Pastors and ministry leaders are a peculiar bunch. They are willing to sacrifice everything – careers, possessions, family, friends, a normal life – all to pursue the calling that God has placed on their hearts. This calling – this passion – flows through their veins with every beat of their hearts, increasing their longing to reach the goal. When hard times come, they press hard instead of giving up. When good times are upon them, they give all of the honor and glory to God rather than themselves.

Their lives are full of faith and perseverance. However, as time passes and the attention shifts from excitement for the vision to more mundane things, many leaders begin to change in character, forgetting past perspectives and trading them for “more seasoned” ideas of what ministry life consists of. These ideas are sometimes borrowed from other leaders. Sometimes, they come as a result of the hardships that they have endured to keep the vision alive. Still, other times, these ways of thought are misperceptions and lack of alertness, causing them to fall into errant attitudes that form the perfect breeding ground for pride, envy, and deceit.

These are the attitudes that prevent unity within the Body of Christ. They also imprison the members of the church or ministry, introducing intimidation, presumption, and feelings of inferiority. The church becomes a dictatorship lead by leaders who have forgotten what it is like to serve. God continues to bless the church, not for the heart of the leaders, but for the humility, servant hood, and commitment of the people.

PITFALL #1: DICTATOR COMPLEX

This attitude, though disguised as a theocratic, or God-lead, attitude is characterized by an expression of unquestionable, absolute authority and correctness in the life of the ministry and those within the ministry. Many times, leaders within this perspective are sociable and well-respected, but ruthless when expressing themselves to those in their close circles. They will go as far as to insult and degrade individuals for the sake of preserving the mission.

This pitfall can cause deep resentment throughout a ministry. Ministry members begin to feel worthless and dispensable, constantly unable to meet the leader’s expectations. They understand that one error could erase years worth of victories. Respect is not present, nor the proper perspective of God’s calling on the lives of each individual within the ministry.

PITFALL#2: SUPERSTAR COMPLEX

The vision was once about people. Now, it seems that this leader has found that ministry is all about “who you know” and “where you go”. Superstars tend to gather together, forming what I refer to as “Dream Teams”. These associations are wonderful fellowshipping circles, even for non-superstar ministers. But, they tend to exclude more than include. The Superstar Minister is concerned with the next big event and loves to drop names whenever possible.

The same impresses this type of person. Don’t expect them for your small church event, but certainly call them when Billy Graham is in town. This pitfall short-circuits the Body, creating a popularity contest rather than a community of faith. Usually, groups of these individuals share a circle of funding and resources that are later extended to ministries that are outside the circle in order to appear as if they support unity. But, the truth is that Superstars see others as nothing more than a vehicle to accomplish their own goals.

PITFALL#3: SURVIVAL COMPLEX

The Survival Minister is weighed down with the problems and struggles of the ministry, particularly in the area of finance. They are concerned by the uncertain future of their ministry and spend hours stressing and deciding between quitting altogether and doing anything morally possible to find income for the ministry. Usually this type of a minister is found in smaller churches, though they do exist within larger churches, especially when under financial pressure.

When the numbers are back in the positive, all stress seems to disappear, and the minister may become slightly cocky. But, as soon as the vice tightens, back into survival mode he goes Lack of certainty is at work here. Some would refer to that as a lack of faith. I believe that many times it is not so much that the minister is lacking faith, but courage – plain old guts. It takes many elements to pursue a vision through the good and the bad – faith, strength, courage, endurance, discipline, humility, wisdom, and many others. When times get rough, they seem to lose clarity and focus. They question their calling, ability to hear from God, and the perception of ministry. They ultimately question God Himself.

STAYING TRUE TO GOD’S CHARACTER

The purpose of ministry is to express elements of God’s character through human hands and lips. It is a real challenge to do that when you have not subscribed to those elements yourself. Constantly metering and inspecting your motives and expressions will help you to avoid these and other pitfalls that many minister leaders fall into. We are human, no doubt. But, God does not ever use our humanity as an excuse for pride, arrogance, faithlessness, fear, or ambition. As we strip away our own attitudes and perspectives, we gain the mind of Christ – thought by thought. When we remember the unadulterated vision as God first gave it to us, we return to what He wants, which is for us to obey and watch as He glorifies Himself. In that process we are lifted up, provided for, and filled with love.