Trust Your Leaders? - People Trust

Churches and volunteer organizations cannot control who attends, gets involved or, within reason, even who joins. To a great degree it is like any business. If the business is open to any portion of the public, it does not control its customers. Restaurants reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason; however, they rarely exercise this right and serve hundreds of less than desirable clients every day. Wholesalers have dealers who drive them nuts, and lawyers have clients that try to take advantage.

There is one critical difference between the business and the church or volunteer organization – the clients do not run the business, claim to or get into management (even though they may scream and yell and try to), whereas many (okay – in the typical church – most) of the members feel after a season of time that they are “vested”, have a “vested interest”, and have a “right” to run or rule on issues.

There is a critical truth that pastors and upper level leaders (“top dogs”) need to learn:

You cannot control who attends, gets involves or serves, but you are responsible to control who is selected and retained for leadership.

It could be said in other words, “If you can’t trust the leaders around you then why are they in leadership?” Even if you are an “evil, selfish, controlling leader” who uses executive and tyrannical privilege to “stack” boards with “yes men” who will protect you, give you leeway and let you do what you want, you are responsible if you can’t trust your leaders. After all – you are the Top Dog. If you won’t handle, fix or fire the untrustworthy leader, then you are no Christian Leader at all. The entire idea of leadership mandates that the upper leader select and be responsible for the selection of those who lead under him.

“But I came in and these people were already in charge and the Board….,” or, “I can’t just wipe these people out. We are all ministers and…” are weak excuses for the truth that you will not be an agent of change. The entire goal of a worthy leader is the betterment of the cause. If having become part of an organization, you realize they are corrupt, wrong or untrustworthy to carry out the effort and lead the people, you are responsible to take charge and find people that will. If the other leaders can’t be trusted and you are any kind of leader at all, then you will die on the battlefield trying to fix the problem so that the effort or organization can succeed. That is what leaders do!

Don’t blame others if you really don’t have trustworthy leaders under you. Don’t blame the process or the system instead of accepting that you simply don’t want the conflict. If you can’t fix the problem of untrustworthy leaders below you, then you are not leading, they are not following, and all of you should quit shortly after hiring someone who can lead.

A word of caution here – don’t fire everyone too quick. Try to lead them and check yourself before you go crazy fixing a problem with drastic measures when small measures will do. But if the lack of trust in leaders below you continues, then remove them – do your job for the people that you lead.