Why Aspirational Leadership is not Enough

Mal Fletcher

In the contemporary church scene today, we see a lot of aspirational leadership, but relatively little strategic leadership.

For that reason, we hear a lot about how fast the church is growing overall but see very little evidence of this in terms of cultural change in cities.

Aspirational leadership is important because it produces motivation; it provides people with motives for acting in new and more righteous or beneficial ways.

It is, however, not the only type of leadership the local church needs - not if churches are going to produce large-scale change over a long period of time and a wide area.

The contemporary church model worldwide has many strengths - not least its adaptability, its relevance of style and its ability to regenerate in new towns and cities.

Yet the contemporary church model worldwide for the most part lacks strategic leadership. That is certainly true at the level of most local churches - and even many networks of churches.

This is the kind of leadership, however, that is increasingly exercising the minds of global leaders such as Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and many others.

These leaders have not abandoned aspirational leadership. They have, though, recognised that something else is needed as a foundation for growth, if growth is to be more than an incremental phenomenon.

Aspirational leadership supports and facilitates change on a micro-level; that is, within individual hearts and minds.

This is obviously hugely important, as the gospel is all about connecting individual people with the Lord. Without a change of heart within the individual, there is no growth for the church!

However, strategic leadership provides the basis for longer-term impact within much larger groups of people - including local communities, towns and cities.

As individuals are spiritually reborn, they need to find avenues through which to act out their personal faith - to 'work out' their salvation, as Paul put it - so that they see change in their workplaces and beyond.

This is vital to the growth of churches if they are to become more than irrelevant subcultures sitting uncomfortably at the edges of the culture that impacts most people's lives.

Jesus did not intend the local church to be a marginal group in society, constantly motivating itself but never getting to grips with its community. He intended it to be a vibrant, proactive and positive force for good - serving the city, not just itself.