Church Leadership Quotes

There is nothing worse for a young convert than to be thrust into leadership without mentoring and ongoing coaching because the devil relishes these vulnerable souls. ~ Gary Rohrmayer

All relationship systems become anxious. People put together and inevitably anxiety will arise. Anxiety can be infectious. We can give it to others or catch it from them. What precisely triggers anxiety is unique to each system. Common Activators are significant changes and losses. They upset the stable patterns and balance of the system. ~ Peter L. Steinke

We just planted our 21st church. ~ Johnny Hunt

It's important to remember that having a conversation about us (LGBT) without us will usually be a recycling or preconceived ideas and misconceptions.
Can you imagine a group of male church leaders discussing the role of women in the church without females present. We would call that misogyny. Or church leadership discussing indigenous issues without ever consulting with indigenous people themselves to get insight into what their life experience is really all about. We would call that white supremacy/racism/elitism. The church has done a great deal of talking about us but rarely has spoken with us. So when church leaders discuss LGBT people, relationships and the community without speaking with or spending time getting to know LGBT people it does beg the question why. What is there to fear? Why the exclusion? Is this another evidence of homophobia?
It's time for the church to invite LGBT people into the conversation. For some this is a conversation about their thoughts and beliefs but for us it is about who we are. You can ask questions. What was it like to sit in church and hear the word abomination to describe your orientation. What was it like to get to the point of coming out knowing you might be rejected by those you've loved and a church you've served.? How did you find resolution of your Christian beliefs and your sexuality? In listening you will learn.
That's why it's so important to remember. No conversation about us, without us. ~ Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Prepare yourself, Church, to be a carrier of the Glory of God in these later days. ~ Dr Paul Gitwaza

As a pastor, I do not speak for my community. I speak from it. ~ Jamie Arpin-Ricci

Over the years, I have studied church history as well as the contemporary church, and I noticed how rare it is for a God-glorifying transition of leadership to take place in a local church. ~ C.J. Mahaney

We take in more a week now than we did in two years when I first came to the church. ~ Johnny Hunt

Your outlook affects your outcome ~ John Paul Warren

I wonder what really goes on in the minds of Church leadership who know of the data concerning the Book of Abraham, the new data on the First Vision, etc ... It would tend to devastate the Church if a top leader were to announce the facts. ~ Thomas Ferguson

As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people in process; a place where the curious,the unconvinced, the sceptical, the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out come together around Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. ~ Andy Stanley

If you want your ministry to have 'it', more important than anything else we've discussed, you must have 'it'. When it has filtered through your heart - the rare combination of passion, integrity, focus, faith, expectation, drive, hunger, and God's anointing - God tends to infuse your ministry with 'it'. He blesses your work. People are changed. Leaders grow. Resources flow. The ministry seems to take on a life of its own. ~ Craig Groeschel

When a human body is out of balance we call that disease ... Likewise, when the body of Christ becomes unbalanced, disease occurs ... Health will occur only when everything is brought back into balance. The task of church leadership is to discover and remove growth-restricting diseases and barriers so that natural, normal growth can occur. ~ Rick Warren

Father, help me focus on my strengths and trust others to fill the gaps of my weaknesses"

Every leader knows the skills in which they excel. They also are aware of those tasks that they maintain a certain level of competence along with those duties they struggle in accomplishing. In my experience there are "want to's" and the "have to's" of leadership. The "want to's" energize a leader and the "have to's" zap the leader's creativity and time. The quicker a leader can find those around them that will fill the gaps of their weaknesses, the more effective they will be in achieving God's mission. ~ Gary Rohrmayer

The prayer level of a church never rises any higher than the personal example and passion of the leaders. The quantity and quality of prayer in leadership meetings is the essential indicator of the amount of prayer that will eventually arise among the congregation. ~ Daniel Henderson

The fear of offense is a really small price to pay for freedom. ~ Andrena Sawyer

There is a long and well-documented tradition of wisdom in the Christian faith that any venture into leadership, whether by laity or clergy, is hazardous. it is necessary that there be leaders, but woe to those who become leaders. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

He had learned how to assemble Jewish texts, Greek philosophy, and Middle-Western evangelistic anecdotes into a sermon. And he had learned that poverty was blessed, but that bankers make the best deacons. ~ Sinclair Lewis

A hardness to change reveals a hardness of heart. ~ Gary Rohrmayer

I don't think that we should waste our time criticizing other people. Self-criticism allows us to be the best version of ourselves. ~ Braden Pedersen

Anxious systems also fail to get a clear view of things. Embedded in their dread, they lose a sense of proportion. They have little awareness of what is happening and how it is being mutually maintained. Emotionally cramps the broader view. ~ Peter L. Steinke

We are weak Christians simply because we have refused to be bondservants of Christ ~ Paul Gitwaza

The Divine Thing that made itself the foundation of the Church does not seem, to judge by his comments on the religious leadership of his day, to have hoped much from officers of a church. ~ Charles Williams

