FaithLife Ministries

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Matthew 5:9

Every church or ministry leader should know that conflict is inevitable in any organization. It is even more likely in the church, because the church is about people, and whenever there are people there will be conflict.  Since Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, church leaders should be prepared for it and have a Biblical way of dealing with it. So learning how to manage conflict is important for every church leader because it exists in the church, causes problems and divisions, and often results in ministry stagnation.  Confronting and dealing with conflict effectively will enable a church to move forward.

There are also sources, reasons and causes for conflict, and leaders must understand the difference.

Sources of conflict are related to the different people groups in a church.  They arise between individual church members, between the pastor and church members, between generations, between genders, and between ministries. In many churches people group together according to their preferences, interests or abilities. Some examples include worship style, home fellowship groups, children’s ministry, or choirs. They are like special interest groups whose participants have a greater concern about their particular part of the church ministry. When special interests collide, there is conflict.

Reasons for conflict are related to the actions or in-actions of a church.  They arise when there is no vision or goals being pursued, there is no strategic plan in place, there is inadequate discipleship, there is poor communication, or when the church does not deal with problems. In other words, poor leadership. When the people are not sure of what the church is trying to do then they will generally decide for themselves what is best, and hence conflict will ensue. As it is stated in Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”

Causes of conflict are related to spiritual forces that are at work (Ephesians 6:12). There are 3 underlying causes for most conflict: Satan, our sinful nature, and our sinful world. The Bible teaches us in 1 Peter 5:8 that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” That’s Satan at work trying to cause us to sin or pit us against each other. In Galatians 5:17 Paul writes that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit.” Our own humanness is always working against us and against God’s will. And finally, the Bible says in 1 John 2:16 that “everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” So the world in which we live is corrupt and always trying to corrupt us and lead us away from God. As a result, these 3 causes drive most every conflict. So we must be careful not to hate those whom we are in conflict with, but rather to recognize the underlying cause and to hate it instead. “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

Most conflict is obvious, such as  emotional outbursts, written complaints, or gossip. When a leader sees them they can deal with them.  But some conflict is not so obvious, like withdrawal from church activities, project delays, or no communication. Leaders must be mindful of these and often explore them for their hidden conflicts so they can be dealt with as well.

How are we to resolve conflict? Fortunately, Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 18:15-17 where he outlines a process for dealing with conflict and sin between people.  It is based on repentance and forgiveness. Jesus also says in Luke 6:42 that we are to “first take the plank out of our eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  So first, we go to the person and try to resolve it between us by first repenting of our sin and asking forgiveness. If there is no repentance or forgiveness from the other person, then we are to gather 2-3 witnesses and try again. And if that does not work, we are to take the issue before the entire church.  Church leaders are also sometimes called in to mediate a conflict. In that case, it is important for the leader to get all the facts, to encourage both sides to repent and forgive the other, and to follow the process that Jesus has outlined.

The key to resolving conflict, therefore, is found in humility and forgiveness. Both of these are very powerful spiritual tools that when used can overcome Satan, our sinful nature, and the sinful world, and lead to peace.  But remember, we are only responsible for our own actions. We cannot force others to forgive nor can we change their hearts or attitudes.  Only God can do that.

So let us all seek to be peacemakers through our spiritual actions of humility and forgiveness!

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”

Matthew 28:19

Before Jesus left this earth to join His Father in Heaven, He left us with instructions on what to do as His followers.  He said in Matthew 28:19 that we are to “go and make disciples of all nations.”  We call this the Great Commission and it is the sole purpose and calling of the Christian church in the world. There is no other reason for the existence of the Church. And yet so few churches actually make this the priority and focus of their ministry.  Instead they create activities, such as worship services, fellowship events, Bible classes and even mission trips that they hope will eventually produce disciples.  But activity is not necessarily accomplishment.   In my global travels and experience I have found that there are very few churches that have a plan on how they intend to make disciples. Having a goal of making disciples and not having a plan on how to do it is just wishful thinking!

Several years ago I read a book by George Barna entitled “Growing True Disciples” (2001, Waterbrook Press).  In his book Mr. Barna researched many churches in the USA and discovered that “Few churches or Christians have a clear, measurable definition of spiritual success.”  In other words, they have no goals and no plans on how to effectively make disciples. They simply create church activities that they hope will inspire their members to seek God and to follow Jesus. This is rarely effective and typically results in churches with more people who are church goers rather than Jesus followers!

