Recently, I was talking to Kevin Peck, the Lead Pastor of Austin Stone Church. Back in 2005, they were a church of about 800 in worship. Now they have six campuses with about 6,000 or so in worship. I’m not giving you the numbers to “wow” you but to say that God is showing these guys lots of favor.
Kevin said to me, “Every single problem is a leadership problem.”
Think this through with me:
First, think of the three largest issues, problems or complaints at your church. Just to make it a good exercise; write them down. 1, 2 and 3.
Second, jot down whose “fault” the problem is. Most of us will write who began the problem. Don’t stop there! Explore the ongoing nature of the problem. How has leadership addressed the problem?
Third, do I really need to go any further? Well, just to be complete, here is a list of three common problems in churches:
• “We don’t have enough money.”
• “We have a person who is gossiping.”
• “We are stuck in a rut and not growing.”
Each of these seems to be problems in themselves. Perhaps they are caused by others or are self-inflicted. But what is the real problem? As I see it, leadership needs to address each one:
• Leadership needs to change its spending plan or teach on generosity.
• Leadership must gently confront the person who is gossiping.
• Leadership is required to set a vision that focuses on Jesus and His kingdom.
Hmmmm … maybe Kevin is onto something in his statement.
