One of the most powerful acts you can make as a church leader is simply to state what you believe. What foundation you stand on.
Even if spoken quietly, words of conviction convict. They rally followers. Anger opponents. (One pastor recently joked that Leadership should devote an issue to the theme, “Convictions & Resumes.”)
However, such words of principle work in humble ways, too, bringing calm, stability, and purpose.
These words can’t be faked, for each must be something you are willing to sacrifice for. And each must point out the road for followers to take.
Even if spoken quietly, words of conviction convict.
I know this sounds lofty, but it has down-to-earth application for a ministry. As you state clearly what you believe about your ministry, you will help the people involved in it.
For example, here are some beliefs I listed for our Leadership team. I include these not because they’re the most brilliant examples of stated ministry beliefs but simply the ones I know best. (As a bonus, they give you insight into our work.)
I believe that building the church is the primary work of God in this world and its only hope.
I believe strong churches come only through the influence of strong leaders.
I believe that strong church leaders need practical, honest, encouraging, and biblical resources to do their work well.
I believeLeadership Journal is a sacred trust. We must steward well its reputation and above all the trust placed in it by pastors and Christian leaders. To do that, we must keep it biblical, candid, encouraging, respectful, well-written, spiritual, practical, funny, risk-taking, and truly helpful.
I believeLeadership’s best days are ahead and that Leadership can be and will be as fresh and revolutionary as when it first appeared.
I believe our greatest foe is entropy, whether from success or fatigue, that keeps us from aggressively and creatively meeting readers’ needs. We battle entropy through prayer, listening to readers until we know them better than they know themselves, taking risks, and focusing on what we do best.
I believe that Leadership is more than a journal, that it is a relationship with church leaders, a way of providing the practical, honest, encouraging, and biblical resources they need. Therefore, we have permission and encouragement to develop audiotapes, books, CDs, newsletters, or anything else that helps pastors be faithful and effective.
I believe that your [Leadership’s staff members’] prayers, hard work, and creative thinking are needed to accomplish Leadership’s share of God’s work in this world.
These statements don’t cover everything. For example, our specific theological beliefs are captured in a separate document. Nor do they tell us what should be on Tuesday’s to-do list. But they do help us in tangible ways; they set attitudes and define the perimeter of activity.
Peter Senge, author of The V Discipline, says that one of the most important tasks for leaders today is to provide conceptual leadership—”helping people make sense of what’s going on around them … and making people feel that complicated and challenging things can actually be done.”
As a church leader, you know that complicated and challenging things need to be done. Do your people feel they are possible?
One small but significant way you can help them is to write your leader’s credo, a simple statement of what you truly believe.
Kevin A. Miller is editor of Leadership.
1997 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or contact us.
