Leader’s input comes last– Effective leaders, especially in the church learn when to speak and when to listen. Working with churches in an on-going basis I normally meet with the pastor before every meeting with staff or planning and implementation teams. In the very first meeting with the pastor I encourage him not to speak first in our conversations and discussions in team meetings, unless I call on him to speak first.

The church is a different organization from most others in several ways. One of those is the respect for the position of leader (Pastor). While similar respect is seen in other organizations, in the church more people act out of an “S” personality type than any of the other three (using the DISC personalities descriptor). An “S” personality is people oriented but not the outgoing personality. An “S” personality is not likely to start a conversation with a stranger. This is not in their make-up of comfort. “S” personalities will carry on a conversation with you, but in most cases you need to initiate the conversation.

This behavior plays out in meetings in the church this way: If the pastor speaks first and gives his opinion most everyone in the room will concede, agree with the pastor and not make further comment. This is not healthy as someone else in the room may have a better option for accomplishing the task at hand. Also, it could be that the pastor has not by himself explored all possible avenues. We all act out of our own experience. If the pastor has not been exposed to a particular way of doing something, chances are he may not even think in that realm. Someone on the team, however, may have experienced or read of a different course of action and can bring that into the discussion. It may be that neither the pastor’s option nor the member’s option is the right one for this church. However, with an open discussion the team will have a much better opportunity of coming to a healthy outcome and solution that works for this particular congregation.

When the pastor or team leader speaks first, members will resign their thinking to the leader’s input. Not only allowing, but requesting and encouraging input from each team member leads to healthier outcomes through quality discussion. If you are a pastor or leader of a church ministry or committee, try soliciting suggestions from everyone in the room before you comment on the matter at hand. You will build a bonding team and get better working solutions that all team members buy into.

For more information on this topic or other leadership topics contact George Yates and visit SonC.A.R.E. Ministries.