5 common reasons church leaders stop leading

Thom Rainer Feb. 4, 2018

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I am having an amazing time reading through the book of Joshua. In our church, my pastor (who happens to be my son, Jess) has been preaching through the early chapters of the book lately.

I just can’t seem to get enough of Joshua. Among the many reasons Joshua is my favorite biblical character—other than Jesus—is his uncanny leadership. 

For example, in Joshua 1, he transitions from becoming Moses’ servant to becoming the leader of Israel. It’s an amazing thing to read.

Joshua was one incredible leader.

Why do church leaders stop leading?

We have many incredible leaders in our churches today. But, perhaps more often than we admit, some church leaders stop leading.

I have spoken with hundreds, probably thousands, of them over the years. I hear common themes of why they place their leadership gears in neutral. Here are the five most common reasons:

1. They are weary of conflict and criticism. These leaders have died the death of a thousand cuts. They know that when they provide real leadership, the critics and naysayers will come out of the woodwork. Some leaders have lost their jobs because they led. As a result, they move into a defensive posture.

2. They don’t know how to lead. Joshua enjoyed the mentorship of Moses for a generation. He was instructed. He was prepared. He was ready. Many of our church leaders know their Bible. They know theology. But they have never been trained or mentored to help them better prepare to lead.

3. They overreact to autocratic leadership. We all know examples of when the pastor became a dictator instead of a leader. Sadly, that reality takes place in some churches regularly.  So, some pastors decide they will never be a dictator. While that’s good, some pastors take it to an extreme and fail to exert any leadership. That’s bad.

4. They don’t have people speaking into their lives on a regular basis. Any good leader seeks the counsel and wisdom of others. Unfortunately, pastors can become loners as they live on the islands of their own ministries. A few years ago, I started a ministry called Church Answers that provides a place for pastors and other church leaders to speak into one another’s lives in a safe place. It has been transformational for many of them.

5. They always seek consensus. I want to be careful with my words on this point. It is wise to see input and counsel, and good to listen to outside voices. But every leadership decision ultimately needs a leader making the tough decisions. We can’t always lead by committees, consensus, or critics. It is cliché to say, “The buck stops here,” but the buck does have to stop somewhere.

Filling a vacuum

When leaders fail to lead, a leadership vacuum follows. And any vacuum will be filled. 

• It might be filled with a culture that turns inwardly looking after its own needs. 
• It can be filled by disparate, divergent, and disagreeing voices. The people of Israel certainly went through that period: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judges 21:25).
• Or, the vacuum can be filled with individuals or groups who insert themselves for their own power and agenda.

Some church leaders view leadership as an endeavor to be delegated to others. Such is a path toward an inward focus, competing groups, disharmony in the congregation, muddled direction, and overall frustration.

It’s basic. Church leaders must lead.

Photo source: istock 

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Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, and online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn More »

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