Trying to appeal to everyone by playing from the mushy middle will make you less appealing in the long run because being a bore is less attractive. Leaders who try to lead from the mushy middle are never known for what they actually stand for, or against, and this generates contempt. It also makes your task more difficult because you spread yourself too thin by attempting to appeal to too many people. It’s a daunting task, not to mention impossible.
If you do not have a strong point of view, (such as a clear mission, vision, agenda, team direction, or strategy), folks will begin trying to pull your towards their passions or agenda. People will polarize around their preferences, and the more preferences there are on the table the more polarizations there will be that occur. That is a death knell for a church.
While it seems counter intuitive, a strong point of view actually develops unity. Sure, a specific mission makes plenty of people unhappy (and they will often leave because of it) but it also unifies those who remain because they are the ones who buy in. The right people will always rally around the right cause.
We think we can bring people together by trying to make everyone happy, but that tactic eventually leads to division.
The obvious example of taking a stand is Jesus who “set His face like a flint” (Luke 9:51) towards Jerusalem and the completion of His ministry. He was resolute and unflinching with purpose. Even His closest leaders had to be realigned to His strong point of view. The results of that determination are still shaping the world today.
If you do not have a strong point of view, (such as a clear mission, vision, agenda, team direction, or strategy), folks will begin trying to pull your towards their passions or agenda. People will polarize around their preferences, and the more preferences there are on the table the more polarizations there will be that occur. That is a death knell for a church.
While it seems counter intuitive, a strong point of view actually develops unity. Sure, a specific mission makes plenty of people unhappy (and they will often leave because of it) but it also unifies those who remain because they are the ones who buy in. The right people will always rally around the right cause.
We think we can bring people together by trying to make everyone happy, but that tactic eventually leads to division.
The obvious example of taking a stand is Jesus who “set His face like a flint” (Luke 9:51) towards Jerusalem and the completion of His ministry. He was resolute and unflinching with purpose. Even His closest leaders had to be realigned to His strong point of view. The results of that determination are still shaping the world today.
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