Some people might think that’s strange. After all, why would I want to help someone leave our team – especially if they’re a valued team member (which in these cases – they usually are).

Well, that’s easy. I want what’s best for the people I lead. Even when what’s best for them may not be what’s most convenient for me.

Several times in my career, someone helped me get to my next assignment. They opened a door, made a phone call, offered advice, or simply encouraged me to take a step of faith.

I’ve always wanted to do the same for others.

I want people to grow while they’re on our team. Plus, I want to help them discover their gifts, develop their leadership, and find the place where they can make their greatest contribution. I’ve told countless people – sitting in my office – When you look back at your career twenty years from now, I want this office to be a positive part of your story. That’s my legacy.

Sometimes that place will be right where they are. But sometimes it will be somewhere else.

And I’m okay with that.

In fact, I’d much rather someone include me in the process of figuring out their next opportunity than feel they have to hide it from me. That helps me and our team as much as it helps them.

Once they feel safe enough to have that conversation, I can actually help them. I can be a sounding board, help them process opportunities, make connections, or serve as a reference.

But I also recognize there are some realities to leading this way.

1. It will be awkward at times.

Once someone tells you they’re considering leaving, things change a little.

They’ve essentially admitted they have one foot out the door.

You still have a job to do together. They’re still part of the team. You still need them fully engaged in their current responsibilities.

And you may not know whether they’ll be there six months from now. (It’s taken a year or more at times.)

That creates some tension. I’ve learned to live with it.

2. There will be emotions involved.

Especially when the person loves the team and the team loves them.

They may be excited about a new opportunity and sad about leaving at the same time. (BTW, I usually hold this information in confidence between me and the other person.)

As a leader, I may be excited for them and disappointed about losing them.

Both can be true.

I’ve found it’s better to acknowledge those emotions than pretend they don’t exist.

3. They may go back and forth.

I’ve seen this happen numerous times.

Someone feels confident it’s time to move on. Then an opportunity doesn’t materialize. They have a great week at work or begin thinking about what they’ll miss.

Suddenly they’re not so sure.

And that’s understandable. Career decisions are rarely as simple as they appear.

But I’ve also found that once someone has mentally committed to leaving, it can be difficult to return to normal. Sometimes I’ve even had to remind people of what they told me they wanted.

Not to push them out the door, but to help them remember why they started considering a change in the first place.

4. Occasionally, it will get difficult.

Most of these experiences have been positive. A few haven’t.

Sometimes expectations change. The process often takes longer than either of us anticipated. Occasionally, someone mentally checks out before they actually leave.

And when that happens, I still have a responsibility to the rest of the team and the organization.

Helping someone find their next opportunity doesn’t mean ignoring their current responsibilities. There still have to be healthy expectations and honest conversations.

But those few difficult experiences haven’t changed my philosophy.

I’d rather lead with an open hand than try to hold on to people who are ready for something else.

I don’t own the people I lead. I’ve simply been given the privilege of investing in them for a season.

Of course, I want great people to stay. We work hard to create an environment where they can thrive, grow, and want to remain for a long time. But I also know that not every season lasts forever.

And if I can help someone take their next step, even when it means losing a valuable team member, I consider that part of my responsibility as a leader.

The greatest compliment someone can give me isn’t necessarily that they stayed on my team for years. Sometimes it’s that their time on our team helped prepare them for what came next.

I want to be the kind of leader people can trust with their future, even when their future doesn’t include me.

The post Helping Team Members Find Their Next Opportunity appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I’ve spent my entire adult life in leadership – leading in the business world, government, nonprofits, and the church. Gratefully, I’ve also coached leaders in all of those environments.

I’ve learned good leadership principles work in almost every environment.

People need clarity. Teams need direction. Organizations need vision. Leaders have to make hard decisions.

But there are some unique challenges to leadership in vocational ministry even the best marketplace leaders may not fully understand.

I’m not suggesting ministry is harder than leadership in other fields. Every profession has its challenges. I’m certainly not complaining. I love what I get to do – most days.

But there are some differences worth understanding.

Here are five I’ve experienced.

