I talk often about identity. Your core. Who you are. Just look around the blog.

I want to move one layer out from core identity to the next layer and apply it to pastoring (or any spiritual leadership).

I’ll go first.

I am God’s worthy son. That is the core of who I am. You may express your core with a slightly different nuance but the chief idea is that your identity (who you are) is separate from your mission (what you do).

A lot of spiritual leaders live an existence where they are not able to chunk these and process their life in a healthy way. Their identity is often wrapped up in their mission.

One of the clearest ways you can recognize this happening in the church world: the role of pastoring has moved from a family metaphor to a business metaphor.

I know as a pastor I have to operate or delegate with a certain level of business proficiency. (I have led in capital campaigns totaling millions of dollars.) But the metaphor of a parent should trump the metaphor of CEO for spiritual leadership.

What this means:

• You lead the staff like a family NOT like an organization. Yes this is messier. But healthier and better. I’ve led multiple staff teams. I’ve led paid and volunteer staff. Part-time and full-time. The family style of leadership is best.
• You lead the church like a family NOT like an organization. You might put off the building campaign if you ask this question: What’s the best decision to bless the church? (That question completely changed how we launched Discovery Church.) As a pastor I should challenge our church to step out. I should also comfort them. A generation ago pastors overwhelmingly comforted the church. Now the pendulum has swung the other way. Somedays each tweet can be a contest to see who can push harder.

Leading the church as a family doesn’t mean you have to be naive as a leader. We are to be cunning as a serpent and harmless as a dove. Think of a healthy father or mother. They will be relationally savvy and strategic. But they will lead their “family” to do what’s best for the “family”.

The future leaders of the church will learn to lead from who they are. They will not succumb to the pressure of others to “prove” their leadership by running in a business role. The church will return back to the family metaphor for spiritual leadership. It’s in the Bible

Comment away…