His [brother in law Jim Hampson] appointment to the Episcopal parish in Wenham, near Gordon College brought them in close touch with leading evangelical faculty members in their pews and church leadership, including Elizabeth Elliot and Addison Leitch. They were instrumental in drawing Jim and and Sarah into the cutting edge of evangelical intellectual leadership, with friendships with Tom Howard and J.I. Packer. My ongoing relationship with Jim Packer, FitzSimons Allison and many other brilliant Anglican evangelicals would not have happened without Jim Hampson. His early influence on me in my transition from modern to classic Christian teaching was immense. While I was trying to demythologize Scripture, he was taking its plain meaning seriously. His strong preaching led him to become one of the founding sponsors and supporters of Trinity School of Ministry in Abridge, Pennsylvania ... ~ Thomas C. Oden

Vision is capturing God's assignment ~ Gary Rohrmayer

Many churches approach ministry to people through the lens of an educational system instead of through the analogy of the family. ~ Ross Parsley

The family of God is about enjoying the bounty of God's table and fellowship with one another and with the Holy Spirit. ~ Ross Parsley

The Church is Christ's witness to the world of a loving savior and His redemptive plan for man. ~ John Paul Warren

Money! Father Rudden had tried everything to raise funds to repair the church, he even went to the bank. 'Don't be a fool, Father!' said the manager, 'Put that gun down.' Money! ~ Spike Milligan

Deception is nowhere more common than in religion. And the persons most easily and damningly deceived are the leaders. Those who deceive others are first themselves deceived, for not many, I think, begin with evil intent. The devil, after all, is a spiritual being. His usual mode of temptation is not an obvious evil but to an apparent good. The commonest forms of devil-inspired worship do not take place furtively at black masses with decapitated cats but flourish under the bright lights of acclaim and glory, in a swirl of organ music. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. ~ Harvey S. Firestone

When there was a disaster, it used to be that people went to church and all held hands. Now the minute anything happens they run to CNN. ~ Don Hewitt

Statistically speaking, giving in the church today is embarrassing at best. So, there needs to be a message, a movement that addresses the problem in this very prosperous nation that reminds us and reinforces the fact that God has blessed this nation and blessed us as a people for a reason, not to buy the next new car or a bigger house. God has blessed the United States of America so that we will purpose to reach out to others and in doing so accomplishing His Will, doing His work, and then He is glorified. ~ Bob Coy

I don't pray. When I was young, I vowed I never would be caught begging God. If I want something I get it for myself. I go to church only to show the old hens they don't get me down. ~ Louise Erdrich

I believe in the Supreme Being, in a Creator, whatever he may be. I care little who has placed us here below to fulfil our duties as citizens and fathers of families; but I don't need to go to church to kiss silver plates, and fatten, out of my pocket, a lot of good-for-nothings who live better than we do. For one can know him as well in a wood, in a field, or even contemplating the eternal vault like the ancients. My God! mine is the God of Socrates, of Franklin, of Voltaire, and of Beranger! I am for the profession of faith of the 'Savoyard Vicar,' and the immortal principles of '89! And I can't admit of an old boy of a God who takes walks in his garden with a cane in his hand, who lodges his friends in the belly of whales, dies uttering a cry, and rises again at the end of three days; things absurd in themselves, and completely opposed, moreover, to all physical laws, which proves to us, by the way, that priests have always wallowed in turpid ignorance, in which they would fain engulf the people with them. ~ Gustave Flaubert

Leaders must understand that some people will inevitably sell out to the evil side. Don't waste your time wondering why; spend your time discovering who. ~ Jim Rohn

There are certain times in a concert when I'll call an audible because I feel like God is calling me to play a different song. But truthfully, I feel called to play for the church whether it's song being played on Christian radio or it's concerts I'm doing primarily in churches. ~ Jonny Diaz

Every member of our Church is a missionary. Without the formality of a setting-apart we should be so set-apart from the ways of the world that we can teach the gospel, which is our Father's way of life, by the very lives we live. ~ William J. Critchlow, Jr.

Hearing Mass is the ceremony I most favor during my travels. Church is the only place where someone speaks to me and I do not have to answer back. ~ Charles De Gaulle

A man who is influenced by the polls or is afraid to make decisions which make him unpopular is not a man to represent the welfare of the country. ~ Harry S. Truman

The litmus test used to discern if a house church is healthy is simple: The believers in a healthy house church focus on loving Jesus, loving each other, reaching those who don't know Jesus and respecting the rest of the Body of Christ. ~ Larry Kreider

For every Gospel action, there is an opposite and devious demonic reaction. We see this in the book of Acts. It appears in church history. We experience it in our personal journeys. ~ Daniel Henderson

The leader should reserve to himself the hiring, compensating, motivating, molding, assessing and firing of his chief lieutenants. ~ Steven B. Sample

[I]t would be unjust to our people and dangerous to our institutions to apply any portion of revenues of the nation or of the States to the support of sectarian schools. ~ James A. Garfield

I used to do bell ringing in Benenden church. It was really good fun, actually. My best friend's dad was the local vicar, and so it was expected as her best friend that I would go to church every Sunday with her. ~ Jo Brand

People who have nothing much in mind for next week speak instead about the next century or millennium. ~ George F. Will

