Common sense in pastoral leadership

Emotional Intelligence is one of the fields of research that currently is being applied to pastoral leadership. I think it holds great promise to effective pastoral leadership because the nature of leadership in the (systemic) context of congregations is more about understanding emotional fields than about anything else typically associated with what constitutes “leadership” (management skills, education, intellect, good looks, personality style, etc.). But I think in many cases, “common sense” may be as valuable an asset for the leaders as a high score on any emotional intelligence inventory.

Here are some common sense factors that too many congregational leaders, whether pastors or staff, seem to not “get”:

• Visit in the homes of your members
• Accept people where they are
• Be sensitive to the problems and realities of “lay” members who live in a “secular” world
• Learn when to speak and when to keep your mouth shut
• Be tactful
• Greet people when they are in church
• Never take sides in personal issues between members. Ever.
• Be responsible in keeping confidences, but don’t get caught in the “bind of confidentiality”
• Listen to your critics—they are not always 100% wrong
• Apologize when you know you’re in the wrong
• Visit your members in the hospital and those who are shut-ins
• Be present with family members when someone in the family is in surgery
• Be a responsible steward of your money—including your financial giving to the church
• As often as possible, express genuine appreciation and encouragement to members and staff.

If those sound rather basic and self-evident it’s because they are. Anyone with “common sense” will do those things. But that’s the point: more pastors and staff lose their effectiveness in ministry (and not too few have lost a congregation) by lacking the common sense to do those things.