Empowering Your Church Through Creativity and Change

ARTICLE TOOLS

Find similar articles E-mail this page

Running over people may produce short gains, but you'll pay the price down the road.
—Donald Seibert

Pastoring a congregation is sometimes like refereeing a set of Golden Gloves matches. Fighting begins with the preliminary scraps: music committee versus choir, nursery workers versus Sunday school superintendent, Christian education board versus youth pastor. And then the championship bout: elders versus trustees.

You may not see any knockouts; few wild haymakers ever land solidly. But the infighting can be brutal. Participants can be sore for weeks.

Once I was involved in a church that had a strong commitment to foreign missions—a high-profile missions conference and large missions budget. A few years after I joined, the pastor was succeeded by another man who shared the commitment to missions but also felt that our church's involvement in local ministries was not what it should be.

So he tried to motivate us in the direction of local ministries, but his effort was completely misunderstood as a denunciation of foreign missions. Communication broke down.

I faced similar challenges when I served as chairman and chief executive officer of J. C. Penney. It is often said, "You can't run a church like a business," and in many ways that's true. Some business practices should not be brought into the church. But sound management and leadership can often overcome misunderstanding. Here are a few principles that can help harness the gifts and abilities of people.

There are some similarities between the pastor of a church and the CEO of a corporation, but the two positions are not parallel. Like the CEO of a corporation, pastors have the obligation to articulate direction clearly—to educate the church on what they're ...

Like the preview? To read this complete article and 20,643 more in the archive—JOIN NOW! Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history. Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
It's easy and quick to join: 2-for-1 Deal. Two powerful resources for 1 great price! A 1-Year Membership to CTLibrary & a 1-year print subscription to the magazine of your choice! Enjoy your first 7days online FREE! Only $49.95 1-Year Membership Plus your first 7 days are FREE! You won't be charged until after your free trial. Only $49.95 1-Month Membership Includes automatic renewal each month. Only $9.95 1-Year for Print Subscribers Special offer if you are currently a print subscriber to Christianity Today, Leadership journal, Books & Culture or Christian History & Biography. Only $29.95 first year Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l		FREE e-Newsletter! Even if you're not a member you can take advantage of the free "Christian News & Research" twice monthly e-newsletter! Sign up today for the FREE e-newsletter!   Note: Members also automatically receive this free e-newsletter.