| Home | eBooks |
| Devotions | Podcasts |
| Articles | Church Suppliers |
| Videos | Our Writers |
| About Us | Find Church Jobs |
Pastor Phil was at a crossroads.
Just before the Sunday worship service began, Margie stopped him to ask to make an important announcement about the upcoming women’s retreat.
Phil was exasperated.
Three weeks earlier she joined the rest of the church board in affirming a new communications policy: no last-minute requests. The board supported Phil’s need to avoid change of plans on Sundays because they threw him “off his game.” Last-minute changes hampered his ability to be mentally and spiritually ready to preach. Everyone agreed that requests for bulletin items and platform announcements had to be in on Wednesday afternoon. This would make it easier to plan the worship service on Thursday morning and print the bulletin without a last-minute rush.
Phil had to make a decision on the spot. Grant Margie’s request? Slink off in frustration? Call her on the carpet just before the service started? What is the right call in this situation?
He did something new, something Margie hadn’t expected. He tried something he’d practiced with his coach. Phil exercised assertive leadership.
He stopped, turned to look at her, and said, “I’m sorry I can’t help you today, Margie. For my own peace of mind during the worship service, I must enforce the rule the board adopted at our last meeting. The deadline for this request has passed. Be sure to get your request in on time this week.”
A brief moment of assertive leadership. One small step in the right direction. But it was crucial to Phil’s journey to effective church revitalization leadership.
Assertiveness, hallmark of effective pastors
Recent research into the behaviors of pastors who lead plateaued or declining churches through revitalization emphasizes the importance of assertiveness.
Assertiveness is a hallmark leadership behavior. It distinguishes pastors capable of revitalizing troubled churches from their ministry colleagues.[i]Revitalizing pastors (about 20 percent of the “universe” of pastors) communicate their ideas, opinions and directions confidently and assertively.
Pastors who struggle to lead plateaued or declining churches are not assertive. They are easy-going, deferential, and prefer to “suggest” rather than “tell.” One intriguing insight into our research provides tells us that these pastors are less likely than the general population to provide strong verbal leadership. In other words, 80 percent of all pastors are less assertive than the average church member!
No doubt this is one reason among many why 80 percent of American churches are plateaued or declining.
Assertive, not aggressive
You may think that assertiveness is an unspiritual quality of good of pastoral leadership. If so, you’ve confused assertiveness with aggressiveness. They are different. One way to understand the difference is to picture the range of verbal leadership styles as a continuum. Passivity is on one end of the scale and aggression on the other. Assertiveness is right in the middle, between the two extremes.
Aggressive behavior signals weakness or stress. Pastors who see themselves as weak may, in unguarded moments, overcompensate by being belligerent, terse and heavy-handed. This enables them to seem stronger or smarter in their own eyes.
Pastor Phil was assertive with Margie. He was not aggressive. At the moment he recalled what he discussed with his coach earlier that week. His coach taught him to:
Phil was clear and friendly with Margie; because he was sure of his own position, he was capable of extending grace to her. This enabled him to empathize with her plight (“I’m sorry I can’t help you today”), be honest about his own needs (“For my own peace of mind during the worship service”), explain his position without defending it (“the deadline is Wednesday”), and insist on the proper course of action (“Be sure to get your request in on time.”).
This is what assertive pastoral leadership looks like. This is a crucial leadership behavior pastors of stagnant churches must master in order to lead church revitalization.
[i]Brown, Penfold, and Westra. Pastor Unique: Becoming a Turnaround Leader, 82-84.
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 » |
Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.
 | Echo VanderWal is the co-founder and executive director of The Luke Commission, which serves … |
 | Scott Cochrane serves on the executive team for the Willow Creek Association, as Vice President, … |
 | Dr. Gerry Lewis serves as Executive Director of the Harvest Baptist Association in Decatur, Texas. … |
 | Copyright © 2025 Networld Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. |
Already a member? Sign in below.
