Leading Reluctant Followers
Ben Patterson
Mistrust of leadership has reached pandemic proportions.
— Ben Patterson
Some people become reluctant followers early in life. I know I did.
I was just 8 years old when my uncle convinced me that if I sat on top of the roof, held my breath, and jumped off, I would float down. I believed him. Fortunately nothing was broken — except my ability to trust people.
I'm not the only reluctant follower. Since becoming a pastor, I've realized how difficult it is for some people to trust the church's leadership. At times, such mistrust can get out of hand.
One evening a member of our board was presenting a proposal to the annual meeting. In the middle of her presentation, several people actually began booing her. The hissing and catcalls were a scene right out of the English Parliament. I was stunned by their behavior. I wanted to drag the hecklers outside. The entire incident reminded me again that those most in need of leadership are often the ones most opposed to it.
Sometimes reluctance to follow serves a congregation well — not everything a pastor says should be taken as straight from the mouth of God. Yet, overall I am disturbed by the trend I see in our culture. Mistrust of leadership has reached pandemic proportions. I regularly meet people who've learned mistrust as a lifestyle. They've been hurt by the people they should have been able to believe. They can't defer to anyone now. They've become trust-impaired.
In the church the result is strangulation. Members can't follow the lead of a pastor or board. The pastor, for instance, is given enormous responsibility but little authority. We're called on to save the world, but we can't distribute ten dollars from the benevolence fund without calling a board meeting.
The proliferation of ...
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