Surviving and Thriving in Church Politics

Beware the people who meet you at the airport.”

I’m not sure where we first heard this phrase in our ministry lives, but that advice from others who have walked the ministry leadership road before us has given my husband and me pause over the years. The premise of this statement is that the people who first meet you when you are visiting a church that is considering you as their pastor are usually the ones who are most invested in the ministry. These are also most likely the ones who have the greatest desire to influence the church, and thus you, as the possible new leaders of the church. 

There is no question that as humans we all desire to exert influence over one another. This is not always a bad thing. For example, parents exert their authority over their children to influence their behavior and character. These are God-given rights and responsibilities. The desire to bring about positive change in another through friendship or counseling or medical help—all of those things can be good, too.

So, why is it that so much power and influence in the church end up having negative effects?

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About Wendy McCready

Wendy lives in Alma, Ontario, Canada with her husband Mark and two daughters where Mark has been the senior pastor of Alma Bible Church since the summer of 2010. Together they have served for over 15 years in rural and small-town ministry. Their previous small-town pastoral work included a church in the mountains of Colorado while Mark was in seminary, and then in northern Ontario “cottage” country upon graduation. Wendy works as an Educational Assistant in the local schools where she enjoys making community connections in order to share Christ and helping children with special challenges learn new things. She also enjoys participating in music ministry in their church and hosting people in their home.

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