Where’s your passion level these days?
If there’s one common characteristic of growing churches and their leaders these days, it’s passion.
Passionate leadership is so much more contagious than passionless leadership. And passion is a key characteristic of leaders who are making a big impact with millennials.
As I shared here, if you’re trying to reach the next generation and you had to choose between passionate leadership and money to improve your building, passion is the better choice by far. People respond to passion far more than they respond to a great building or cool environments.
When it comes to reaching the next generation, passion beats polish, because passion reveals the heart behind the ministry. Polish doesn’t always do this.
Of course, being passionate is one thing, but not every form of passion will resonate with your audience or with God. Not all kinds of passion are created equal.
The biggest differentiator between a passion that resonates and can be sustained over a long period of time, and the kind of passion that doesn’t resonate is the motive behind the passion.
Motive answers two questions:
Why are you passionate?
What are you actually passionate about?
Here are 5 kinds of passion that can make or break your leadership. Three of them will eventually break you (or at least stunt your potential and that of your organization). Two will make you.
The difference? The purer the motivation behind your passion, the better your passion will resonate with people and the better you’ll lead.
When it comes to reaching the next generation, passion beats polish. Click To Tweet1.You’re passionate because you want to be better than someone else
This is one of the poorest motivations I can think of for being passionate in what you do, but the drive to compete against others runs deep in many leaders.
Let’s be honest, it’s not that difficult to beat the dying church down the street, but that’s hardly a great motive.
Leaders who have to be better than others suffer from at least four problems.
The first problem? It’s you. If you always have to be the star, you’ll always play in a small universe. In fact, you will intentionally keep the universe small because you’re too insecure to spend time with leaders and organizations who are bigger or brighter than you. Bad move on about a thousand levels.
Second, you’ll never surround yourself with truly great leaders. They’ll sniff out your insecurity and won’t stick around long.
Third, you will never realize your potential as a leader or, even more importantly, the potential of your church because your reference point is something bad, and not your true potential.
Finally, there’s a good chance someone better than you will come along. Then what are you going to do? (Other than sulk.)
Leaders who always want to be the star usually end up playing in a small universe. Click To Tweet2. You’re passionate because you’re the leader
Stepping into the lead of something for the first time or the thousandth time creates a kind of adrenaline, because, well, you’re leading it.
Some of that is very natural and some of it is very good.
But there’s a line you have to trace out. Sometimes the fact that you’re the leader can become the main motivation for your passion. And that’s trouble.
If you notice yourself always being the most passionate about something when you’re leading it, it could be a sign that your leadership is all about you.
And while people follow leaders, most people don’t actually follow a leader for the leader’s sake. You follow a leader for the mission’s sake (see below).
5 Kinds of Passion That Can Make or Break Your Leadership Click To Tweet
A great motive check for leaders is simply this: can you get excited about being a part of something that you’re not leading?
If you can’t, do some soul work. Ask God to help break your self-focus.
And go get involved in a project, team or cause that someone else is leading.
5 Kinds of Passion That Can Make or Break Your Leadership Click To Tweet
3. You’re passionate because it’s your idea
This is related to #2 above, but a bit different. Sometimes you’re not leading the initiative, but you’re excited about the innovation because it’s your idea that’s taking flight.
Again, it’s natural to be excited about your ideas and your leadership, but truly great leaders can get excited about other people’s ideas too.
In fact, the best leaders are always able to give voice to ideas they didn’t develop themselves.
The best leaders are always able to give voice to ideas they didn't develop themselves. Click To TweetThe implications for your team are huge if you only fall in love with ideas you create.
If you want to demoralize your team, be passionate about your ideas and no one else’s. Eventually, you’ll have a demotivated team. Or no team.
If you want to demoralize your team, be passionate about your ideas and no one else's. Click To Tweet4. You’re passionate about the mission
So what are some motivations that will make you—and not break you—as a leader?
Try this: let the mission drive your passion.
A mission inspires because it’s always bigger than any one person.
In the case of the church, the mission is both timeless and powerful. It’s the same mission that has been around 2000 years, and it’s always bigger than you, bigger than your congregation and bigger than your church.
Leaders who get passionate about the mission of the church always tend to have better churches.
Leaders who get passionate about the mission of the church always tend to have better churches. Click To Tweet5. Your passion is Christ-focused
I think the ultimate motivation for passion in a Christian leader is a Christ-focused passion.
I know that’s the answer everyone expects, but in this mixture of sin and grace that is all of us, Christ-focused leadership and passion is all-too-rare.
When you’re leading a church, a passion that is self-less and Christ-focused is utterly compelling. I think it’s a type of passion the next generation both wants and needs.
Christ-focused leadership is also radically counter-cultural. In a world (and sometimes in a church-world) utterly obsessed with self, pointing to Jesus and letting your motivation be from him is a breath of fresh leadership air. And it’s what our hearts long for most.
How do you know your passion is Christ-focused (and even Christ-fueled)?
Well, you’ve given up comparing yourself with others. You’ve gotten over yourself and your commitment to your team is bigger than your commitment to your own ideas. And while your motivation is for the mission, you realize that at the heart of the church’s mission is Jesus. He’s the only one who makes a difference, and the only one with any power. And he’s the motivation and fuel for what you do.
