If you are the pastor of a local assembly, then you ARE going to have problems. Problems occur because churches are made up up people, and people are sinners. Sinners are a sordid bunch sometimes, and they can be tricky to handle. As the leader of a congregation you have to be able to deal with all kinds of personalities and treat each person the way you would want to be treated. Tall order, isn’t it?“It is not the absence of problems that generates success, but rather how you respond to the problems. A man who can handle problems usually makes a good leader.” – Dr. Roger Baker Vice President and Administrator of Calvary Baptist Bible College and Seminary
Listed below are some suggestions for what to do and not to do when faced with a problem. Please understand that I have followed the suggestions and achieved great success. I also have been guilty of doing exactly what is suggested to refrain from doing. With each infraction I absolutely blew it! Maybe, just maybe, you will not make the same mistakes?
What Not To Do…
- Don’t open more wounds than you are able to heal at one time!
- Don’t assume that YOU are right and THEY are completely wrong!
- Don’t take sides with people to appease the situation!
- Don’t march in with combat boots and start firing away at certain problems!
- Don’t forget that with each problem you are setting precedent for future encounters!
What To Do…
When confronted with a problem, try to follow this simple guideline:
- Write the problem down on a sheet of paper…
- Pray about it…
- Make a plan for how to solve the issue…
- Follow Biblical principles…
- Seek God’s glory, not your own…
Conclusion
Nobody likes problems! Pastors face them almost daily and can get overwhelmed. Those who can endure the confrontation and make good decisions, are usually able to go on to fight another day. Many, however, fall under the weight and become casualties of the ministry. May you and I not be a casualty, but a victorious leader of God’s people!
Would you consider purchasing the following…
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Spiritual Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence for Every Believer |
By J. Oswald Sanders / Moody Publishers
Charles Colson called it “the best book on Christian leadership I’ve read.” Discover why this timeless classic continues to equip tomorrow’s ministers—and challenges today’s shepherds—toward greater effectiveness! Revised and updated, Sanders’s hard-hitting study explores the essential qualities of a godly leader—and offers sterling examples from Scripture and Christian history. Includes study guide.
In these pages, J. Oswald Sanders presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms, illustrating his points with examples from Scriptures and the biographies of emenent men of God.