1. Letting someone go from employment is often more complicated.

I’ve had to make difficult personnel decisions in both business and ministry.

Neither is easy. You’re dealing with someone’s livelihood, their family, and often their sense of identity.

But in the church, you’re also dealing with unique – even spiritual – relationships. In the church, every paid staff member has their own “tribe” of people who depend on them for spiritual guidance or direction.

The person you’re letting go may be someone they have prayed with, worshiped with, and walked alongside through some of life’s hardest moments.

Their spouse may serve in the church. Some or all of their children have often grown up in the student ministry. Their closest friends may be members of the congregation.

That’s a different dynamic. But people often don’t see what happens outside of Sunday morning. They only know what they know. And they seldom know the whole story.

Yet, because of those personal attachments, people may want explanations you simply don’t have the freedom to give. Sometimes the hardest part of making the right leadership decision is knowing you can’t explain everything behind it.

And yet, the decision still has to be made.

2. Holidays don’t always work like they do for others.

I get asked this question all the time around Christmas – “Are you going to see your kids for Christmas?”

I appreciate the question. People genuinely care about our family.

But Christmas is one of the busiest seasons of the year for a church. Easter, which often falls during spring break, is another.

While many families are traveling to see relatives, pastors and ministry staff are preparing to serve the people who will be coming to church.

Our children are grown, live plane rides away,  and have families of their own. One is now and both have been in vocational ministry themselves. They have their own schedules, responsibilities, and holiday traditions.

And sometimes those schedules don’t align with ours.

We may celebrate Christmas on another day. We may travel after the holiday. Sometimes we simply have to miss being together – especially around the holidays.

I’m not asking for sympathy. Plenty of people work holidays – medical professionals, first responders, retail workers, and others.

But I do think it’s something church members don’t always consider.

Some of the most meaningful days of ministry for the congregation require personal sacrifices by the families of those serving.

And those sacrifices aren’t only made by pastors. They’re made by spouses, children, and extended families, too.

3. Your work and your personal life are often closely connected.

In most marketplace environments, people can leave work and find an entirely different community of relationships outside their employment.

That’s harder in vocational ministry.

The people you lead are often the people you worship with. They’re your friends, your neighbors, and the people with whom you share much of life.

You might see someone at dinner who was frustrated with your leadership decision that morning. They might attend a small group with you after you’ve dismissed one of their favorite staff members (see point number two).

Again, this isn’t necessarily bad. Some of my deepest friendships have come through the churches I’ve served.

But it does create a unique challenge.

You have to learn to care deeply for people – walk with the closely – while accepting that you can’t personally meet every need – and that there will be times they don’t understand your “work” role.

That’s a tension I’ve had to work through repeatedly. And it’s one reason healthy boundaries are so important in ministry.

4. Every decision has a spiritual component.

When I was leading in business, people certainly cared about decisions. They had opinions about strategy, budgets, staffing, and change.

But in the church, those same decisions can carry spiritual significance for people.

A change in worship services isn’t simply a scheduling decision. It may affect something a family has treasured for decades.

A staffing change isn’t just an organizational decision. People may see it as a reflection of the church’s spiritual direction.

And sometimes people sincerely believe God is leading them to one conclusion while others believe God is leading them in another direction.

That’s not always easy to navigate.

As a pastor, I have to take those convictions seriously while also recognizing that not every preference is a biblical principle.

Spiritual leadership requires biblical conviction, organizational wisdom, and a great deal of patience with people.

I’ve learned you need all three.

5. You’re often carrying burdens other people don’t know about.

This may be one of the least understood parts of pastoral leadership.

On any given Sunday, a pastor may be celebrating a baptism, praying with someone facing a serious diagnosis, counseling a struggling marriage, and dealing with a difficult organizational issue.

And then it’s time to preach.

People come to church carrying their own burdens. The pastor has the privilege of helping carry some of them. But many – maybe most – of those burdens are confidential.

You can’t always explain why you’re distracted or share what’s weighing on your heart. And you certainly shouldn’t use someone else’s pain to explain your own.

That’s part of the calling.

