Managing Expectations of Leadership

What We Should Expect From Leaders In The Church

Yesterday, at our weekly prayer meeting—an event I wish more of you were attending! 😊—we spent time praying for our leaders, especially those who lead our nation. It was an emotional time for all of us.

As we prayed, I was reminded just how much a culture depends upon the faithfulness, morality, wisdom, and genuine care of those entrusted with leadership. Yet, when it comes to our civic leaders, our ability to hold them accountable is relatively limited. We exercise what influence we can through the voting booth, and, perhaps even more importantly, we bring them before God
in prayer.

But then my thoughts turned closer to home.

I began to put myself figuratively into the shoes of the congregation we call Grace Bible Church. As Christians, we live under an even greater calling. We represent Christ before a watching world. And those entrusted with leadership within Christ’s church bear an even greater responsibility—not only before the congregation, but ultimately before God Himself.

That realization caused me to ask an important question: What should you reasonably expect from those who lead you in the church?

As we, your elders, continue working to align Grace Bible Church—our leadership, ministries, priorities, and even the way we function—with God’s instructions in Scripture, perhaps a discussion like this can help all of us better understand what it really means to be a Bible-following church.

After all, calling ourselves a Bible church should mean more than having the word Bible on the sign.

It should describe who we are.

In Christ Together As One,
Jeff

So, let’s get into the marrow of this discussion on leadership in the church.

On one hand, Scripture places a remarkably high standard upon those who lead God’s people. Church leadership is not merely organizational. It is spiritual stewardship. Those who teach, shepherd, serve, counsel, oversee, or influence others carry a responsibility before God that should never be taken lightly.

On the other hand, churches can develop expectations of their leaders that Scripture never establishes.

Pastors and Elders are sometimes expected to be theologians, counselors, administrators, visionaries, worship leaders, conflict mediators, hospital chaplains, event planners, financial experts, motivational speakers, and mind-readers—all while being available twenty-four hours a day and somehow never becoming tired, discouraged, distracted, or human.

Volunteer ministry leaders can experience something similar. Once someone agrees to teach a class, lead worship, supervise a ministry, organize an event, serve as a deacon, lead a small group, or work with children or students, expectations can quickly multiply.

So perhaps we need to manage our expectations.

Not by lowering the biblical standard.

But by returning to it.

What does God actually expect from those who lead His church?

And what should we therefore expect from them?

Leadership Begins With Following

One of the simplest descriptions of Christian leadership comes from the Apostle Paul:

“Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.”— 1 Corinthians 11:1

That may be the essence of biblical leadership.

Before a Christian leader asks anyone to follow him or her, that leader must first be following Christ.

The first responsibility of every Christian leader is therefore not leading others well.

It is following Jesus well.

Hebrews 13:7 makes a similar point:

“Remember your leaders… Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

Notice what believers are told to examine.

Not merely their words.

Their way of life.

Biblical leadership is lived before it is spoken.

That means the first question we should ask about someone entrusted with leadership is not:

“Are they talented?”

“Are they charismatic?”

“Are they organized?”

“Can they attract people?”

The first question should be:

Is there something about this person’s walk with Christ that is worth following?

We Should Expect Character Before Competence

When Paul describes the qualifications of elders in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9, something remarkable becomes apparent.

Most of the qualifications concern character.

An elder is to be above reproach, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, faithful, gentle, spiritually mature, not quarrelsome, not greedy, and possessing a good reputation.

Paul certainly values competency. An elder must be “able to teach.”

But Scripture clearly refuses to separate gifting from godliness.

The same pattern appears when Paul describes deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8–13. They must be dignified, sincere, trustworthy, faithful, and tested.

God appears far more interested in who someone is becoming than merely in what that person can accomplish.

That should challenge the way churches sometimes choose leaders.

We can become enamored with talent.

Someone can sing beautifully.

Teach brilliantly.

Organize efficiently.

Speak persuasively.

Lead confidently.

But talent is not character.

And no amount of ability compensates for spiritual immaturity.

This principle should extend beyond elders and deacons as well.

Not every person who leads a ministry occupies a biblical office, but anyone who exercises meaningful influence within Christ’s church should increasingly demonstrate the character of Christ.

