Over the last decades there has been a drive to raise up new leaders and fuel growth in the church. This of course is a good thing. It’s good to be creating systems, it’s good to be empowering others and it’s good to be expanding our capacity.
As churches grow in leadership, they start to notice that many other metrics start to grow. Finance goes up as people get ownership and start giving. Increased energy and serving makes the church a great place to be.
But what happens when the drive to raise up leaders becomes insatiable? What happens when a church becomes obsessed with leadership and growth. This is what I call the Leadership Factory model.
We move from names to numbers and from loving people to performative ministry.
Now it’s not like anyone goes into ministry with this goal (I hope). But left unchecked, the idea that growth is always good can run into dangerous territory. Ironically cultures that are too focused on activating others in the church end up destroying the very thing they seek to build – people.
Some loose definitions for us to start:
Leadership. A great quality for human beings which looks like serving others, setting a good example, carrying responsibility, casting vision and so on.
The Leadership Factory. A popular model for church planting and church growth often seen in fast-growing or large churches that make their entire personality the building and implementation of pipelines and systems that manufacture leaders.
This topic is close to heart because 5 years ago the church I was a part of (and leading a location of) imploded for a variety of not good reasons. I’d been a part of this church for 13 years and had been fully immersed in a way of thinking about leadership that very much fit this factory model.
It’s important for me to say that this church had actually produced a lot of good, in me and in many others around me. I’d been given opportunities to grow and develop as a leader that I’m very grateful for.
But in my quest to understand what went wrong, I began to see that despite all of the positives that come from an emphasis on leadership, there were also some huge glaring negatives. This was not just in one particular person but in a whole culture and way of doing church.
You see, I was one of the lucky ones. I survived. I made it through. But many didn’t. Some lost their faith entirely. Some kept loving Jesus but suffered such hurt in the church that they’re still not back. Others burnt out, lost marriages and plenty more. It is my conviction that the leadership factory model will inevitably always damage people. And even in churches where there is not yet an obvious scandal or drama, there is often a story behind the scenes that no one is yet brave enough to tell.
Why no one notices what’s happening
Whenever there is a conference or event and there is a speaker (usually from a fast-growing or large church), they are all too often quick to point at the numbers of success. And of course numbers do represent something. As a church leader, naturally I want our church to grow and increase in kingdom impact. I have nothing against large churches in principle.
The problem is that the numbers only tell part of the story. Churches that are fast-growing are of course adding many members. But it’s also possible to grow very fast whilst experiencing high levels of attrition (people leaving the church). This is the reality in many churches but it’s not often talked about. Even when the numbers appear healthy, there may be something wrong in the culture that is being masked.
Looking back at my time at my old church, I can see that we always struggled with attrition. But because we were putting so much energy into growing the church, we didn’t notice what was happening. But one by one, people saw the issues in the culture and gradually faded away or dropped off.
At the time this was explained away by the senior leadership by simply badmouthing the people who left. They weren’t cut out for ministry. They had a critical spirit. They were struggling with sin. They’ve compromised etc.
Now I realise that many of these people just saw something I didn’t see at the time. And when their voice wasn’t heard, they quietly left. Some were less quiet of course and ultimately it was the chorus of wronged voices that could no longer be silenced that brought an end to it all.
I was at a recent event where the speaker was explaining their model for church growth and leadership development. And it was an exact match for this culture I’ve described as the Leadership Factory model. I also knew (because I’m nosy) that this church had suffered a huge drama a number of years ago and half the congregation left. And yet this was not even mentioned as a learning point. It was just back to business as usual. It would be wise for us to pay attention to the signs and correct course.
In my reflections as to what happened in our own context, I began to realise that this same model has been implemented in many many churches and very frequently there are huge problems.
So why am I writing this?
I think there’s something fundamentally wrong with this model and yet it is largely heralded as a success story. Church planters are taught it. Megachurches often embrace it. Smaller churches may also be tempted to lean into it. But I know what’s on the other side because I’ve experienced the fruit of it for myself. And in the last years as we have replanted as Reflect Church, we have been grateful for the opportunity to repent and move into a different direction.
Leadership is good and so are systems
Let me be clear and say that the problem isn’t leadership or leaders. And the problem isn’t having systems that produce leaders (or systems at all). The problem isn’t large churches either. The problem is a tunnel vision around what the church should be doing. If producing leaders becomes too much of a focus, it creates an unhealthy culture that damages people and often provides cover for spiritual abuse.
So what does this look like? Let’s break down some of the characteristics and experiences of churches that embrace the Leadership Factory model.
1. An overemphasis of leaders and leadership
Here’s how the spiel goes.
- The first person you’re supposed to lead is yourself.
- You’re supposed to lead others.
- Leading others looks like taking on responsibility within the church and populating the church discipleship (leadership) pipeline.
- This is the definition of being a good follower of Jesus.
There’s a huge amount wrong with this as we move past step 2. Not because taking ownership of your life is bad but because of the confusion around where your place of impact should be. Clearly not all of us are called to be leaders in the church. If everyone leads in the church, then who is going to lead out there in the world? We’re called to fill the earth (not just fill the church) and that looks like influence in society.
When all of our energy goes internally into the church, there’s little left for anywhere else.