I remember learning early in ministry that some of the most exhausting days weren’t necessarily the days I worked the longest. They were the days I carried the most emotionally.

Ministry leadership involves a unique combination of managing an organization while shepherding people through real life.

Those two responsibilities aren’t always easy to separate.

A final thought

I have tremendous respect for leaders in the marketplace. Many of them deal with pressures I’ll never fully understand – and many that I do.

I believe churches would benefit from learning more from good marketplace leaders. I’ve spent years encouraging that kind of partnership and incorporating it into my own leadership.

At the same time, I think marketplace leaders who serve on church leadership teams need to understand some of these unique dynamics.

The same is true for church members who love and support their pastors.

We don’t need special treatment or people to feel sorry for us. And we certainly shouldn’t use the uniqueness of ministry as an excuse for poor leadership.

We simply need to recognize that some leadership environments require different considerations.

Good leaders learn to understand the environment they’re leading in. And good churches learn to understand the people God has called to lead them.

What would you add? If you’ve served in both the marketplace and vocational ministry, what differences have you noticed?

The post 5 Leadership Challenges in Ministry Marketplace Leaders May Not Understand appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Good organizations need both. I understand that. But policies tend to tell people exactly what they can and cannot do. Principles help people understand why we do what we do.

And I think that distinction matters.

Policies often create boundaries. Principles create freedom within boundaries.

As a leader, I want people to understand the guiding principles behind our decisions. I want them to know what we value, what we’re trying to accomplish, and what matters most.

Then I want to give them freedom to figure out how to get there.

Not everyone will approach a problem the same way I would. In fact, some will find a better way than I ever imagined.

That’s one of the advantages of having good people on your team.

Of course, there are times when policies are necessary. Some things need clear, nonnegotiable standards. And principles without accountability can create confusion.

But I’ve also seen organizations develop so many policies that people become afraid to make decisions without permission.

They stop thinking for themselves – waiting to be told what to do.

And eventually, the organization becomes limited by the number of decisions a few leaders can make. That’s not the kind of organization I want to lead.

I’d rather spend my time helping people understand the principles than enforcing another policy.

Because when people understand the why, they can usually figure out the how.

And when they have the freedom to do that, they often surprise you with what they can accomplish.

The post I’d Rather Lead by Principles Than Policies appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I love leadership – dreaming about what could be, challenging the status quo, and helping organizations move forward.

There’s a difference between leadership and management. I’ve written on it before.

Leaders lead change. Managers guide systems.

But here’s something I’ve learned through the years.

Good leadership without good management can take us somewhere wonderful, only to discover we don’t know how to stay there very long.

A leader can cast a compelling vision, rally people around it, and move an organization to new heights.

But someone has to build the systems, manage the details, and create the structure to sustain what’s been accomplished.

And frankly, that’s not always the leader’s greatest strength.

I’ve seen organizations grow beyond their ability to sustain the growth. Sometimes because the leadership vision outpaced the management systems.

Leadership helps us get there. Management helps us stay there.

We need both.

So here’s a shoutout to the great managers who often work behind the scenes, making sure the vision actually works.

You may not get the applause for the big idea or the bold new direction.

But without you, many of our greatest leadership accomplishments would be short-lived.

Leaders, don’t just appreciate good managers. Empower them. Listen to them. And give them room to do what they do best.

Your next great leadership success may depend on it.

The post A Shoutout from a Leader to a Manager appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

One of the hardest tensions in leadership is knowing how hard to push change and how patient to be with people.

I’ve been leading change in organizations for a long time. And I’m still learning how to balance these two.

Change leadership requires both patience and drive.

You have to be patient with people.

Every change evokes an emotion. Even good change can hurt.

• Something familiar is being replaced.
• Someone may feel they’re losing influence or control.
• People may have invested years in something you’re now asking them to do differently.
• Others simply need more time to understand what you already see.

Remember, as a leader, you’ve probably been thinking about the change much longer than everyone else.

You’ve processed the problems, considered the alternatives, and imagined what could be.

Now you’re ready to move.