Women with bare arms are not allowed into church, but they let naked Jews dig their own graves. ~ Ernst Bloch

If I am to lead with impact, I will spend far less time out front pointing to the destination, and I will spend far more time walking among the ranks and giving them hope for the journey to the destination. ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

The Church is like the moon, which shines with borrowed light. When God shines upon the Church, then the Church herself shines by reflecting his light. The glory of Jehovah is her glory, if that be withdrawn, she is dark indeed; but when that shines into her, and through her, then her brightness is great indeed. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Crisis is a good revealer of great leadership ~ Lazarus Takawira

I could not retreat, as did so many, into the church and its mysteries. My parents rejected all dogmas. We spurned the holidays marketed by the people who wanted to be white. We would not stand for their anthems. We would not kneel before their God. And so I had no sense that any just God was on my side. "The meek shall inherit the earth" meant nothing to me. The meek were battered in West Baltimore, stomped out at Walbrook Junction, bashed up on Park Heights, and raped in the showers of the city jail. My understanding of the universe was physical, and its moral arc bent toward chaos then concluded in a box. That ~ Ta-Nehisi Coates

The 'crazy' thing about life is...
People keep 'imprisoning' themselves in the name of 'freedom'.. ~ Abha Maryada Banerjee

We do need an attitude of leadership in our government which demonstrates faith in major population centres outside of Perth. ~ Andrew Forrest

If I believe in anything, it is in the dark night of the soul. Awe is my religion, and mystery is its church. ~ Charles Simic

The missional church is not a new trend or the latest new technique for reaching postmodern people. ~ Alan Hirsch

If you have no character to lose, people will have no faith in you. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Everyone loves winners. You look for things to praise with those you believe in. ~ Johnny Hunt

We do not see the world as it is. We see the word as we are. ~ Anais Nin

No one can have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother. ~ Cyprian

If you had told me 28 years ago that the largest organization in the world touching the lives of gays and lesbians would be a church, I would not have believed you. ~ Troy Perry

My dear,' said the old men gently, 'I think that you are repeating what you have heard older people say. You are pretending to be touchy; but you are not really. Stop being so tiresome, and tell me instead what part of the church you want to see. To take you to it will be a real pleasure. ~ E. M. Forster

The Christian church has set up a religion of pomp and revenue in pretended imitation of a person (Jesus) who lived a life of poverty. ~ Thomas Paine

In some countries we have had the right to vote for less than 100 years, so the entry of women into political leadership has caused a tsunami. ~ Iveta Radicova

This president and this is what the focus ought to be, it's not the differences between us, it's Barack Obama does not believe America's leadership in the world is a force for good. He does not believe that our strength is a place where security can take place. He leads from behind. He creates an environment that now we're creating the most unstable situation we've had since the World War II era. ~ Jeb Bush

I grew up in church and it's always been important to me. I've always had a sense of calling to do life and faith-affirming media. ~ Brian Bird

To embrace God is to embrace change. God does not operate by a predictable paradigm. He works through flux and chaos - and so should we. When crises come, don't panic - innovate! That's the essence of leadership. ~ Pat Williams

Harness the fire hidden in The Eucharist to bring about a true brotherhood and unity. ~ Jaime Sin

Sheep run with the herd, but lions run alone. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

David ran through concrete advantages. And then set aside the practical. The pragmatist was gone, replaced by the poet and mystic. ~ Geraldine Brooks

We stand at an immense fork in the raod. One way is the path of generosity, dignity and a respect for other races and customs; the other leads most certainly to greed, suspicion, hatered and the old, bloody course of violence and waste - and now, God help us, to the very destruction of all the struggles and triumphs of the human race on this earth. My old friends and fellow townsmen: which will it be? ~ Anton Myrer

I feel guilty because for a long time I didn't allow myself a television, and I used to drop that fact in conversation to impress people. I thought it made me sound dignified. A couple of years ago, however, I visited a church in the suburbs and there was this blowhard preacher talking about how television rots your brain. He said that when we are watching television our minds are working no harder than when we are sleeping. I thought that sounded heavenly. I bought one that afternoon. ~ Donald Miller

Most leadership strategies are doomed to failure from the outset. As people have been noting for years, the majority of strategic initiatives that are driven from the top are marginally effective - at best. ~ Peter Senge

It's troubling for me as a Catholic to be at odds with the church. ~ Andrew Cuomo

Being a member of a church means realizing that we are responsible for helping the brothers and sisters around us to grow as disciples of Jesus. In the same way, they are responsible for helping us. We desperately need each other in the daily fight to follow Christ in a world that's full of sin. ~ David Platt

Look at the Native American culture. They revere the elders. ~ Thomas Haden Church

Our jobs are more than just a means to an end - whether that end is selfish enjoyment or service in the church. Our work is more than something we "slog through." However menial, however boring, however unmatched to our interests, our jobs are one of the key ways in which God matures us as Christians and brings glory to himself. God has a purpose for our work. ~ Sebastian Traeger

If you leave the church service thinking about how good the pastor was, he has missed the mark. If you leave consumed with Christ, the pastor has been used by the Lord. ~ Howard G. Hendricks