Leadership Development Failure

Case of A Pastor Reporting His Release On Social Media

Over the weekend of 16-18 July 2021 trending on social media, one pastor out of 40 who were relieved (released of duty) of their jobs by a front-line global Christian church took to social media with his Release Letter (not sacked). The letter read that his services as a pastor are no longer needed as he could not meet up with the Key Performance Indicators (KPI). It didn’t stop the pastor from being a member or worker of the church. The 3 paragraphed letter concluded with praying for the pastor that he would find grace with the LORD in his (pastor’s) future endeavour. This, I termed leadership development failure.

This single act of the employer and reactions by the employee sparks up a lot of leadership issues. And as a leadership expert, this called for my attention in 3 ways;

• One, as a leadership expert;
• two, as a minister and
• three, as a Christian.

Please permit me to address the Implications of these acts and reactions as a leadership Authority ONLY to the best of my ability unbiasedly.

1. I flawed the act of taking the matter to social media by a reputable leader of a pastor caliber. All pastors are leaders – INFUENCERS. He has a hierarchy from him to the topmost man in the ministry and even through friends/sons/partners of the ministry. He didn’t use any of these live line channels. He went too far!
2. I wondered why only him (1 out of 40 persons released could be so much grieved to that level, that he couldn’t get some to his side before going to social media.
3. l doubted that he couldn’t also show us his appointment letter alongside, to enable us to see the Key Performance Indicator (to know if he was denied justice) and appurtenances to his office.
4. l wonder why social media cum the goal for going social media, after all, it’s his church, aside from pastoring there. Is it to smear the church, his employer, his supposed father, embattled Christianity in Nigeria, vindicate himself or tell people that the church looks/is like Nigeria Federal/State Ministry?
5. Having said these #1-#4, I notice a leadership development (not leadership) lacuna on the side of this pastor. He failed in leadership development acid test – which is the only thing leader must travel with anytime, to anywhere: CHARACTER. He lacked character.
6. Again, he seemed to be visionless. 40 pastors being terminated, chances are 75% i.e. 30 will seek to open their own churches/ministries. He’s not thinking about that shows he has no call, he is a civil servant and has no vision. What if he decides to start his own now, will he has a face to meet former father-in-the-Lord?
7. The release letter contained the term KPI (key performance indicator (index)), so the appointment letter or briefing must have contained the details. Now, when the pastor saw the KPI in the appointment letter, why did he not weigh himself and said “NO” I can’t meet up? People do it in the corporate world. That could have made him a just and honest man. He isn’t one.
8. Having not challenged the KPI and eventually been released (not sacked) why not take it in good fate than going vendetta or reprisal?
9. When the man was offered a 4-bedroom apartment or bungalow, 24-hour light, and gas supply, oil service package, car, gifts from members, once-in-a-month pastoral care offering, etc., why did he not know that much is given, more is expected of him?
10. The question of people are uninformed asking, “Is the church a business?” because the man not meeting up the performance indicator shows ignoramus on the side of the askers. Church was, is, and will be Business. Period. Did you hear that? The owner of the church spelled it out before the foundation of the church in Acts 2 that church is a business. Hear Jesus:

Luke 2:49 KJV [Jesus]

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s BUSINESS? and apostles who understood him perfectly:

Acts 6:3 KJV [Peter by the Holy Ghost]

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this BUSINESS.

It’s only a fool that asks a question when the answer is supplied before the question.

11. As an organization (check for the meaning of organization from the management dictionary or textbook, not from your ‘head’), the church is an organization, as well as an organism (that’s why it’s different from banks and others). As an organization, all management principles, terms and administration, and processes are expected. As an organism, it grows, moves, etc., as a result of what it takes in. Organisms are living things – Biology 101!

12. The employer and the church didn’t know the pastor character-wise. That raises a question on the assessment and interview of the pastor before employment. The pastor played them smart as Judas Iscariot did in the Bible days. Summarily speaking, due diligence wasn’t properly done during his assessment prior to and during the interview.

13. Leadership development is overlooked by church/ministry organizations. Please ministry/pastoral development is not the same as leadership development. They’re worlds apart. One cannot displace the other. Pastors, Founders, and CEOs take note! The pastor might have been prepared for preaching skills but not leading skills or might have been taught, but it didn’t enter his brain!
14. more …, but let me stop here.

IMPLICATIONS TO LEADERS, CHURCH HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT and ORGANIZATIONS

Leadership positions everywhere are a trust. A pastoral position as one employed to go and head a branch is a trust and the employee should defend the trust and report to the sender the KPI however it is measured, otherwise he is not qualified to earn the trust and its appurtenances. Period. The question of insulting the church by making people ask if the church is a business doesn’t arise since the sacked pastor didn’t ask that when he was given the appointment letter and he saw KPI and is collecting privileges and salaries.

The pastor perhaps was taught how to;

• preach,
• prepare sermon and
• perform pastor’s things

but not how to;

• handle life when disappointed
• react when pushed to act.

(He went TOO far going to social media to smear a church of that caliber [in his own thinking] with mud, not that he achieved it, definitely not.)

• the manifest character of maturity
• craft and live vision.

Note please, leadership development;

1. move people from where they’re to where they should be
2. give people hope
3. give people a future
4. make people strive for Excellence
5. grow, enlarge, and expand the people numerically (horizontally) and spiritually (vertically).

Ministry solutions cannot displace leadership solutions and vice versa. I guess this pastor failed in the whole essence of leadership. See more failings from the pastor;

1. if he had improved the people, they would have followed him and persuaded him to open his own church or ministry.
2. the pastor cast away hope in life, this was shown in his actions.
3. he has no future, and mustn’t have given what he didn’t have to comers
4. excellence is who you become. It’s something you do on top of distinction. You can’t be excellent and be sacked, so he can’t make people strive for excellence, since he’s not a material of excellence.
5. he couldn’t and cannot grow that church with the spirit he has. That church’s #1 priority is growth. So, he’s an odd number among even numbers.

These lessons are for all of us to learn. I’m sure the church the pastor wanted to smear did more but that fell on a rocky surface.

Mike Ihezuo helps organizations, institutions, ministries, and individuals to succeed and achieve their leadership goals. He can be reached via CONTACT or Ad Inquiry.