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Is it just me? Or is strong pastoral leadership getting some shade lately?
Recent stories about prominent pastors who are abusive, intimidating bullies—behaviors we should condemn—may “overcorrect” a bit. This sends the wrong message at the wrong time about the need for strong leadership from our pastors.
You see, assertiveness is a desirable and biblically justifiable quality in pastors. Here I will define assertiveness, show Jesus’s assertive leadership and highlight a few benefits of assertive leadership.
Assertiveness defined
Assertiveness is speaking up and expressing your opinions openly and emphatically.
Assertiveness is a communication style and verbal behavior. You’re communicating to:
Assertiveness is a key behavior that distinguishes revitalization pastors from maintenance pastors. It is essential to leading the turnaround of a plateaued or declining church.
This stands on a continuum of verbal behaviors that range from the passive to the aggressive.
Assertiveness is not aggression, which is the attempt to impose your will on someone else. There is no dialog, open understanding, mutual respect, or concern for the wellbeing of the other. It is manifest in readily recognized behaviors:
Jesus was assertive
Jesus clearly exercised assertiveness in his ministry. We find him saying, “No” to unreasonable requests (Matthew 14:17), asking others for help (John 4:7), stating his opinion clearly and emphatically (Luke 17:3), expressing both positive and negative emotions (Matthew 11:15-17, 20; John 15:15) and initiating, maintaining and terminating conversations (Matthew 16:4, 13-20).
We strive to follow Jesus’s example and wish to be like him; this is the mark of a mature disciple (Luke 6:40).
Isn’t it reasonable to conclude that assertive leadership—marked with grace, empathy and compassion—is desirable in a spiritual leader or pastor?
Assertiveness is desirable
There are a whole host of reasons why we should look to our pastors for assertive leadership. Assertive leadership creates an atmosphere of trust because everyone knows that their thoughts receive serious consideration. It eliminates passive committees and churches because everyone knows that neither a “tyranny of one” (the bully) nor a “tyranny of the few” (those who refuse to join consensus) will rule. It energizes the church to mission because the assertive leader gives clear direction and expresses passion about the church’s mission.
Bolsinger and McMinn offer several observations about the desirability and usefulness of assertive leadership behaviors.
Pastors who employ assertive leadership behaviors create highly effective organizations. Their candor, grace and focus on getting things done results in an environment in which others:
The irony of passive and aggressive pastors
Assertive leadership avoids the trap into which both passive and aggressive leadership styles fall.
Pastors uncomfortable being assertive default to leadership by endless conversation and endless efforts to build consensus. This leadership style produces a passive congregation. People eventually tire of talking, particularly when there is dissent, and just want to get on with it.
Rather than embrace decisions and taking ownership of initiatives, they knuckle under. They lack passion, and say, “yes” they mean “no.”
Pastors who misunderstand assertiveness as aggression default to bullying, hectoring and domineering to force their decisions on others. Ironically, this leadership style also produces a passive congregation. People don’t want the pastor’s ire to fall on them, so they go quiet. They nod in agreement, but inside they’re saying, “No way, not gonna happen. You’re on your own.”
Listen carefully, please
I am not arguing for domineering, abusive, bullying tyranny from the pastor. That contradicts scripture (1 Peter 5:1-4).
I am arguing that some objections to strong pastoral leadership are misinformed:
Your decision
Pastor, you don’t have a choice as to whether to lead or not. That’s your appointment (Ephesians 4:12), and you’ll have to account for your leadership (Hebrews 13:17).
Your choice is how you will lead.
You can be aggressive, which results in a passive congregation that will grow until you’ve burnt yourself out.
You can be passive, which results in a passive congregation that will remain on plateau or decline, leaving you with feelings of failure and disappointment.
You can be assertive, which increases the likelihood (no guarantees) that your church will move off plateau and begin to experience vitality once again.
This isn’t a hard decision.
Photo source: istock
 | Bud Brown is an experienced ministry leader, writer and educator. He is co-founder of Turnaround Pastors and co-author of the ground-breaking Pastor Unique: Becoming A Turnaround Leader. He brings special expertise to change leadership in the local church, mentoring pastors to become revitalization leaders, training churches how to find and recruit the best talent, and training leadership teams how to achieve their shared goals. Learn More » |
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