I recognize my own tendency to abuse power or to manipulate others to get what I want. For that reason I find it necessary to meet weekly with a trusted colleague. Usually it's an older, seasoned minister who provides counsel and helps me navigate leadership issues.

Recently in one of these sessions I confessed, "I was tempted to play the senior pastor card this week by push through my desire to have a special speaker come to our church."

Earlier that week I had encountered resistance to having the special speaker come. A few church members heard that I wanted to bring this speaker, whom they dubbed a "celebrity," to our church for a special outreach event. I was hoping that the speaker would draw a crowd and enable us to reach new people in our community. But I was also flattered that a prominent speaker would visit our little church, though I didn't want to admit that was part of my motivation.

I became angry when negative feedback reached my ears. One of our members said, "We've tried ...