But everyone else may just now be hearing about it. You can’t expect people to embrace in a moment what it took you months to process.

Good leaders understand this. They listen, communicate the why, give people time to adjust. And they recognize that resistance isn’t always rebellion. Sometimes it’s simply grief over what is being lost.

But there’s another side to this tension.

You also have to drive the change forward.

If the change is necessary and worthy of the mission, you can’t simply stop every time someone is uncomfortable.

Some people will resist any change. Others may never fully embrace the direction you’re leading.

And sometimes the greatest resistance comes just before you begin making meaningful progress.

Leadership requires courage.

You have to make decisions. Push through obstacles. Keep reminding people where you’re going and why it matters.

You have to help write a better story for the organization, even when moving forward is difficult.

You can have change without leadership, but I’m not sure you can have leadership without change.

If you wait until everyone is comfortable with change, you may never change anything.

And that’s where the tension gets difficult.

Push too hard and you can damage trust, exhaust good people, and create resistance that didn’t have to exist.

Move too slowly and you can lose momentum, frustrate those ready to move, and miss opportunities that may not come again.

I’ve made mistakes on both sides.

There have been times when I moved faster than people could reasonably follow. Looking back, a few more conversations or a little more patience would have made the change healthier.

And there have been times when I waited too long. I allowed the desire to keep everyone comfortable to slow down something I knew needed to happen.

Neither extreme is healthy.

If you don’t have both patience and drive, you’ll either burn yourself out trying to get everyone to move, or you’ll burn others out trying to make them move too quickly.

So how do you manage the tension?

I think a few things are important.

Keep the mission clear. People can endure more discomfort when they understand why the change matters. Never assume you’ve communicated the why enough.

Seek to understand the difference between resistance and legitimate concern. Sometimes people are resisting because they don’t like change. Other times they’re seeing something you’ve missed. Wise leaders know the difference, and they’re willing to listen.

Be flexible with the pace without compromising the destination. Not every part of the change has to happen today. Sometimes slowing down one part allows the overall change to move forward more successfully.

Celebrate progress and allow people to catch their breath. An organization can only absorb so much change at one time. Constant change without opportunities to celebrate, adjust, and regain energy will eventually wear people down.

Keep moving. Patience shouldn’t become an excuse for avoiding difficult decisions. If you’ve done the work, listened well, and believe the change is right, there comes a time to move forward.

Perhaps one of the greatest skills a change leader can develop is learning when to press the accelerator and when to ease off a little. And realizing you may have to do both in the same week.

Here’s something I’ve learned after years of leading change.

You have to care enough about the mission to keep moving forward and enough about the people to be careful how you get there.

That’s the delicate tension of change leadership.

And getting it right is never a one-time decision. It’s something you have to keep managing.

Ultimately, leadership isn’t simply about getting an organization somewhere new. It’s about bringing people with you.

The post The Delicate Tension of Leading Change – Patience and Drive appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Whenever a team member isn’t functioning as well as they could, I want to understand why.

Over the years, I’ve found the problem usually falls into one of four categories –

Ignorance. Arrogance. Indifference. Or Inability.

And knowing which one you’re dealing with matters, because each requires a different response from the leader.

Ignorance

Sometimes people simply don’t know.

They don’t know what is expected of them. Training – or onboarding hasn’t been adequate. Or perhaps they don’t realize how they are coming across to others.

This is often the easiest problem to address.

Teach them. Coach them. Clarify expectations. Give honest feedback.

You shouldn’t punish someone for something they were never taught. (Or where your systems let them down.) 

Arrogance

This is different.

Arrogance says, I know, but I think my way is better.

They may believe the rules don’t apply to them. Some resist feedback because they assume they already have the answers. Sometimes success has convinced them they are more valuable to the organization than they really are.

Arrogance requires confrontation.

Still not harshness (we are to remain people of grace), but with truth.

Healthy teams can’t allow one person’s ego to become more important than the mission.

Indifference

Indifference says, I know what needs to be done and I’m capable of doing it. But I just don’t care enough anymore.

Sometimes the person has mentally checked out long before they physically leave.

