Lead through your Legitimizers

One of the intangible factors in the success of a church is leadership. We all spend countless hours planning creatively, preparing messages, working on worship sets, designing graphics, doing outreach, etc. However, the glue that holds it all together, focuses everything, and moves the troops together is leadership. It might even explain why two organizations who do basically the same things have different results.

As the planter, pastor, and chief communicator God expects us to lead and the church will naturally look to us to lead them forward. However, when leadership is absent a vacuum develops and someone(s) will eventually rush in to fill that vacuum ... often times in an ungodly, prideful, controlling kind of way.
The leadership baton is in our hands and it is up to us to use it for the glory of God. I tell our staff and ministry team leaders all the time, "Everything rises or falls on leadership."

Here's something about leadership that I have learned. As planters/pastors/leaders we want people to follow us and sometimes it is easy to take the "I'm the pastor and you're not so you better just get onboard" approach. We don't want to have to explain ourselves, do the work of casting vision with clarity and passion, or be questioned by the guy who seems born to play Devil's Advocate (and yes, you do need that guy on your team).
Now, I've played the "I'm the pastor and you're not." card a few times and you will have to do that sometimes to certain people. But I think there is a better way.

John Maxwell calls it "leading through your legitimizers." There will always be (or should always be) some folks in your church/organization that have your back, believe in you, practice loyalty, love you enough to tell you you are wrong, and will be right beside you as you lead the church to take the next hill.

When you sense the Lord leading you/your church to do something 'BIG' then get these folks together and share your heart. Get them onboard with you and then when you communicate the next 'BIG' thing to the whole church ... your legitimizers are in the crowd nodding, saying 'amen ... let's go with this'. They help answer questions when your folks get together for lunch after church, they explain things in small groups, they spread the 'vision' on a grass roots level.

Another reason why this is so important. There will come a time in your church when you won't know everybody but you need everybody to get onboard. Most likely, the vast majority of people in your church will know at least one of your legitimizers and can be brought onboard through them.

Last thought on this ... the more people who can articulate your church's vision with passion, clarity, and conviction ... the better your church will be. As your organization grows you won't be able to go to every meeting, lead every Bible study, handle all the financial stuff ... but you'll want people to do those things that know your heart and support the vision 110%.

I'd recommend that every planter/pastor spend some time each week with a leader or potential leader in your church who isn't on staff (and they don't necessarily have to do anything other than come to your church). Ask them questions and tell them what's going on. Tell them how they can support God's work.

We can't forget to run with the baton of leadership in the church ... it's just too important.