I have read a lot of articles and blog posts about dealing with volunteer leaders in the past few years, and as you know they can be a great part of the pastoral gig or a burden and challenge. You work so hard to make sure that expectations around lifestyle and conduct are clear, understood and an upheld and for the most part leaders honor and uphold this agreement. But from time to time, something happens, where all your best preparations could not prevent, and one of your team violates the agreed leadership covenant and action needs to be taken. There is so much that needs to happen around this but for this, lets focus on following through and following up with your leader.
Follow Through: If we have a leadership covenant with clear expectations and consequences, it will be worthless if we are unwilling to do the tough and messy job of upholding that which we have expressed as the standard. If someone breaks the covenant to the point that the painful task of removing them is necessary, we would be poor leaders if we were not willing to engage the difficult process of removal. Though there is pain and sadness is following through on this, the reality of not doing it could have much more dire consequences to our leadership when we are not willing to take a stand for something that is obvious. We owe it to our team to act in grace and forgiveness, but to be firm when needed.
Follow-up: This is the hard part and something I have done poorly in the past. Asking a leader to step down or removing them is tough and made tougher knowing that the process of restoration is likely to take a season. If it were like firing an employee that you never saw again it would be easier, but the reality in ministry that the process of restoration can be long, difficult and necessary. Our leaders commitment to mentor and growing our students should be a reflection of our commitment to mentor, grow our leaders even through the tough stuff. The Follow-up process should come from a heart of forgiveness and guidance to help your leader see what led to what happened and help them focus on restoration.
This is the stuff in Ministry that is not easy or enjoyable to deal with but is a necessary part of being a Pastor. God never gives up on us, even when we don’t honor commitments we made to Him. We have the opportunity to live that out through our leadership, when we make tough calls and choose to forgive and love in the midst of painful but necessary decisions. If we commit to our leaders, we need to be committing to the good times and bad and be a leader in all seasons.
