Navigating church politics as a youth leader can get complicated. As naive as you may have been as a newbie, you’re not anymore. You now know that if you want any budget increase to happen, you need Deacon Jameson’s support. And without Deacon Becker’s approval, you’ll get nowhere with that new curriculum. So you woo the right people. You grease the wheels, so to speak. Then you hope for the best.
In every church, routes exist to get things done. Key people must approve things. That’s church politics. But what’s the secret to navigating church politics as a youth leader?
Church politics refers to the decision-making process in the church, to the leaders involved and the roles they play. Despite its bad reputation, nothing is wrong about church politics in itself. Especially in bigger churches, you need church politics.
You need clear routes that lead to decisions, and you need to know who’s involved in this process. That’s where church politics come in. But like anything else, people can handle church politics correctly or incorrectly.
When done correctly, church politics can benefit the church and glorify God’s name. When done incorrectly, the exact opposite can happen. Unfortunately, many examples exist of church politics gone wrong, with horrible and sad results.
But that doesn’t mean you should disengage or stay away from church politics. If you want to accomplish your goals, you’ll need to get involved. You just have to learn to handle church politics the right way.
5 Tips for Navigating Church Politics As a Youth Leader
Here are my five golden rules for dealing with church politics:
1. Stay honest.
First, when dealing with church politics, always stick to the truth. (“If only because you don’t have to remember what you said,” according to Mark Twain.) Little white lies are just as much lies as the big fat ones. Even not saying anything can become a lie.
That doesn’t mean you should always share everything you know with everyone. But if you know that your information can make a difference and there’s no moral reason to be silent (like a promise of confidentiality), you have to speak up. So if someone asks for your opinion, give it, even if it’s negative. Speak with love, compassion and empathy, but speak the truth.
2. Stay fair.
After you’ve discovered people’s weak spots, it becomes easy to manipulate them. That doesn’t mean it’s right. Never lose your integrity in church politics, for not only will you hurt others, in the end, you’ll hurt yourself. And once lost, integrity is very tough to get back.
Remember: If you have to force or manipulate people to do things, something is probably very wrong with either you or your goals.
3. Stay open.
Next, be very careful of going behind people’s backs. If you have to do something in secret, it’s usually not right in some way. Everyone involved in the process should be heard.
A very easy check: With every conversation, ask yourself how you’d feel if Jesus were present. Would he feel comfortable with what you’re saying and with how you’re handling things? (A quick reminder: Jesus is present at all your conversations!)