You can usually see it in their attitude, effort, responsiveness, or willingness to go the extra mile.

This requires a conversation about engagement.

Is something happening personally? Have they lost confidence in the organization? Are they burned out? Or have they simply decided they no longer want to be part of what the team is trying to accomplish?

You need to know.

Inability

This one is sometimes the hardest for leaders to admit.

The person may care deeply. They may have a wonderful attitude and may understand exactly what is expected.

They just can’t consistently do what the role requires.

Maybe the organization has grown beyond their capacity. Perhaps the position has changed. Maybe we put a good person in the wrong seat.

More training might help, but sometimes it won’t.

Inability requires leaders to evaluate fit.

And keeping someone in a role where they cannot succeed isn’t kindness – to them or to the team.

Diagnose Before You Respond

One of the mistakes leaders make is treating every performance problem the same.

But you don’t solve ignorance with confrontation.

Arrogance isn’t solved with more training.

You don’t solve indifference by lowering expectations.

And you don’t solve inability simply by telling someone to try harder.

Before deciding what to do about an underperforming team member, determine what you’re actually dealing with.

• Ignorance needs instruction.
• Arrogance needs correction.
• Indifference needs engagement.
• Inability needs evaluation.

Good leadership starts with the right diagnosis.

The post Ignorance, Arrogance, Indifference – or Inability? appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

That’s not necessarily a sign you’re on the wrong team. Teams can be frustrating because teams are made up of people.

And people are different.

• Teams are made up of different personalities.
• Everyone process information differently.
• We work at different speeds.
• Our priorities, pressures, strengths, and weaknesses all show up with us.
• We don’t always communicate as clearly as we think we do.

Put enough people together – even really good people who love Jesus and share the same mission – and eventually someone will frustrate someone.

The goal isn’t to eliminate every frustration. That’s impossible.

The goal is to learn how to handle frustration without allowing it to damage the team.

Here are five things that might help –

1. Recognize and Respect Differences

Not everyone thinks, processes, or works like you – and that’s a good thing.

• Some are big-picture dreamers; others are detail guardians. Both are needed.
• Everyone feels misunderstood sometimes. That’s normal.
• We each tend to see our area as most urgent or important. That’s part of caring deeply about what we do.
• Sometimes what frustrates you about someone is the very strength the team needs from them.

Unity doesn’t mean sameness; it means shared purpose.

2. Keep Small Things Small

Don’t turn a 2 into a 10.

• The world – and the church – will never be perfect.
• You’ll never have every tool, answer, resource, or person you want exactly when you want it.
• Not every inconvenience deserves a meeting.
• Not every irritation needs to become an issue.
• Choose which frustrations are worthy of your emotional energy.

Some things need to be addressed. Others simply need to be released.

Peace often comes from lowering unrealistic expectations.

3. Check Your Heart and Motives

Before reacting, ask yourself –

• Am I frustrated because I want to be right – or because I want what’s best?
• Could I be misunderstanding or missing part of the picture?
• Am I making assumptions about someone’s motives?
• Would I respond differently if I knew everything they were carrying right now?

Frustration has a way of convincing us that our perspective is the complete perspective.

Usually it isn’t.

Humility invites perspective; pride multiplies frustration.

4. Practice Humility and Move On

Ephesians 4:2-3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

That’s good theology. It’s also good teamwork.

• Don’t let small annoyances harden into resentment.
• Be willing to apologize quickly.
• Extend grace generously.
• Don’t keep a running scorecard of offenses.
• Remember, we’re on the same team – and Jesus is the head.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do for a team is address something, forgive it, and then refuse to keep bringing it back up.

You can be right and still be wrong in your tone, timing, or attitude.

5. Use Your Voice Wisely

You have a voice. And it’s a needed voice or you wouldn’t be on the team. Use it kindly, honestly, and responsibly.

• Don’t add to the frustration.
• Finish. Do your job. Follow through.
• Say what you mean in love. Don’t say yes when you mean no.
• Don’t complain to five people about something you’ve never discussed with the one person who could actually address it.
• Clarity is kindness; confusion creates tension.
• Speak truth, seasoned with grace.

