young son. To the disciples such a small lunch seemed ridiculously insignificant in the face of a crowd that perhaps numbered as high as fifteen to twenty thousand. However, in the hands of the living God, the lunch was more than sufficient to accomplish his purpose (see Matthew 14:13-21).
Like the disciples, we often look at the size of our church and wonder how can we do anything significant with the limited number of people, the inadequate facilities and the insufficient recourses. Because the church only has a handful of people we assume that we cannot accomplish much. When confronted with the opportunities and challenges of ministry we fall back on the response that “We are just a small church, what can we do?” We look at what we lack rather than the strengths we possess.
The problem is not the smallness of our congregation, but the smallness of our vision of what God can accomplish. What we see as limitations to effectiveness God sees as opportunities for his glory to be revealed. When we look within the pages of scripture we discover a number of times when God takes the insignificant and inconsequential and accomplishes the eternal and supernatural. Moses reminds Israel that “the Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other people, for you were the fewest of all peoples” (Deuteronomy 7:7). God used 12 average, untrained men to turn the Roman world upside down (Acts 4:13). He used a church of 120 to radically transform Jerusalem (Acts 1:15). It is never a question of size, but availability and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Myth #3: “We must fill all the board positions.”
In many small churches we are confronted with a minimal number of people to serve on the board. This is further compounded by the fact that many constitutions have a specified number of positions that are to be filled on the board. The result is that people are placed on the board who are not spiritually qualified. Because the church is under pressure to fill each position, the requirement of spiritual maturity is abandoned in the quest to find people willing to serve. When positions are empty, a church may even use the position as a way to attempt get a person more involved in the church. In this case a person is placed on the board in hopes that, “they will start coming more regularly if we put them on the board.”
However, scripture makes it clear that the focus of leadership is not upon organizational needs, but upon character. As we will see in chapter 3, being selected to serve on the board is not to be based upon organizational requirements or even family connections, but upon the level of spiritual maturity the person manifests. It would be better to leave a position open than place someone in the position who is not spiritually qualified. Rather than fill the position, the church should develop a strategy to train and disciple individuals to become qualified.

Myth #4: “We don’t have enough board members to be effective.”

When a small church does place only spiritually qualified leaders on the board, the result is that there can be a minimal number of individuals on the board. It is not uncommon for small churches to have only 1 or 2 people on the board besides the Pastor. The result is that we can easily conclude that we cannot be effective with such a limited number. If we are on a small board we can feel overwhelmed by the biblical responsibilities that are given us.
What we must keep in mind is that the number of board members needed to be effective is never stipulated in scripture. While the scripture does imply that there is to be a plurality of leaders, it does not mandate any specific number. It is not the size of the board that determines effectiveness but the holiness that governs their actions and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Certainly our desire should be to have a larger number on the board. But we should not think that the ministry of the church is hindered if we do not have enough individuals available. God can use any number of people to accomplish his purpose.

Myth #5. All Leaders are Visionaries.

Perhaps the most prevalent myth today, even in writings on church leadership, is that a true leader is someone who is a visionary. That is, the leader is someone who has the ability to see into the future and project what the church organizationally is to be and become and then move the church in that direction. It is important to realize that this “vision” is not one derived from scripture, but from the ability to assess the present and future setting of the church. Certainly it is true that the church needs a sense of vision and direction. It is important for the church to have an awareness of what God desires it to accomplish in the present and future. Often God equips individuals within the church with the ability to keenly discern what he desires it to accomplish. However, more often than not, the vision for the church grows out of the whole congregation rather than one individual. Our concept of vision is derived from a secular model where the focus is upon organizational growth and leadership. A biblical leader is one who has an understanding of God’s word and insight into how it should be applied within the present context. Nehemiah was a great leader, not because he had a grand vision to rebuild Jerusalem, but because he understood the scriptures that promised that God would rebuild Jerusalem if the people turn back to him (Nehemiah 1:8-9). The greatest need within the church today is for leaders who understand scripture and can apply it to the issues confronting people within the congregation, the community and the world in which we live.