How below-average pastors become good leaders
When I started in ministry, I was a below-average pastor, probably far below average. I consulted mentors, read leadership books, and prayed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It still took me years to improve.
Leadership literature is chock-full of ways an average leader can become great. Most of us assume we’re at least reasonably good. Greatness is just a book, a conference or a degree away. I believe run-of-the-mill leaders can improve with training. A desire to learn, self-awareness, and a solid work ethic go a long way.
Some leaders, however, are just bad. They don’t lead well. Poor decisions are the norm. This was me 20 years ago. Why are some pastors below average?
- Lack of experience.
- Lack of emotional intelligence.
- Lack of knowledge.
- Lack of leadership capacity.
- Lack of decision-making skills.
I believe most pastors want to lead their congregations in a way that honors God. I believe most pastors care about their flocks. And God uses different types of leaders in different contexts. A rural setting, for example, requires a different type of leader than an urban one. Neither is superior to the other simply because of contextual expertise. However, sincere pastoral concern doesn't automatically produce effective leadership. And some pastors are poor examples of leadership, even if they really do care.
Years of practice entrench bad habits. Over time, repeated mistakes and uncorrected weaknesses can turn a mediocre leader into a genuinely bad one. Sometimes poor leadership stems from context or position. The church leader is a poor fit for the church, ministry focus or setting. What makes a good lead pastor doesn't make a good middle school pastor. What makes a good worship pastor doesn't make a good children’s pastor.
While environment and position influence bad leadership, not every case of poor leadership can be blamed on a mismatch. Some leaders are outliers on the wrong side of the bell curve.
Bad leadership generally has two primary sources: deficiencies of character and deficiencies of competence. The two can overlap, but they require different remedies. Character failure requires repentance, accountability and sometimes removal. Unfortunately, scandalous and predatory leaders do exist. Competency failure, however, requires humility, training, correction and practice.
The focus of this article is on improving the ineffective rather than redeeming the unethical. These leaders are not malicious, just ineffective. They want to make ethical decisions, but they are oblivious to how their decisions affect others. What are some ways in which below-average church leaders can become better?
They stop using their calling as a shield against criticism. A divine calling doesn't guarantee leadership competence. Below-average pastors improve when they stop interpreting every criticism as an attack on their calling. God may have called you to ministry, but that doesn't mean every decision you make is wise. Good pastors learn to separate the legitimacy of their calling from the quality of their leadership. They become secure enough in who they are to admit when they're wrong.
They seek correction and guidance from proven leaders in the church. The fastest way to remain a bad leader is to become defensive whenever someone identifies a weakness. Ineffective pastors often explain, deflect or blame. Improving pastors become curious. They ask questions, listen for patterns, and resist the urge to justify themselves. They intentionally place trusted, proven leaders around them and permit those leaders to speak candidly.
They learn that good intentions don't erase bad outcomes. Most ineffective pastors don't wake up intending to hurt people or damage their churches. But leadership must be evaluated by more than intent. A poorly communicated decision can still create confusion. An impulsive change can still divide a congregation. A careless comment can still wound someone. Below-average pastors improve when they begin evaluating not only what they meant to accomplish but also what their leadership actually produced.
They stop confusing activity with progress. Bad leaders can be extraordinarily busy. They attend meetings, answer messages, prepare sermons, resolve conflicts, and rush from one obligation to another. Busyness can become a hiding place for leaders who haven't determined what matters most. But constant movement can conceal a lack of direction. Improving pastors learn that leadership isn't merely responding to whatever appears most urgent. They identify what matters most, make deliberate decisions, and give sustained attention to the few priorities that will move the church forward.
They shift from a discouraging posture to an encouraging one. Bad church leaders become better when they stop focusing on why something can’t be done and instead focus on how it can be done. Discouraging leaders gain a reputation for identifying obstacles without helping people overcome them. They may believe they're being realistic when they're actually draining energy from the room. Improving pastors do not ignore genuine problems, but they help people see a faithful path forward.
They realize that avoiding hard decisions is still a decision. Below-average pastors often confuse passivity with patience. They delay difficult conversations, tolerate poor performance, and allow unresolved problems to grow because they want to preserve peace. But postponed conflict usually becomes more destructive conflict. Good pastors learn to act with both courage and compassion. They address problems before they become crises, knowing that indecision can damage a church as much as a bad decision.
They encourage cooperation rather than competition. Bad leaders divide people, creating opposing camps. Bad pastors weaponize secondary theological differences to create opposing camps. These leaders pit the style preferences of one group against those of another. Good church leaders are bridge builders, showing how different people can cooperate rather than compete.
Bad church leaders fail in many areas, while average pastors tend to have identifiable weaknesses in specific areas. The best pastors recognize that continual improvement is essential to effective leadership. Unethical leadership requires repentance, accountability, and, in many cases, removal from office. But ineffective leadership can often be improved through humility, correction, training and practice. Pastors are not permanently locked into poor decisions and destructive habits. Greatness may be a noble goal, but becoming good is an achievable — and worthwhile — next step.
Originally published at Church Answers.
Sam Rainer is president of Church Answers and pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Florida.
