You Can’t Please Everyone, But Who Do You Please?

By Greg Wiens

Yesterday, I read an article of a church that went from 150 to 6500 in weekend attendance since 2002. I do not intend to criticize nor applaud the church (I know there is a story behind this that we are not aware of), but I have to confess that, as I read this I felt pretty inadequate. I thought to myself: “If this 27 year old leader could do such, why aren’t you doing more Greg?” I continuously try to grow in my ability to lead and in my effectiveness for the Kingdom of God; but there is always more to do. Have you ever felt like this?

Sometimes I hear a negative comment that has been made about me. Perhaps, someone didn’t like a decision that I made or the way I acted in a certain context. It can be hard to lead in the face of criticism, especially when it is behind your back. It is often hard at these times to be obedient to your call as a leader.

One thing I have learned about leadership is that I will never please everyone. God has called us to a unique role and we must be willing to be criticized by others as we pursue his call. If we are paralyzed by the fear of inadequacy or by the criticism of others we will never fulfill the call of God on our lives.

Having said that, there is a fine balance to be sought between accountability and calling. I am accountable to the Elders, for my leadership of Florida Church of God Ministries. I must listen to their criticism and change accordingly. So, it is not like as leaders we must be impervious to criticism. It is a matter of where this criticism is coming from.

This is why I recommend a governance board for protection and accountability. The Board speaks into your life as far as mission, finances and personal matters are concerned. My responsibility is to listen to them and change accordingly. However, they are also there to protect me from the criticism of others. I can be free to lead as God has called me to do under their covering. Elders are great at being interdependent thinkers. They work together for the organization’s good (and therefore my good).

I find comfort in knowing that the criticism of others or my own sense of inadequacy can be measured by the Elder’s careful and watchful eyes. I have never operated under such accountability yet encouragement. If you have never experienced this kind of protection and would like to I would suggest you read John Kaiser’s book, Winning on Purpose. Someone from our team can even visit and talk with your board about implementing this in your church. With this accountability, you can be wonderfully free to impact the Kingdom.