Four Fundamental Reasons Leaders Falter
I am convinced that the moral and ethical reasons we usually address, subsequent to pastoral failure, are only indicators of four other deep systemic causes.
I invite you to consider the following:
Popularity and increasing public acclaim which charismatic leaders receive can easily overbalance their personal character development.
As recognition increases, two essential ingredients of character tend to decrease proportionately: an honest, personal, periodic assessment, and a willingness to remain accountable to others.
As the size of the public platform increases, so does the temptation to believe one’s own press. When a leader begins to feed on the voices of public acclaim, the pin on the ‘failure grenade’ is being pulled. The resulting explosion is imminent.
If the horizontal axis of character development does not keep pace with the rising vertical axis of popularity, the foundation will not support the structure. It will topple.
This, I believe is the number one cause of personal failure in ministry.
The continual need of young Pastors to engage with intense ministry challenges exceeds their own maturity level.
Increasing age and experience, through the seasons of life and ministry, offers a maturity that young leaders will naturally lack. This is not a criticism, but it is a reality.
Denominations have erred by exposing immature leaders to issues and environments that far exceed their capability to cope.
At the same time, those same denominational groups have not adequately emphasized the imperative requirement of ‘mentorship’ for ministry.
A failure to recognize and correct these two essential mistakes will set young leaders, who demonstrate great promise and potential, on the slippery slope to failure.
It is my firm belief that no young pastor should be asked or expected to face the rigors of ministry without first being gradually ‘mentored’ into it. According to Muri Pyeatt, in his doctoral dissertation for the university of Ohio, the retention rate of ministers, having been properly mentored, is nearly three times greater than those who have no mentorship history.
The Apostle Paul said, “You have many teachers, but very few fathers” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Every young leader needs a father in ministry.
The number of necessary and constant demands that Pastors face are often disproportionate to the time they spend in cultivating a personal devotional life.
The alarming statistics are available for all to read. Many Pastors sadly neglect their own personal devotional life.
It is not possible to learn enough in four years of Bible College or Seminary to carry a Pastor through one year of ministry, much less guarantee a longer tenure. Success in ministry demands the application of a disciplined, regulated, consistent devotional life.
A devotional lifestyle goes beyond the requirements of the study of Scriptures or Scriptural Commentaries for platform presentation.
The devotional lifestyle of a successful leader must be a dynamic, ever-pulsating, interaction with the personally transforming power of the Word of God, the Person of the Holy Spirit, bathed in a consistent, intimate expression of personal prayer.
While academic excellence is an enhancement to leadership, it will not replace a personal pursuit of God. Without a personal, devotional commitment, leaders will operate only on a precarious academic footing. That foundation will slowly crumble beneath their feet.
The pressure for a Pastor to succeed and prove his/her worth in ministry can sideline the need for consistent self-care, thus precipitating disastrous results.
Whether acknowledged or not, pastoral ministry can be a highly competitive vocation.
Unintentionally, our fraternity has created a hierarchical ladder of achievement, with its corresponding encouragement for leaders to ‘race to the top.’
We have errantly and artificially placed qualitative value on pastoral positions, esteeming some greater, more honourable, and more desirable than others.
As a result, Pastors play the comparison game, continually evaluating the value of their own station and the acceptability of their own performance against this hierarchical chart which we have created but deny exists. In so doing, they place a ‘pressure packed,’ unrealistic burden on their own leadership shoulders.
When Pastors buy into a ‘drive to a preferable top’ mentality, it will drive them to falter and fail.
This is the antithesis of the fundamental principles of ‘Kingdom of God Leadership.’ (Matthew 20:26)
Engaging in frenetic activity in the expectation and need for public praise will scuttle the three ships keeping a pastoral ministry afloat. These are: Rest, Regular Physical Exercise, and the maintaining of Meaningful, Restorative Relationships.
Shore up these four areas of your life to ensure your ministry future is not sabotaged and your tenure is long.
Al is an experienced pastor and counselor who works out of our ABNWT District Resource Centre in Edmonton as the Pastoral Care Coordinator. A pastor to the pastors, Al is a friend, mentor, and confidante to all.