People will not follow you long term if they do not like you.
Seriously, it doesn’t really matter how much you pay someone…you just can’t pay people enough to like you!!! Eventually, if you are not a leader who doesn't care about people they will leave (for a lesser salary) to go and work for someone who they do like.
However, your main obsession as a church leader should not be to be LIKED but rather to be LOYAL to the One who has called, chosen and equipped you for ministry.
The good news is that one does not have to be sacrificed for the other…
You do not have to become a people pleaser and turn your back on God.
And you do not have to be a ruthless, manipulative dictator because you are “honoring God’s call on your life!”
One of the things I’m personally discovering as a leader is…
The closer I walk with Jesus the more I love and care about people…and the more people understand that I care WAY MORE about WHO THEY ARE BECOMING than what they are actually doing then they are way more likely to buy into me as a leader—which is important because people buy into a leader WAY before they buy into what he/she is leading.
(Leaders, don’t FREAK OUT when you read this!!! If a person is becoming more like Jesus, they will naturally do their best work…but if they are so immersed in doing work that they aren’t becoming more like Christ then you are in trouble. Most likely you are driving them out of fear and insecurity rather than leading them out of love and genuine concern!)
So, saying all of this—what is it that every leader needs to know?
Simple: Loving Jesus = loving people NOT using them!
Leaders that have positive long term impact are the ones who care way more about others than they do themselves.
I cannot be a leader who honors God and His call on my life if I do not love the people who He has called and equipped to work with me.