Pastor Robert Schuller, author, speaker and former pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California once said, “Fail to plan and you plan to fail.” He was saying that success rarely happens without a plan.  We often have goals we want to achieve, such as losing weight, owning our own business, or competing in the Olympics.  But without a plan to achieve them one is likely to fall short, lose interest, or miss the mark entirely.  Planning helps us organize and focus our time, money and resources to reach our goal.

So if making disciples is the goal and priority of the church, why do so many churches lack a plan to achieve that goal?  Perhaps it is because they simply believe its the work of the Holy Spirit and that it is just too difficult to measure.  I agree completely that it is the work of the Holy Spirit but I would disagree on the measurement aspect. Yes, the measurements are not always easy to quantify and often hard to measure, but it is possible, especially on a church-wide basis.  For example, one could measure worship attendance, small group participation, or Bible class enrollments, and then compare statistics from year to year to see if there is any growth.  Another method would be to look at the participation rates in the service, prayer, mission and evangelism activities of the church. As church members become more committed to Christ we should see the evidence in terms of greater giving and involvement in ministry to others. Matthew 7:20 reminds us that “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

A discipleship plan for the church would then simply involve setting goals for these measurements every year and then organizing all church activities and resources towards achieving these goals. These measurements could also be tracked on an individual as well as a church-wide basis to see how individuals are growing in their faith. Then churches could evaluate all of their activities every year as to how they are impacting discipleship and the growth in faith of its members. They can see where they are having successes and they can also see where they are not effective.  It is not rocket science, but it does take discipline to adhere to the goals and to track measurements.

Planning is nothing more than organizing one’s resources to achieve a goal or a vision. For the church to be effective in making disciples they must do two things.  First, the church must set measurable goals for discipleship. This means they must determine appropriate measurements and stay focused on their goals.  Second, they must develop a plan that will enable them to achieve those goals.  This means they must have the procedures in place to track statistics and have ongoing evaluation of the plan.  Failure to do both of these will ultimately cause the church to fall short of achieving the Great Commission and the vision that Jesus has called all of His followers to pursue.

Finally, it is important for the church to be intentional about making disciples and not to just assume that it is happening. We should also remember Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”  To God alone be the glory!

“Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26-27

In the Bible, Jesus clearly taught the principle of servant leadership, and that the person who wants to lead must first be a servant of others.  This is precisely how God designed humans to lead one another for the benefit of all.  Of course, the world views this much differently and often those who pursue leadership want to have the power to do what they want or believe is best.  Just look at the 2016 American Presidential race that is now underway.  How many candidates would we say are servant leaders? Not many, I suspect. And unfortunately, we will get what we vote for!

I would like to share a true story from a few hundred years ago.  There were a group of soldiers responsible for a cannon on wheels. On one particular day, it had been raining and the ground was very muddy.  Eventually the cannon got stuck in the mud. The Sergeant of the group rode on a horse and barked out instructions to the soldiers on how to get the cannon out of the mud, but to no avail. No matter how hard they pushed or pulled they could not get the cannon unstuck. Then a General came along and asked what the problem was.  The Sergeant said the cannon was stuck and his men could not get it out of the mud.  The General asked the Sergeant, “why don’t you get down and help them and maybe together you can get it out of the mud.” The Sergeant replied, “I am the Sergeant and they are the soldiers. It’s not my job to do that.  Besides, I might get my uniform dirty.” At this, the General got off of his horse and helped the men move the cannon out of the mud. That General was George Washington, the first President of the United States!

You see, George Washington understood what servant leadership was.  That’s what made him such a great leader!  It was not sitting high on his horse and telling others what to do. Rather, it was getting down in the mud and working together with his followers so that problems can be solved and goals can be reached. Effective leadership is when the leader humbles himself and seeks to support his followers, and not make demands of them.

A more current example came from a friend of mine from Indonesia, who recently sent me this story about President Jokowi of Indonesia. “On the 18th of June 2015, he invited 400 orphans to the presidential palace for a breaking of fast occasion. What was really touching and endearing is the fact that during the occasion, President Jokowi lined up for his food just like the orphans!! There was no special table for him or his Ministers, nor did they have any special food!! I could not help but be full of admiration for this great man and leader. How many people of his stature would do such a thing? How many would even contemplate inviting orphans to their breaking fast occasion!! Even if he had food served to him on a special table with lavish decorations, culturally we would have accepted it. But he personifies this concept of servant leadership i.e. he insisted on doing what his followers were doing and demonstrated that although he was their leader, he was full of humility.”  President Jokowi also understands servant leadership, and his nation will undoubtedly be blessed because of it.