Healthy teams aren’t teams where nobody disagrees.

They are teams where people have learned how to disagree without becoming disagreeable.

Healthy teams communicate early, clearly, and respectfully.

One Last Thing – Keep the Big Picture in View

This may be the most important one. Remember why we do what we do.

For those of us serving in the church, our purpose is bigger than our department, our preference, our idea, or whether everything happened the way we wanted it to happen.

We are here to reflect Christ and advance the Gospel.

Frustration grows quickly when we make the mission about ourselves.

Sometimes I need to remind myself – This isn’t about me.

• Not my preference.
• Or my recognition.
• Not getting my way.

We are part of something much bigger.

The body of Christ is made up of different parts—with different gifts, personalities, responsibilities, and perspectives—but we share one purpose.

And perhaps one of the greatest witnesses a Christian team can offer is not that we never frustrate one another.

It’s that, even when we do, we choose grace, humility, forgiveness, and unity – and keep moving forward together.

The post 5 Ways to Avoid Frustration (and Stay Unified as a Team) appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

I’ve never really believed in work-life balance.

At least not if balance means every important area of life gets equal time and attention every day.

Leadership simply doesn’t work that way.

There are seasons when the demands of leadership are intense. There are days when you have to work longer than you planned. Problems don’t always arrive conveniently inside office hours.

That’s life, but that’s even more so in leadership. And my family has had to learn this as much as I have.

You may never achieve perfect balance. But you can discipline the rhythms of your life.

That means when there is margin – take it.

• When you have a chance to decompress – decompress.
• When you can rest – rest.

And sometimes, when you’ve stared at the same project for two hours and nothing productive is happening, give yourself permission to shut it down.

Go for a walk. Exercise. Spend time with people you love. Do something completely unrelated to work.

I’ve learned that forcing productivity rarely produces my best work.

Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is stop.

Of course, disciplined rhythms require discipline. If you never stop, eventually your body or your mind will stop for you. If you constantly fill every open space on the calendar, you shouldn’t be surprised when you have nothing left to give.

Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint.

There will be seasons when you run hard. There should also be seasons — and moments within those seasons – when you recover.

You may never perfectly balance everything in your life.

But you can develop rhythms that allow you to keep leading well for the long haul.

The post Disciplined Rhythms – the Counter to Balance appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Growth is exciting. Most churches say they want it. We pray for more people to come, more people to meet Jesus, more people to be baptized, more people to grow as disciples.

Then growth happens.

And growth starts exposing things.

Systems which worked beautifully for 100 people can start breaking at 300. What worked at 500 may be completely inadequate at 1,000. Growth has a way of finding every weak spot in an organization.

In my experience, there are three areas which eventually become limitations for almost every growing church – Systems. People. Facilities.

The key is figuring out which one is currently limiting you. They aren’t equally difficult to solve.

Systems are usually the easiest problem.

Not easy. Just easier.

A church grows and suddenly the old way of doing things no longer works.

• Communication breaks down.
• Guest follow-up becomes inconsistent.
• Decisions take too long.
• Nobody is completely sure who owns what.
• The volunteer process that worked when everybody knew everybody no longer works.

Those are usually systems problems.

And systems can be changed. You could change them in a day if needed.

You can map a process. Clarify responsibility. Build a better database. Improve communication. Add a meeting. Eliminate a meeting. Create a policy. Simplify a procedure.

If you want something repeated and done well, you need to systematize it. And if you want something done better, you improve the system.

Growing churches need people who think this way.

Visionary leaders sometimes underestimate them, but good managers and systems thinkers become increasingly valuable as complexity increases. Vision may help create growth, but good systems help steward it.

People are harder.

Eventually almost every growing organization discovers that the people structure which got it here may not be enough to take it where it is going.

Sometimes you simply need more people.

• More staff.
• Additional volunteers.
• More leaders.

Sometimes you need different assignments. Someone who was perfect for one season may not be positioned correctly for the next season. And sometimes people need development.

That’s where leadership gets much more complicated.

You can rewrite a system without hurting its feelings. You can’t do that with people.

