The Powerful Influence of Lay Leaders

by Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

Influence.

Underestimating their influence.

This is the classic mistake of disciples in churches who find themselves in formal and informal leadership roles. Of course it’s totally innocent, with no ill will involved. It’s just that they don’t recognize the power of their influence.

But trust me, when formal and informal lay leaders embrace their roles and find their voices, their influence is powerful in the life of their churches. How do we know this?

Absence and presence. First, when their voices are absent, when they do not exercise the leadership inherent in their roles, the leadership void is obvious. This is when pastors and church staff people find themselves alone in church leadership. Perhaps their church is launching a large transformation or change effort of some kind, needing a unified voice to encourage the congregation to persevere through the discomfort of change. When the lay leaders are silent, the likelihood of success drops dramatically. When the lay leaders don’t lead, the pastor and church staff are out there on the leadership limb all by themselves, vulnerable to being cut off. When lay leaders go mute, major initiatives in their churches are unlikely to gain much traction.

Second, when lay leaders find their voices and exercise their leadership, the church breathes a sigh of relief. Pastors and staff are so relieved they are not putting themselves out there, all alone. They are encouraged, recognizing the initiatives they are pursuing are far more likely to succeed. The other disciples in the church are also relieved, recognizing this initiative is not a whim or impulsive idea the pastor heard at the most recent training event. When the lay leaders exercise their influence, they function as legitimizers with the rest of the congregation.

Ultimately, they will never know.

They will never know how much conflict they prevented by claiming their leadership roles and exercising their influence. This happens in two ways. First when they join their pastor and staff in leading transformation, this in itself prevents potential conflict. The church settles, recognizing their leadership is united when it comes to moving forward. Second, lay leaders prevent conflict when they directly respond to criticisms regarding change rather than passively listening. “No, our pastor is not misguided. This is exactly what we need our pastor doing, given our focus on renewing our church and connecting with our community.” More specifically, I was delighted when a pastor shared that a lay leader in their church responded to a criticism of the pastor with, “No, our pastor is not visiting our current members as much as before, that’s true. And it’s exactly what we asked our pastor to do, since we are trying to build bridges with our community and especially the unchurched.” This pastor knows the lay leaders have his back. When it comes to transformation, growth, and change, lay leaders will never know how much conflict they prevented by simply finding their voices, using their influence for mission-congruent progress.

As we go about our work with churches here and there, it’s clear to us that a church is a COMMUNITY of faith. When lay leaders accept their callings, embracing their role as leaders, their influence speaks. So move over E.F. Hutton. When lay leaders speak, we listen.