I read a statement in a leadership journal that points to one of the dangers of passive leadership. The requote from Catherine Rymsha was given at the HR Specialist Summit this past year. She said, “The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.”
Pastors, as a rule, possess a pastoral heart and do not want to stir up trouble, and that is a good thing. Leadership becomes passive, however, when we abdicate important responsibilities to keep a semblance of peace in a church or organization.
One online dictionary defines “passive” as “accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.” Passive leadership lets problems go by without stepping in. Most of us have been guilty of passivity at some point, but it is something that all must guard against. Here are five dangers of passive leadership:
1. Passive leadership puts fear over faith: One reason we may let problem areas go unaddressed is because we fear the potential outcomes of stepping in. We fear causing a problem, the potential reaction of confronting bad behavior or possibly even losing our job. But when we shrink back from our leadership responsibility, we demonstrate that we fear man more than God. It may be that God is giving us an opportunity to trust Him to work through a problem.
2. Passive leadership leaves room for bullies: One common reality in many declining churches or ministry organizations is a “Mr. or Mrs. No” that maintains a chokehold on the life of the church or organization. They have ascended to a place of influence in the church and stand in the way of needed progress by opposing most new approaches to ministry. When we ignore these strong personalities without addressing them in an appropriate manner, we make space for their tactics. The Lord will help us in these situations as well.
3. Passive leadership abdicates responsibility: It is our duty to address problems. There are problems that already existed before we took the role, problems that emerge during our tenure and problems that we create. Whatever the nature or source of the problem, it is our responsibility to intentionally address it. Passive leadership neglects this responsibility.
4. Passive leadership stifles the mission: In Christian ministry, we have one mission – the Great Commission – and internal and external forces will oppose advancing that mission. Those forces may include apathy inside the church or organization and hostility on the outside. Sometimes we become satisfied with the status quo and do not provide the needed leadership to move the mission forward. We must recommit ourselves to face all challenges to advance the gospel in our God-given place of ministry.
5. Passive leadership will be judged: What was said of Judah’s King Jotham will also be said of us if we abdicate the call to lead. “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 15:34-35). The good that we do may be overshadowed by the issues we left undone.
Nothing said in this article should prompt pastors, elders or organizational leaders to rush naively into addressing issues in their church or organization that may be deep rooted and long tenured. The best leadership solutions are normally preceded by prayer, wise counsel and well-thought-out plans. We must be careful and intentional in how we address pressing issues, but we must address them. The good news is that God cares about the ministries we lead, and He will help us when it comes time to face a problem.
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Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today.