Interestingly enough, this process may have worked fantastically for people like me who were actually called to lead a church. This gives us a blind spot as to how it doesn’t serve others. The narrow (thus incorrect) definition of discipleship and leadership means that people start to feel undervalued in the rest of their daily lives such as their place of work, family and so on. This is often in contrast with the huge celebration that comes when they are present to lead in the church. This creates a lopsided world that neglects many other things that are clearly important to God.
2. A self-serving culture that protects the system
As a leader, you are taught the culture of the house. You are taught to celebrate and appreciate the house and the leadership itself. This normally comes back to a single visionary leader or a couple who you are supposed to honour and obey. To disagree, question or challenge the leadership is gently (or sometimes strongly) implied to be sinful or critical.
If you’re told by those with spiritual authority that being a good follower of Jesus looks like doing whatever your leaders ask you to do then of course you’re going to want to do that. You follow the systems in place. You encourage others to step into leadership. You give your money, time and energy. You go above and beyond. And so it keeps growing. And this growth is taken as a sign that you’re in the right place and God is blessing it all.
(If you’re interested in finding out more about what the Bible actually says about giving today then you might like this article).
To be clear, I’m not saying we shouldn’t give any of those things to God and to the church. I’m simply saying that when we tell everyone that this is the only way then we are demonstrably pursuing self-interest. Our interest as leaders in the church growing (perhaps driven by our own insecurities) is at the expense of the fullness of Christ being expressed in the lives of our people.
This system of hyper honour ends up protecting itself. If it can never be challenged or questioned then something can be deeply wrong and no one will know until it’s too late. And that’s what exactly happened for us in 2020.
(For more reflections about honour culture, you might like this blog post on the problem with honour culture)
3. A two-tier system for believers
The overemphasis of leadership forces believers in the church to choose which camp they will be in. The people who are all in and leading, or those who are not cut out for leadership. In my 20s I had a lot more mobility and free time which meant I was able to give significant energy to the church. We were often celebrated publicly and used as examples of emerging leaders. But as we had kids and our life season changed, it became increasingly difficult and started to create tension for our family.
Faced with this very real pressure, many believers naturally ease off on their commitments to the church so that they can instead focus on the increase of work responsibility or raise their children. But when your spiritual leaders overemphasise leadership in the church, it’s very hard to not feel like you’re second rate or doing a bad job. Others are being promoted and celebrated, and you’re being ignored or even reprimanded.
Interestingly enough the Leadership Factory model actually celebrates and even names this false duality of Christendom. Concepts like ‘The Premier League’ or ‘The 20%’ are lauded by leaders and used to manipulate people into doing more. Whilst this upper tier of mobile believers are empowered and celebrated, many who don’t feel hurt and ostracised. And for everyone over the years who may have felt like that, I want to say sorry.
The subtle and implied ask of the Leadership Factory is for people to sacrifice their children, their marriage, their work, their hobbies and their joy on the altar of a particular brand of church. We might argue that it’s never explicitly said like this. But it is very often implied in a myriad ways and received as such by those who attend such churches.
4. An unhealthy desire for position
When leadership is celebrated as the gold standard, position becomes paramount. It’s common that those higher up the chain get access to all sorts of perks such as green rooms, opportunities to speak or travel and other luxuries.
This is seen not as a quirk in the system but a feature and reward for a good leader. The greater the burden of leading, the greater the need for celebration. Even within the whole team of leadership, there are often different levels of power and prestige. This is designed to motivate others to keep sacrificing and giving.
This plays on the insecurities of many young leaders with a desire to be noticed, to be special or to simply to belong. And in an environment where many have overcommitted to the church (and are therefore not earning a lot financially), these perks and incentives become even more manipulative.
If you’re thinking this sounds like a pyramid scheme then you’re probably not too far off.
So what’s the alternative for how we approach church? Here are some things to consider.
1. Names not numbers.
It’s good to keep track of basic stats but it’s even better to know names. The reality is that when the church grows too fast, you can’t actually love people well. The church is ultimately not a factory system but a series of relationships. And it takes time to build relationships. Going slower will mean you grow slower but more people will come with you on the journey.
2. Redefining success.
Is the goal to be a big church? Or for everyone to know our name? Or is the goal to love others and teach people to be like Jesus. Growth is a good thing when it comes naturally. But when we manufacture it, we end up striving. This striving is the very thing that puts immense pressure on us as leaders and robs us of rest.
3. Proper use of power.
Leadership is a form of power and we would be wise to pay attention to it. We should use our power not to increase our own platform but to truly serve others. Serving can have mixed motives and just like the person who feeds the homeless for likes on Instagram, we should be wary of our own sinful desire to be seen and honoured.
For more about understanding power dynamics as a leader, you might like to read this article.
4. Celebration of true kingdom diversity.
Everyone is in a different life season. Everyone has different gifts. Everyone has a different experience of life. Pipelines and programmes have their place in the church but we must be careful to build them in ways that don’t become restrictive or exclusive. Let’s celebrate those called to the workplace. And those called to the family. The church is not just the gathering, it’s also in the scattering.
Conclusion
There is a place for strong leadership giftings and systems that help the church grow. But let’s not forget that Jesus has promised that he himself will be the one to build his church. Paul refers to all sorts of mighty strategy (including supernatural power) in 1 Corinthians 13 but then reminds us that without love, it’s all for nothing.
I’ll leave you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’