The world needs more servant leaders. We need them in government.  We need them in business.  And we need them in our churches. When leaders lead according to Biblical principles, as humble servants, the people will be blessed. But when leaders lead for their own glory and purposes, the people are harmed in the process.

So let us pray for all leaders and for them to lead as servants. And let us nominate, appoint, and elect only those leaders who will demonstrate servant leadership!

According to John Maxwell, an authority on leadership, the success of any endeavor or organization rises and falls on leadership (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Thomas Nelson, 2007).  It is because leaders have tremendous influence over their organizations and their decisions, whether large or small, will often have a significant impact. That impact can either be positive or negative, depending upon the nature of each decision.  So in order for leaders to be effective it is important for them to lead wisely.  This is also true for pastors and leaders in churches and ministries.

I believe that there are 5 keys to effective ministry leadership, and each one is important to grow and sustain a ministry. Let’s look at each key individually:

#1. Leaders Use Influence, Not Authority

Leadership is about influence and the ability to motivate others to achieve a goal.  Influence is earned by building up trust and respect and results in others willingly following the leader. Authority, on the other hand, is about power and control, and generally comes from the person’s title or position in an organization. It is the ability of the person in charge to enforce their will on others. According to Romans 13:1, “There is no authority except that which God has established.” In other words, it is God who really gives leaders their authority.  Furthermore, He says there are two ways in which they are to use it.  First, they must use it to teach others (Titus 2:1 & 15).  Second, they must use it to serve others (1 Peter 5:2). So the true use of authority should be to teach and to serve others.  It is also always better to lead with influence than authority, because it means that the followers willingly follow their leader.  Sometimes leaders will have to use their authority, but just know that when they do they run the risk of creating opposition as not everyone will always agree with them.

#2. Leaders Have a Vision

Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” This means that without a vision people will often do what seems best to them.  The Book of Judges pretty well describes what happens when there is no leadership!  An effective leader has a vision of where he is going and where he is taking his followers. Without a vision a ministry has no direction and simply wanders about with no real purpose.  This often leads to stagnation or decline.  A strong vision enables everyone in a ministry to work towards a common goal. It must also be quantifiable so that it can be measured in order for the ministry to know when the goal has been achieved. Please note that a vision is not the same as a mission.  The mission defines what you do.  The vision defines the goal you are trying to achieve. A vision for any ministry must come from God.  So it is important for a leader to pray for a vision and to think BIG so he or she can allow God to display His power through them.

#3.  Leaders Have a Plan

If a leader has a vision then a leader must also have a plan.  A goal without a corresponding plan is just wishful thinking.  Without a plan a leader is unlikely to achieve the vision.  The plan is the vehicle by which the leader organizes the resources God has provided (people, money, time, information, etc.) to achieve the vision God has give them. In other words, the leader manages God’s resources for God’s vision.  God expects the leader to invest wisely and to produce a return on His investment in them (Parable of the Ten Talents – Matthew 25:14-30).  A leader’s job, therefore, it to plan the work and then work the plan.  But also note that a good plan is flexible and allows for changes. It is not set in concrete but changes as circumstances change.

#4.  Leaders Develop People

John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Similarly, leadership is not about telling others what they can do for you, but how leaders can develop their followers to achieve more for the ministry.  When you become a ministry leader you accept responsibility for your followers.  That means that leaders must serve them and develop them to their fullest potential.  First and foremost, leaders must make disciples of their followers.  This is true whether the leader is a pastor, worship leader, youth minister, or any other ministry leadership position. This is the sole reason the ministry exists. Second, leaders must train and equip others for ministry. Every believer is a minister of the  gospel (1 Peter 2:9) and leaders must help them find their role in the ministry of the church. Finally, leaders must develop other leaders in order to grow, expand and perpetuate their ministry.

#5.  Leaders Focus on Accomplishment

Effective leaders focus on achieving goals and producing results for the ministry.  Romans 14:12 says “So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”  Leaders will be held accountable for what they did with what God gave them.  Consequently, effective leaders strive towards the vision and measure success by the results that are achieved. Effective leaders also focus on areas of greatest return for the ministry and abandon ministries that are not producing any fruit. They also understand that activity is not accomplishment.  Just because a church is busy and active does not necessarily mean it is effective or accomplishing anything.

I believe that if ministry leaders concentrate on these 5 keys they will be more effective in their ministries and produce more disciples for the Kingdom!