I want to spend a minute convincing you that, after Jesus, leadership is the most important element of a local church.
If you already agree, you can skip this post and check out my new book on organizational church leadership HERE. But if you’re curious or have questions about my thesis, let’s dive in together…
The Ministry Leadership Guru
One of the first quotes I ever heard about leadership was from John Maxwell. If you’re a pastor, you’ve likely heard it too.
In his book Developing the Leader Within You, Maxwell famously wrote,
“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
And he’s absolutely right. When I first heard that quote, I was still in the marketplace. I reflected on my experience and quickly realized how true it was.
Fast forward to my time serving in the church, and I saw the truth of Maxwell’s statement even more clearly. Leadership isn’t a “sacred” or “secular” thing. Leadership is about people and is just as necessary in the church as anywhere else.
Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked.
My Catalytic Moment
I’ll never forget a particular day when this truth hit home. At the time, I worked in the marketplace and had the opportunity to attend a high-level meeting with UPS’s CIO and his direct reports. We spent hours meticulously working through details, ideas, and opportunities for their website. The level of seriousness and intentionality was impressive.
Later that evening, I had a church meeting. The room was full of intelligent leaders—business people, doctors, you name it—but the decisions we were making were as unserious as they could be. We spent the bulk of the meeting discussing paint colors for the auditorium.
The contrast between the two meetings was startling. It was a pivotal moment for me. I left that day frustrated but determined. If anyone should care deeply about their mission and work strategically to fulfill it, it should be the church. Yet, in too many cases, we settle for mission mediocrity.
What Does the Church Need Most?
We all know that the church is the Bride of Christ and more of an organism than an organization. It’s a community, not a company.
But here’s a question: Have you ever seen a healthy organism without organization? Have you ever experienced a growing community without structure and intentionality?
The mission of every church requires leadership to define, develop, and execute ministry that fulfills the mission. Without leadership, the mission is just an ideal.
If you study healthy churches, you’ll find they all share three foundational elements:
1. Spiritual Growth
2. Community Engagement
3. Leadership Development
These elements don’t happen by accident. They all require leadership.
The State of the Church Today
Still not convinced? Let’s look at the data.
The church in North America is in statistical freefall. Research from Lifeway, Pew, and other sources show that the U.S. has experienced a net loss of 3,500 churches per year over the last two decades. As many as 100,000 churches could close in the coming years.
Why?
The answer, unsurprisingly, is leadership.
Many pastors resist leading. They refuse to adjust their approach, try new programs, experiment with different discipleship pathways, or admit they need help.
Great church leadership is necessary because great churches don’t happen without it.
15 Critical Leadership Questions You Need to Ask
This is why I wrote The Ministry MBA: 10 Practical Courses to Lead a Thriving Church. While you wait for your book to arrive, I’d love for you to consider these questions from the Leadership Chapter (Leadership 601). Process them with your elders, team, or volunteers:
- Is your mission and vision clear? What about your ministry model and approach?
- Is your mission and vision dictating your ministry model, or has your model become the mission?
- How have you adjusted your ministry model in the last five years?
- Are you maximizing your mission today?
- Is your discipleship pathway clear and effective?
- Are lost people finding Jesus at your church over time?
- What metrics matter most to you? How are you addressing problems?
- Are one or two anecdotal success stories shaping your perception of success?
- If a new leader stepped into your role tomorrow, what would they change?
- What risks are you afraid to take? What’s holding you back?
- How would people not attending your church describe it?
- How have you grown as a leader? Did your seminary training prepare you for leadership?
- How effective are you at turning leadership ideas into action?
- What values are shaping your church’s culture? Do your values align with daily practices?
- When presented with a new idea, who in your circle is most likely to say, “That’s not how we do it here”?
Wrapping Up
All month, I’m writing about organizational church leadership. We’ll cover topics like marketing, R&D, and church economics—all those critical business concepts for church leadership.
Make sure you follow along, register for the free book resources, and send this post to others who need to hear it.
Let’s make our churches the best they can be.
One More Thing…
You’re probably aware of our Church Accelerator Community. All our Partners have unlimited access to our resource section, full of courses, frameworks, supporting documents, and our new Custom AI tools (Sermon Outline Creator, Sermon Evaluator, Small Group Question Writer, and more).
Partnership begins at $149 per month, which gets you about $5,000+ in resources. Don’t wait. Become a partner today.
If you’d like personalized coaching for yourself, a staff member, or your church, check out the Strategic Partner and Community Partner options. I limit these options to maximize my investment in each church and pastor. Let me know if you are interested.
Leading WITH You,
Dr. Gavin Adams
