Church leaders are always dealing with problems, because problems abound. But Jim Ozier says the simple practice of insisting that anyone who points out a problem must also have a solution in mind can shift the dynamic from negativity to positive thinking.
I tell the staff at my church and our leadership: “It’s okay for you to come to me with a problem, but only if you have a solution in mind.” The solution that we ultimately pick may not be the one you suggest. But if people feel free just to come with problems (such as the roof is leaking or our children’s ministry coordinator is really messed up), people begin to think negatively. However, when you are intentional about insisting and acculturating people to always bring a solution, you begin to change from negative thinking to more positive thinking. It creates a whole different environment in which to work and participate in church life.
A little back story. I went into the ministry when I was in high school under the great old missionary, E. Stanley Jones. He was in his early eighties when I went to work for him, so he could say this and get away with it: “You know my wife doesn’t mind if occasionally I glance at an attractive young lady as long as I continue to gaze at her. The problem,” Brother Stanley said, “is when I get my glances and my gazes turned around!”
That is the cultural truth of the church. As church professionals and leaders, we are always dealing with problems, because problems abound. But we are called to just glance at the problems of our ministry and to gaze at the promise and possibilities in Jesus Christ. What happens is, as clergy and key leaders, we can begin to get our glances and our gazes turned around. We begin only to glance at the promise and possibilities and to gaze at all the problems. When glancing at problems consumes leaders, morale spirals downward and soon wonderful church leaders become fatigued. Some even begin to look for a way out of leadership instead of looking for ways through problems.
What do key leaders and pastors do? They solve problems. Your members go to meeting after meeting during which you discuss problem after problem. If you’re not conscious about it, we begin to focus on the problems and rarely lift up the promise of Jesus Christ to our people.
It is so important to get our glances and our gazes in the right order. Hear me clearly. I’m not suggesting we pretend we don’t have problems, nor am I suggesting we not deal with the problems head on. I suggest that we keep the glances and gazes in a productive order. To summarize this principle: One way to begin to shift the culture of your church to become more positive is to invoke the principle of, “If you bring a problem, bring a solution as well.” The solution you bring may not be the one decided upon, but it gets staff members and church members thinking about solutions more than problems.
From Church Culture: How to Assess It, Shift It, and Shape It (Abingdon Press, 2024) by Jim Osier and Yvette Thibodeaux. Used by permission. The book is available through the publisher, Cokesbury, and Amazon.
Related Resources
- Positively Urgent by Mike Bonem
- 3 Leadership Shifts for the Current Reality by Olu Brown
- 5 Steps for Putting Good Ideas into Action by Jim Hoffman
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