A gifted children’s teacher does not receive a character exemption because volunteers are difficult to find.

A talented worship leader does not receive permission to be divisive because the church needs musicians.

A ministry coordinator does not get to mistreat people because “things have to get done.”

Competence matters.

Character matters more.

We Should Expect Servants, Not Celebrities

Jesus completely overturned the world’s understanding of leadership.

He told His disciples:

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”— Mark 10:43

The world often associates leadership with position, recognition, authority, visibility, and power.

Jesus associated leadership with a towel.

When He washed His disciples’ feet in John 13, the One with the greatest authority in the room assumed the lowest position in the room.

That is Christian leadership.

The person who desires the title but avoids the towel has misunderstood the nature of leadership in the kingdom of God.

This is especially important when we think about volunteer leadership.

Some of the most important leaders in a church may never stand behind a pulpit.

They teach children.

Visit the homebound.

Prepare meals.

Lead Bible studies.

Mentor teenagers.

Organize ministries.

Run sound equipment.

Manage benevolence.

Welcome visitors.

Coordinate volunteers.

Pray faithfully for struggling families.

Much of the kingdom advances through people whose names rarely appear on a platform.

Their leadership may not look impressive from the stage.

But it may look enormously important from heaven.

We Should Expect Faithfulness

Paul writes:

“It is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”— 1 Corinthians 4:2

Faithfulness may be one of the least glamorous qualities in leadership.

It is also one of the most important.

Faithfulness means showing up.

Keeping commitments.

Following through.

Communicating.

Preparing.

Protecting confidences.

Handling resources responsibly.

Doing what we said we would do.

Being dependable when nobody is watching.

Sometimes churches unintentionally lower expectations by saying:

“Well, they’re only a volunteer.”

But volunteer only describes how someone is financially compensated.

It should never describe how seriously someone takes the ministry God has entrusted to them.

There certainly must be grace. Volunteers have jobs, families, illnesses, emergencies, vacations, changing seasons of life, and responsibilities outside the church.

Churches must never exploit willing servants.

But grace and faithfulness are not enemies.

When we accept responsibility for a ministry, we accept stewardship.

And stewardship matters to God.

We Should Expect Humility And Teachability

No leader gets everything right.

Pastors make mistakes.

Elders misunderstand situations.

Deacons make poor decisions.

Teachers occasionally explain something badly.

Ministry leaders sometimes choose the wrong approach.

The biblical question is not whether leaders will ever fail.

They will.

The more important question is:

What happens when they are corrected?

Peter tells believers:

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.”— 1 Peter 5:5

Healthy leaders must be able to say:

“I was wrong.”

“I need help.”

“I misunderstood.”

“Please forgive me.”

“I hadn’t considered that.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

A leader who cannot be corrected eventually becomes dangerous.

Authority without humility can quickly become control.

Confidence without teachability can become arrogance.

Leadership requires conviction, but conviction should never eliminate humility.

We Should Expect Leaders To Protect Unity

Paul repeatedly warns Christians about division.

Ephesians 4:3 calls believers to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace.”

Titus 3:10 warns against persistent divisiveness.

Romans 16:17 warns believers to watch for those who create divisions.

That means leaders should not be habitual gossipers, complainers, rumor-spreaders, faction-builders, or critics operating from the sidelines.

Leaders do more than accomplish tasks.

Leaders create culture.

If leaders complain constantly, complaining becomes normal.

If leaders gossip, gossip becomes acceptable.

If leaders criticize other ministries, factions begin to form.

If leaders demonstrate humility, generosity, encouragement, patience, prayer, and forgiveness, those qualities often begin reproducing themselves as well.

Every leader should periodically ask:

What kind of Christian culture is being created by the way I speak and behave?

We Should Expect Authority To Be Handled Carefully

Church leadership carries real authority.

But it is never ownership.

Peter instructs elders:

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you… not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”
— 1 Peter 5:2–3

A pastor has authority.

Elders have authority.

Deacons may be entrusted with areas of authority and responsibility.

Ministry leaders exercise authority within the ministries placed under their care.

But every ounce of that authority is borrowed.

The church belongs to Jesus Christ.

Not the pastor.

Not the elders.