People have history. Relationships. Families. Emotions. Expectations. Contributions they’ve made over the years. That means good leaders should move carefully.

I never want growth to become an excuse for treating people like pieces on an organizational chessboard. Systems matter. Structure matters. Results matter. But leadership is still about people.

At the same time, refusing to address people issues doesn’t serve anyone well either.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is coach someone.

• Develop them.
• Move responsibilities.
• Add leadership around them.
• Or help someone find a place where they can flourish again.

People limitations can be solved.

But they normally take more wisdom, patience and courage than systems limitations.

Facilities may be the hardest.

Buildings are stubborn. Especially like ours made of brick and mortar.

You can change a process this afternoon. You might develop a leader over the next year. But you cannot usually create another 500 parking spaces or 1,000 worship seats quickly.

• Land takes time.
• Construction takes time.
• Permits take time.
• Money takes time.

And sometimes there simply isn’t any more room on the property. Facilities can become a very real lid on growth.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to build.

• Perhaps you add another service.
• Maybe you redesign space.
• You could launch another campus.
• Maybe you relocate a ministry.
• You could even use the building differently throughout the week.

But eventually physical space becomes part of the strategic conversation.

Growth stretches scheduling, communication, staffing, decision-making – and facilities.

The important question is – Which one is limiting us right now?

I think this is where churches can make expensive mistakes.

We build a building when our systems are actually the problem. Perhaps we hire more people when the problem is poor structure. Or we keep rewriting systems when the real issue is that we have simply run out of room.

Leaders need the discipline to diagnose before they prescribe.

A few questions to evaluate –

• Is this a systems problem?
• Do we have the capacity, but our processes are failing us?
• Is this a people problem?
• Do we have the right systems, but not enough people – or not the right people in the right places – to execute them?
• Is this a facilities problem?
• Are people actually being turned away, inconvenienced or restricted because there is simply no more physical capacity?

Those are very different problems. And they require very different solutions.

Obviously, the church is more than an organization. We depend upon the Holy Spirit, and our mission isn’t organizational growth for growth’s sake. Our mission is to make disciples.

But churches are also organizations. We have people, systems, structures, budgets and buildings which we are called to steward well. I’ve written before that this dual reality becomes especially obvious during seasons of rapid growth.

Systems. People. Facilities.

All three can limit a growing church.

The post Three Limits That Confront A Growing Church appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

• Not a specific program.
• Not the organizational chart.
• Not the meeting structure.
• Not even the strategy.

I would work to create a culture where change is expected, evaluated wisely, and embraced when it helps us fulfill the mission.

Here’s what I’ve learned –

If you have to fight the same battle every time something changes, eventually you stop having the energy to lead forward.

Leadership almost always involves change. You can have change without leadership, but I’m not sure you can have leadership without change.

Organizations change. Communities change. Technology changes. Generations change. The people we are trying to reach change.

Our mission and core convictions may remain the same, but the methods we use to accomplish them must continually be evaluated.

The healthiest organizations I’ve led weren’t necessarily those that changed the most. They were the ones that became increasingly comfortable asking –

Is there a better way to do this?

That doesn’t mean every new idea is a good idea.

• Some changes should be rejected.
• Others need more time.
• Some require better communication.
• And every significant change affects real people, so wise leaders never treat change casually.

But there is a tremendous difference between evaluating a change and automatically resisting it.

Over time, leaders can help build a healthy rhythm of change.

• You celebrate wins.
• Explain the why.
• Listen to concerns.
• Allow people to contribute ideas.
• Admit when something didn’t work.

And you keep exposing the organization to new possibilities.

Eventually something begins to happen. Change stops automatically feeling like a threat.

People become more adaptable. They start bringing ideas rather than simply protecting old ones. Instead of asking, Why are we changing this? – they are more willing to ask, Could this help us accomplish the mission better?

That changes everything.

If I could make only one change in a struggling organization, I wouldn’t start by changing everything.

I would work to change the way the organization thinks about change.

Because once a culture becomes willing to change, almost everything else becomes easier to change.

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