Church planter: embrace your inner manager
This very plain but important role from the world of business can teach us some truths about leading teams
You cannot undertake the task of church planting alone. In reality, nobody ever does. Some church planters start with a team. Others start a church on their own but soon find themselves in a new congregation that has become their ministry and church planting team. Paul tells us that church leaders are to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12 ESV). So a church planter must be an equipper of their team and their church.
In the business world, there’s a word for a leader’s work of equipping: management. When management is done poorly, it’s either painful or the stuff of Steve Carell sitcoms. When done well, managers bring a team together to achieve things they could have never done alone. In the Bible, we see this organization of people in the work of kings and judges. We know from Romans 12:8 that leadership is a gift given to some members of the body of Christ.
But the reality is that many church planters and ministry leaders struggle with management. This may be because someone’s past success as a team member can be the very thing that makes them struggle as a leader. Business leadership authors Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback explain in their very helpful book, Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader:
If you were a high performer in your work before becoming a manager, you may find the journey into management particularly difficult. Because of their previous success, stars are understandably reluctant to give up the attitudes and practices they think produced their success thus far . . . They don’t know how to develop or coach people because they never needed much coaching themselves, or so they believe. They don’t know how to deal with people who lack their motivation . . . No wonder many former stars turn into mediocre bosses.1
Maybe you were a great individual worker on your last church staff or ministry team. Once you become the person in charge, your role changes dramatically. It’s time to embrace the role of equipper.
As a team leader, lead pastor, or church planter, your job is not to do all of the work but to equip your team to do the work. This involves vision casting, motivation, writing job descriptions, running meetings, giving feedback, and delegating clearly. Many in ministry are tempted to set aside the work of management and simply do everything themselves. This leads to ministries that don’t get done, burnt-out leaders, dissatisfied team members who long to do more, and church members robbed of the opportunity to grow through the works of ministry.
Church leaders! Embrace the work of management as a gift and role in the body of Christ. When you equip others, they will grow spiritually, more disciples will be made, and God will be glorified. Don’t just do the work. Do the work of helping others to do the work.
1. Linda A Hill, and Kent Lineback. Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), Kindle Edition, Introduction, Section: Were You a Star as an Individual Performer?, Paragraph 1.