Leadership Journal

When I closed my eyes to pray, I was alone on the platform. When I said amen, a man I did not know was standing beside me. He immediately stepped behind a microphone and started talking …

After his sermon, a friend stepped to the communion table. To his surprise he was met there by a woman who immediately shoved all of the communion elements onto the floor …

In the middle of the sermon, a young woman walked onstage, interrupted the pastor, and announced that she had a message from God. When the pastor declined her request to address the congregation, she refused to leave. As two male ushers stepped up to escort her away, she began screaming, "This is just like the church. A bunch of overbearing men oppressing women … "

Guess what? None of these events was on the program. And it's just a matter of time before something like this happens to you. Maybe it won't be someone demanding to speak—it might be someone having a heart attack, or the electricity suddenly going out.

Interruptions happen without warning, but you can be prepared. The real question is: Are you ready? Even if the service comes to a temporary halt, you don't have to lose your ability to lead.

There are several things you can decide right now that will help you and your congregation survive your next unscripted moment.

In the movie The Apostle, Robert Duvall plays the part of Sonny, a Pentecostal preacher who gets so mad at a member of his congregation that he ends up beating the guy unconscious. While there are moments when this sounds like a wonderful option, it's not the best choice, at least not if you want to keep your job.

While researching this article, I learned of several pastors who lost their composure and then their positions. The result was the same whether they got mad and spoke too hastily—sound technicians and mothers of a crying infants are frequent targets—or if they simply panicked and walked around looking like Chicken Little.

Leadership means keeping your cool, especially if everyone around you is losing theirs. Yelling is never a good idea. Nor is inaction.

Alexander Haig is remembered a bit derisively for stepping up to the microphone to claim control in the moments after President Ronald Reagan was shot. While he can be faulted for misconstruing the presidential line of succession, I believe his soldier's instincts were right on. In a crisis, someone needs to lead.

When a worship service spins out of control, the senior pastor or the worship leader needs to step in and assert leadership. The good news is that just about any reasonable and calm action you take will be accepted. When the woman screaming about male oppression was being led out, the senior pastor asked the ushers to let her return to the stage. He then dismissed the congregation so he could talk with her privately.

"All 1,000 people filed out," he said. "And it was the quickest exit I've ever seen." He then invited her to share with him what she wanted to share with everyone. When it turned out that her message was that Brad Pitt was the prophet of God, he was able to get her help and then invite everyone back in. When he explained what happened, the congregation was accepting.

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