One of the most important—yet often overlooked—keys to effective ministry in the church is leading others with Christ-like patience. But this is far easier said than done. For most visionary leaders I know, patience can be a real struggle.
Why?
Because visionary leaders want to see change happen now, not later. We desire to see new ministry initiatives launched now, not later. We want to see the community around our church transformed now, not later.
The problem is: None of these things happen overnight. In fact, seeing these goals and dreams become reality takes time. That means a great deal of godly patience is needed on our part as leaders. Of course, the good news is that God promises to equip us and empower us to grow into the long-suffering, patient leaders He calls us to be.
Let’s consider five reasons why practicing patience in our ministries is so vital:
1.People process change at different rates. Paul writes: “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
This is something every church leader should think about regularly. In each of our churches, we will have a mix of people who respond differently to change. We will have individuals who love change and are on board with new changes very quickly. We will have others who don’t like change at all, and it will take much longer to get them on board. Patience is one of the key ingredients that helps us bring unity in the body and lead change effectively within a congregation.
Yet, as vital as patience is, this is one of the primary areas in which many pastors fail in their leadership. It is very common for a new pastor to come into an established church (especially a declining one) with a big, exciting vision, but then move far too quickly in seeking to carry out that vision. As a result, people fail to get on board with the new pastor and what he wants to do. Trust is lost, people are hurt, and momentum is thwarted. All too often, these kinds of rough-shot decisions and actions end up either leading to that pastor’s being fired or serving as the catalyst for a heartbreaking church split. Impatience as a pastor never leads anywhere good.
2. Developing a leadership culture takes much time and patience. People develop at their own speed, not ours. Most visionary leaders desire to see people develop quickly. We want to see people grow and mature into strong leaders in our time frame, which is a fast one! Typically, however, this kind of growth and maturity is slow. It happens over a long period of time. We must be mindful of this. Whether in children’s ministry, small group ministry, music ministry, or on the greeting team, every area of ministry in our church must work patiently to develop leaders, knowing that it takes time.
Creating a leadership culture in your church will take a great deal of intentionality. It will take a great deal of patience, too. You must be content with this reality. Individuals will grow into leaders at different rates. The most effective pastors understand this and take the time needed to develop leaders the right way—over time.
3. Many conflicts can be avoided when we seek to patiently understand a situation and establish the facts, rather than jumping to conclusions and taking unwise actions. Have you ever jumped to false conclusions about a person or a situation before gathering all the facts? I know I have. And it can be disastrous! As leaders, when conflict or tension arises between individuals or ministry team members in the church, we must patiently understand the situation before coming to conclusions. When conflict resolution is needed, we must be willing to take sufficient time to truly understand the situation and establish the facts, rather than rushing to judgment and taking action that could be unwise and damaging.
All too often, in our impatience to resolve conflict, we deal with things too quickly, which may very well create a larger conflict. This does not have to happen. Many conflicts can be avoided by rightly assessing the situation and proceeding slowly with all the facts clearly understood. Take your time. Work to understand the facts. This is wisdom.
4. Impatience often causes leaders to make bad decisions that hurt the church. Most of the time, we need to be slow leaders. Not lazy. Not apathetic. Not passionless. Slow is wise. Slow is unifying. Slow allows everybody to get on the bus and move forward together. If we make decisions too quickly, it often will come back to bite us. People get hurt. The church gets hurt. The messes created can be very difficult to clean up. Remember, speed is not always a good thing, especially when leading important changes in the church.
5. Leading with patience helps us keep the long-haul vision in mind. Local church ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. For this reason, we shouldn’t be shocked when it takes months, even years, to see the Lord produce healthy fruit in and through our congregation. This requires a long-haul mindset.
Leading with patience helps us keep this long-haul vision in mind. Growing in patience helps us relax and enjoy ministry! It encourages us to trust the Lord in the process. It empowers us to say, “You know what? The health and maturity of this congregation is not going to be experienced in a week, a month, or even a year, and that is OK.”
This is God’s church. These are His people. Seeing your congregation grow in a God-honoring way ultimately is His work, done by His Spirit. We can rest in this reality even as we strive to love, lead, and shepherd well, with all that we are.
And through it all, patience is key.
May the Lord grow each of us as leaders who joyfully practice patience, keeping in step with the Spirit and His desires for our church. At His pace, in His way.
This article originally appeared on Mark Hallock’s blog “Preach. Lead. Love.”
Published February 6, 2025
