On the one hand, a point leader is essential – that is a pastor who is primus inter pares, or a senior pastor, someone who is the main leader or leader of the leaders; and this person must see the way ahead on major matters and be convinced, and then give a real lead. Common sense, observation and experience, and also the Bible say this (eg. Peter was that leader, then James; Paul was, in the Gentile mission). A point leader as merely the coordinator or facilitator of a team is not enough – it’s an overreaction to authoritarianism.
On the other, the point leader must have the humility not to try coming up with the strategy all on his own; he needs a team to test his ideas, but also to take the initiative and give him and the group new ones, and to gather data and help sift it, to work together on it all, etc etc. So a strategy team is essential. He also needs such a team to come with him and help enthuse everyone else about the strategy, and to implement it. And the team plus members need to get on board because they can see it’s a good strategy and they believe in it, and they have been helped to see that it’s worth their while to get on board (not just because the leader says so and they must follow blindly). The point leader needs to get them to follow, with God’s help.
But if he’s just adopting a strategy that is a sort of compromise that everyone on the strategy team can live with, yet is not convinced it’s the best strategy, nor is he excited about it, he won’t be able to lead others to see it and buy in properly.
Once he and the team have a good plan, they must get at least half the folks really on board, otherwise there will be big problems. The solution to this challenge, however, is not to form and arrive at the strategy in a big committee of everyone, all church members, or indeed a strategy group of more than about 7 or 8 – you just can’t get good deliberation or decisions in a group much bigger than that. The strategy must be decided by the group, usually at the instigation of the point leader who sees the way forward with clarity and then chooses the right moment to articulate it and push the group to go for it and decide. So most or all of the strategy group need to be genuinely on board, and then they can all act together to get as many others as possible intelligently on board.
Churches with bishops have often been too authoritarian, as have some independent churches with pastors who rule the roost and don’t have teams around them that they take seriously, as have also many charismatic churches where the leader claims special anointing, so that whatever he says is God’s word. But I also think that a lot of Congregational churches, plus some Baptist and Independent ones have erred the other way and just had committee leadership without a strong point leader. I also confess that I have, some of the time in my ministry as a pastor, been too passive in leading and have just gone with the flow of others, committees, general consensus etc. No longer! This worm is turning – or rather, I hope, repenting.
Now we are God's children 