Straight from the book Leadership Pain
Some Christians can be sneaky, some might say devious. Everybody is smiling when they walk through the doors on Sunday morning, but behind the smiles occasionally lurk lethargy, suspicion, distrust, and sometimes devious plots to undermine the pastor’s authority and destroy his reputation.
In addition to personal conflicts, leaders face a wide range of organizational and cultural obstacles. Let’s look at the most common ones.
Betrayal
If you lead long enough, you’ll inevitably endure the deep wounds of betrayal. It’s a paradox of leadership: our efforts to help people experience the love and power of Christ create envy in the hearts of some who are watching (and receiving our love).
Most people are grateful, but a few—and it only takes a few—undermine us with open opposition, lies, and gossip.
Criticism
Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). But it’s also true that where two or three are gathered in his name, someone is finding fault with the others.
It’s human nature for people to try to build themselves up by putting others down, and ministry leaders are very visible, accessible, vulnerable targets.
If they’re visionaries, they’re criticized for not being patient or valuing traditions or not caring for those who are hurting. If they’re devoted to the sick and make many hospital calls, they’re criticized for not being in the office enough to manage projects or failing to chart a bold path to the future.
If their gifts are administrative, they’re criticized for not being a great speaker.
The point is clear: no matter what your gifts and style may be, no matter how much you pour your heart into people, and no matter how much time you devote to your ministry, you’ll face criticism.
The Complexity of the Job, Inheriting a Toxic Culture, Masks, Lies, and Deceit, The Conflict Between Vision and Tradition,Heartaches at Home.
Limited by Team Members
For years I’ve used the metaphor of a ladder to help leaders understand the influence of team members.
In my book Who’s Holding Your Ladder? I explain that the leader’s vision is his ladder. As he tries to climb it, he doesn’t need any help to go a few rungs up a twenty-foot extension ladder.
It’s stable and secure if he’s only a few feet off the ground. But if he wants to go higher, he needs someone to hold the bottom so it doesn’t come loose from its moorings. If the helper isn’t paying attention, the ladder could slip and the pastor could fall and be injured.
So even to climb a short distance farther up the ladder, the pastor needs someone attentive and sturdy.
If he wants to climb to the top of his ladder, the pastor will need two or three people who are just as strong and attentive as the first ladder holder. What if his vision reaches fifty feet? Or a hundred feet? The people holding his ladder determine how high he can go.
It doesn’t matter how high the vision is; what matters is the quality of his ladder holders.