Not the founding family.

Not the longest-tenured members.

Not the loudest voices.

Not the biggest donors.

Not the ministry leader.

Jesus said: “I will build my church.”— Matthew 16:18

Healthy leadership therefore uses authority to serve, protect, equip, encourage, correct, and build up God’s people.

It never uses authority merely to control them.

We Should Expect Leaders To Develop Other Leaders

Ephesians 4:11–12 tells us that Christ gave leaders to the church:

“to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”

That means leadership is not supposed to collect ministry.

Leadership should multiply ministers.

A healthy leader does not constantly communicate:

“You need me.”

A healthy leader increasingly communicates:

“Let me help equip you.”

A good children’s ministry leader develops teachers.

A good worship leader develops musicians.

A good deacon develops servants.

A faithful elder develops disciples and future shepherds.

A healthy pastor does not make the congregation increasingly dependent upon himself.

He helps the congregation become increasingly dependent upon Christ.

One measure of leadership effectiveness should therefore be:

Who is growing because I am leading?

We Should Expect Accountability

Leadership is not privilege without responsibility.

In Scripture, greater influence often means greater accountability.

James writes:

“Not many of you should become teachers… for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”— James 3:1

Hebrews says that church leaders:

“are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”— Hebrews 13:17

Those words should sober anyone entrusted with spiritual leadership.

Leaders will answer to congregations in various ways.

They may answer to elders.

But ultimately every Christian leader answers to Christ.

That is why ministry should never become casual simply because someone is unpaid.

If someone is entrusted with children, finances, teaching, confidential information, pastoral care, vulnerable people, or spiritual influence, that responsibility is sacred.

But We Must Also Manage What We Expect From Leaders

There is another side to this conversation.

Biblical leaders should meet biblical expectations.

They should not be required to meet expectations God never established.

Your pastor is not omnipresent.

Your elders are not omniscient.

Your deacons cannot see every need.

Your ministry leaders cannot satisfy every preference.

They are human beings.

They become tired.

They occasionally miss something.

They have families.

They need Sabbath.

They need prayer.

They need encouragement.

They need forgiveness.

They need grace.

Even Jesus withdrew from crowds to pray.

Even Paul asked churches to pray for him.

We should therefore be very careful not to place expectations upon leaders that we ourselves could never carry.

There is a difference between accountability and perfectionism.

Biblical accountability asks:

“Is this leader faithfully following Christ?”

Unhealthy perfectionism asks:

“Why didn’t this leader do everything the way I wanted?”

Those are very different standards.

Leaders Should Also Be Able To Expect Something From Us

Scripture does not merely tell us what to expect from leaders.

It tells us how to respond to them.

Paul writes:

“Respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord… and esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13

Hebrews tells believers to remember faithful leaders and imitate their faith.

Paul tells Timothy not to entertain careless accusations against elders.

Churches are repeatedly instructed to pray, serve, encourage, forgive, submit appropriately, and work together.

The relationship between leaders and congregations was never meant to resemble a customer-service arrangement.

The church is a body.

A family.

A household.

A flock.

A people serving together under ONE Shepherd.

Leadership works best when leaders ask:

How can I faithfully serve these people?

And the congregation asks:

How can we faithfully serve Christ together?

A Life Worth Following

Perhaps the clearest biblical expectation of every Christian leader is simply this:

Live a life worth following.

If you are an elder, shepherd faithfully.

If you are a deacon, serve faithfully.

If you teach children, teach faithfully.

If you lead worship, lead faithfully.

If you oversee a ministry, lead faithfully.

If someone looks to you for spiritual direction, recognize the sacred privilege God has placed in your hands.

And if you are part of the congregation, pray for those who lead you.

Encourage them.

Pray for them regularly.

Hold them accountable biblically.

Extend grace generously.

Serve beside them.

The church does not primarily need more impressive leaders.

It needs more Christlike ones.

Men and women whose character is trustworthy, whose service is humble, whose doctrine is sound, whose commitments are dependable, whose authority is handled carefully, and whose lives quietly say what Paul was bold enough to say:

“Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.”

That is a reasonable expectation.

And it is a standard worthy of the church of Jesus Christ—known humbly as Grace Bible.