Two examples of a pseudo solve:
1) Dumb down one (or both sides) of the tension to relieve pressure.
Compromise is rarely a good option when attempting to make progress for the mission of the church. The alignment of the team to the strongest position is best.
The senior pastor and the board talked about shortening the length of their service to gain more time to make parking easier.
Even though the tensions were genuine from the parking lot to the children’s ministry with the short turnaround time, if they changed the length of the service, they would have probably lost a big chunk of who they are in terms of culture.
After much prayer and discussion, they decided not to shorten the service time and chose to manage the tension instead.
2) Sacrifice a priority to solve a frustration.
The spirit of good church staff is trust, freedom, and empowerment.
It can be frustrating to some staff managers wondering where their staff is in the morning, or any time for that matter.
It might seem like a policy (a structure) to have everyone in the office at 8:00 am and stay till 5:00 pm would solve the problem. It might be easier, but trust is challenged, freedom is lessened, and empowerment is reduced.
Not everyone works in the same rhythms, and their jobs require different hours. Trust your team and measure by outcomes, not hours.
The reality is that most staff work hard. Identify who it is you think is not working hard and have a personal conversation with them. Don’t make a policy.
So how do we navigate the clash or tension of Spirit and Structure?
4 Practices to Help Integrate Spirit and System:
1) Design systems and structures you actually need.
Systems must always serve a measurable purpose aligned with your vision. Your vision is God-breathed, so operations that serve you give the Holy Spirit room to guide you.
They need to noticeably help you make progress. Systems were never designed to replace the lack of leadership, only to help to guide principles extend beyond the immediate physical proximity and scope of the leader.
2) Make sure the systems serve you and not you serve the systems.
Structure is vitally important. We see the value in such things as staff and salary structure, multi-site campus structure, and various policies.
But don’t create a culture that requires legalistic bondage to your structure. Exercise freedom for decisions that serve and advance the mission. Pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
So how do you determine the difference between freedom and chaos? Good question.
First, the exceptions should be very few and far between. That alone will cover 80% of the potential abuses. Second, always require agreement among multiple leaders.
3) Be careful not to use the “Spirit” trump card to get what you want.
Ultimately, the church is a supernatural institution. The Spirit must prevail, but that doesn’t mean that playing the “God card” should be used for anyone to get their way.
If humility and unity are both in place, playing the “God said,” trump card rarely happens.
Remember, the Holy Spirit whispers. It never yells or demands.
4) The systems and structures must glorify God and advance His Kingdom.
Let’s use a financial example since money alone frequently causes tension.
Good financial structures allow you to exercise limits, boundaries, and practice generosity with your financial resources.
Here’s a sample. It would be common for churches to limit personnel expenses to less than 50%. (Very large churches no more than 40%) 10% is often given to outreach. And perhaps 5% held for margin.
In this way, a structure or system brings honor to God and advances His mission.
These 4 practices will help you lead through the tension and reduce the tension between System and Spirit.
This article about navigating natural and supernatural originally appeared here.
