Bob Doan, a leader chewed up by a co-leadership model, once lamented, “Because of an inherently flawed design, a co-leadership arrangement is not ‘fixable.’” His advice to those in co-leadership structures? “Get out. Resign, walk away.”
One well-regarded venture capitalist steers clear of companies with co-leadership because of her belief that “At least 50 percent of early-stage startup failures are rooted in co-founder conflicts.”
While my last article told how and why Greg and I chose to become co-lead pastors, I’ve also experienced plenty of frustration as a co-leader. Greg and I have very different personalities. Among those differences is my propensity to plan every detail and Greg’s propensity to have a go-with-the-flow approach.
One time, having returned from vacation and enjoying a final day with my family locally before I returned to church the following day, I was catching up on communication while shopping with my family. As my girls strolled the aisles of Marshall’s, I scrolled through the team’s communication only to freeze when I saw that Greg had changed the main offertory announcement for Sunday.
I gritted my teeth. Greg, stay in your lane, I thought. I have a plan six months out for what we will highlight during our offering time, with each week strategically planned. “Can we please keep the offering as it is?” I messaged our team, frustrated. I can’t even leave for a week, I self-righteously concluded. Greg texted, “Can we talk?”
I picked up the phone, and we chatted. He had a very good reason for changing the offertory focus. Because of confidentiality, he couldn’t share that with the team. He was completely right. I was wrong in my assessment of Greg’s decision and his character. I had been self-righteous and uncharitable. By God’s grace, Greg acted with kindness and forgiveness.
Co-leaders have had their relationships dissolve over far less.
In the last post, I tried to convince you of some of the merits of co-leadership. But co-leadership is not all rainbows and lollipops. While I believe plurality of leadership is biblical among the pastor-elders of a church, I certainly don’t believe that co-leadership with two lead pastors is usually the best situation for most organizations. For co-leadership to work, there must be a delicate balance of sameness and difference with a foundation of trust and character.
(Read the rest of this post HERE, A Warning for Those Considering Co-Leadership)
You may also appreciate:
Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash