Making Tough Decisions

In my first year as a church planter, a wealthy couple (I’ll call them the Smiths) signed on early and indicated they were excited about the vision for our new church. Their two adult children joined the church as well. They were generous with their time and money and supportive of me personally. About six months after their arrival, they made a sizeable pledge toward constructing our first facility. In fact, their pledge was so large that we could break ground almost immediately. This was a huge blessing because the public school where we launched the church had given us a four-year lease with no extensions. I could hardly believe how quickly things were moving forward and was filled with gratitude. Their generosity seemed too good to be true, and ultimately… it was.

When the time came to form a building team, I asked Mr. Smith if he would serve, and he gladly accepted. Once the other team members were recruited, we introduced them to the congregation and commissioned them to complete the task. Later that week, Mr. Smith called and asked if I would come by for coffee the following Sunday evening. My wife and I went together, and, after some small talk, the Smiths said they had some concerns. They wanted to know why I had not invited Mrs. Smith and their adult children to serve on the building team. When I explained that I wanted a cross-section of the congregation to be represented on the nine-member team, they were not satisfied with my answer. They maintained that since they were giving most of the money, they should have the greatest representation. When I disagreed, they made clear that unless the composition of the team was changed, they would withhold their pledge and look for another place to worship.

It was decision time. Should I consent to their demand, or should I stand firm? In retrospect, it looks like a no-brainer, but at the time, it wasn’t. I was a young pastor with minimal experience. The clock was ticking on our school lease, and there were no other options for worship space in the community. I was fearful that without their pledge, we wouldn’t get our facility built in time. I was concerned about how the congregation would respond to whatever decision I made. I was feeling a little pressure from denominational officials to get something going. All of these realities made the decision a difficult one. The last thing I wanted to do was crash the church before it even got off the ground.

As I faced this decision, these thoughts and more flashed through my mind, but one thought stood out from the rest. One of my mentors, Dr. Dale Galloway, used to say, “Never surrender your leadership.” The first time I heard him say that, I thought it was somewhat egotistical, but in this situation, I clearly saw the inherent wisdom. As the leader of the church, I was responsible for its health and well-being in every respect: spiritually, organizationally, financially, etc. This responsibility was a matter of personal integrity, not ego. Therefore, I had to make decisions that were good for the church as a whole and not on the basis of personal preference. The responsibility of leadership was not something I was free to give away. It was mine until those in authority over me determined it was not.

I saw clearly that giving in to the Smith’s selfish demands would be a surrender of my leadership and a loss of my integrity. I could not allow the short-term provision of dollars (given with strings) to impact the long-term health of the church. Proverbs 28:6 says, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” If I refused the Smith’s offer, the church would be poorer financially but rich in integrity. As a result, I told them I could not consent to their desires, and they followed through on their threat to leave. The next few years were not as easy as they might have been, and many sacrifices were necessary to build the church on time. But, ultimately, the church was healthier because I did not sacrifice my leadership responsibility or integrity.

Ask yourself this:

How do you interpret the admonition, “Never surrender your leadership”?
How is it connected to our integrity?
What are some situations you have been tempted to do just that?
What gave you the strength to do the right thing?