Pastors say leadership is an area they need to continue investing in. Here are six differences between a leader and a manager.
By Aaron Summers
According to the 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, 47% of pastors say leadership is an area of skill development they need to continue to invest in learning to help them be better pastors. For the past 25 years, I have sought to learn how to lead better, and I’m only now starting to feel like I have a handle. The most significant barrier for me was understanding the difference between being a leader and a manager.
First, what’s the definition of each?
Leadership is the act of moving people from one place to another. However, a more practical definition comes from Peter Drucker. He says, “The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.” John Maxwell defines leadership as “influence—nothing more, nothing less.”
The Oxford Dictionary defines management as “the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.” However, Peter Drucker defines management more practically as “a distinct process of planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling, performed to determine and accomplish stated objectives.” John Maxwell states that “management focuses on maintaining systems and processes.”
“Simply having the title pastor does not make you the leader. It comes down to the role you are filling at church.” — @aaronwsummers Share on XStill, the question lingers about the difference between the two. As a pastor, there are times when both are needed. Simply having the title pastor does not make you the leader. It comes down to the role you are filling at church. Here are six differences between a leader and a manager to help you understand which you function as.
1. Leadership is vision. Management is methodology.
Leaders point to the way a group is going while managers figure out how to make that happen. Leaders see tomorrow, but managers see today. Our mission has already been established. We are to make disciples. Leaders will look ahead five to 10 years and envision what will be true. Managers see the problems of today and seek to solve them.
2. Leadership motivates people. Management maintains processes.
This is a fundamental difference as you pastor the church. When you think of yourself as a leader, ask yourself, “Am I leading people somewhere or managing people right here?” Some days, the answer is both. However, you have been called to lead. Moses learned this from Jethro. Peter learned it in the thick of a church fight among the widows. You don’t have time to do both. Les McKeown talks about the need for visionaries and operators. Both are necessary, but they are not the same person.
3. Leaders are relational. Managers are reality checkers.
In the church, leaders will see people and desire to relate with them. This relational aspect allows for influence through social means. Managers in the church see projects to complete. Any relational aspect, then, will influence systems and strategies. People tend to view pastors who function as managers as “using” them to accomplish an agenda. This perspective stems from trying to be the leader and manager instead of being the leader.
“People tend to view pastors who function as managers as "using" them to accomplish an agenda.” — @aaronwsummers Share on XLeaders will develop the people they have, while managers drive the people they have. An example is seen with Pharaoh and the taskmasters. The taskmasters were the managers who drove the people to complete the project Pharaoh dreamed of having.
4. Leadership is a trait. Management is a title.
Just because you are given the title of pastor does not make you the church’s leader. Sure, you have the title and power in the lowest rung of leadership, but you might not have the function for several years. Leadership is a trait because true leaders naturally lead regardless of a title or position.
Look around your church. Who do people look to, physically and figuratively, when you bring something up? Who needs to “sign off” on the idea before it can happen? Those are your leaders. Learn from them. In this Harvard Business Review article, the writer discusses how leaders are concerned with influence, but managers want power. Leadership is a developed trait and character. A recent development in leadership is the idea of needing greater emotional intelligence.
5. Leaders create change and disruption. Managers want to maintain the status quo.
John Kotter explains that leaders create the urgency for a need to change. Biologically, we understand that we will die if we do not change. The same is true for the church. However, this is where it gets tricky. There are four to six generations in your church. Boomers (born 1945-1964) wanted change and got what they wanted. The Millennials (born 1980-1999) also want change, but now the Boomers do not want to change. Boomers are often in management roles in churches. So as you lead them to see the need for change for a brighter future, you may face resistance. Could Millennials and Gen Z be leaving the church and deconstructing their faith because they want to be leaders but those in authority want maintenance?
“Could Millennials and Gen Z be leaving the church and deconstructing their faith because they want to be leaders but those in authority want maintenance?” — @aaronwsummers Share on X6. Leaders have advocates. Managers have adherents.
Because of the relational aspect of leaders, they will have advocates. Managers demand people to follow and obey the rules and procedures, and thus have adherents. Can you see how, as a pastor, you cannot have both? Advocates will go to bat for the leader. They understand the vision and choose to push that vision forward through the church.
Advocates don’t just follow; they actively pursue more to engage in the same manner. They rave and promote the cause, helping you build out your vision and achieve goals without having to demand much. Pastor, you want advocates. But if you have adherents of directions and those who seek to please you to get more favor, then they will run when it doesn’t happen. Or worse, you will become prideful and have sycophants—church members who look to you more than Jesus for their emotional, spiritual, and physical fulfillment.
The concepts of leadership and management are too blurred in the pastorate today. Look deeply into your job description to see if it aligns with the traits of a leader or manager. Discuss the expectations for your position with your elders or church leaders and evaluate if it is intended to be a leadership or management role. Finally, pray and seek God’s face as to whether He has called you to lead or manage. If he has called you to lead, then lead. Seek to adjust people’s perspectives and expectations of you to that of a leader instead of a manager.
You might be in a declining church where management is all they know. Contact your local, associational, or state leaders for assistance in revitalizing your people. For the sake of the call and cause of the kingdom, let us lead our people.
For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.
Aaron Summers
Aaron serves as the pastor of First Baptist in Crowley, Texas, as a church consultant with Texas Baptists and owns RestoringSignificance.com, an organizational coaching company. He and his wife Dulcie have two kids in college and enjoy traveling in their RV.
