Organisations are entities established to address specific issues and solve particular problems. Life without organisation is a disorganised and vulnerable life. Through organisations, people have been able to bring solutions to life-threatening problems. Christian organisations have contributed to both the spiritual and physical well-being of the people. They have made significant contributions to the education and protection of life in numerous ways. For a Christian organisation to be successful, each member should subscribe to its Christian mission. Vince Lombardi once said, “The achievements of an organisation are the results of the combined effort of each individual.”
It’s my heart’s desire that every reader will avoid my mistakes.
In this article, I use the word “organisation” broadly to refer to the Christian organisations I have led, including ministries, universities, and NGOs. Looking back, I definitely made mistakes. These are summarised in the ten points below. It is my heart’s desire that every reader of this article will avoid them.
1. I Assumed Christians Understood the Work of Christian Organisations
It is one thing to be a Christian, but it is another thing to be a staff member of a Christian organisation. I experienced this leading an organisation a few years back. Some of the staff members were committed Christians and pastors. But they didn’t understand that the organisation had to follow biblical guidelines and values. To them, spiritual life was divorced from the work they did in Christian organisations. They thought that biblical values ended in church, on Sunday, and had nothing to do with their work during the week.
They didn’t see the difference between our organisation and secular ones.
Not every staff member understood that Christian organisations such as universities and NGOs were ministries. They didn’t see the difference between our organisation and secular ones when it came to operations. My mistake was to think that every staff member understood the work of the Christian organisation. The best thing to do is to explain how a Christian organisation is a ministry where we serve God.
2. I Assumed Everyone Was a Christian Believer
Whenever we interviewed prospective staff members, we asked if they were members of a local church. We also checked if we knew their church leaders. But we didn’t focus enough on their personal testimonies or their involvement in church ministries. Thus, many of them claimed to be Christians and members of local churches simply to get the job—and we were none the wiser.
Many claimed to be Christians and members of local churches to get the job.
After some time, I realised that these people weren’t the people we expected. They weren’t interested in our biblical values. Morning devotions, moments of prayer and fasting were disregarded. They questioned most of the Christian activities enshrined in the organisation’s culture. Some of them even advocated for the removal of “spiritual activities.”
I should’ve considered their personal testimonies during recruitment. I should have called their referees to find out whether they were committed Christians.
3. I Assumed International Partners Were Spiritually Mature
Most of the organisations I’ve led had friends and partners across the world. Many of them sent both short-term and long-term expatriates to work with us. Since they came recommended and were sent by people we trusted, we assumed they were all mature believers. I didn’t see them as people with spiritual needs, like everyone else. I thought they knew the word of God well and were able to encourage others. As a result, many expatriates weren’t oriented when they joined us; neither were they properly supervised during their time with us.
I didn’t see them as people with spiritual needs, like everyone else.
Over time, I realised that some of the expatriates weren’t conducting themselves as they ought to. Some of them were really unpleasant to work alongside. Others were plainly ignorant of fundamental biblical principles. Their behaviour eventually affected the organisation negatively. It took me some years to gather the courage to talk to our partners, insisting that we could interview and orient every expatriate before they joined us.
4. I Was Surprised by Conflicts and Disagreements
I thought the Christian organisation would have fewer or no conflicts; that all staff members would happily agree and work harmoniously. After all, aren’t we meant to be “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9)? I was therefore surprised and unprepared when conflicts arose. This was naive. I’d forgotten that the “peacemakers” are necessary because conflict exists. I forgot that humans differ around ideas and are bound to disagree on occasion. Leaders must therefore be ready to address disputes and disagreements.
5. I Did the Work of the Board
As a Christian, I believed we should shoulder each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). But this meant I took the role of the board upon myself! I designed strategic documents. I decided on oversight governance issues. These were huge, time-consuming, and energy-intensive tasks. As a result, I couldn’t find ample time to execute my duties as a leader. This affected the growth and healthy operation of the organisation. Furthermore, it undermined the role and authority of the board.
I undermined the role and authority of the board.
The board is critical in the life of any organisation. A strong board holds the leadership of the organisation accountable. It needs to do its work wholeheartedly, “as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). This helps the organisation to grow healthily. Good leaders will facilitate the work of the board, without doing its work. This is a lesson I learned later than I should have.
6. I Neglected My Family by Working at Home
My work as a leader means a lot to me. I wanted to finish every work-related assignment on time. But on occasion, I wasn’t able to complete all the work each day, and I resorted to taking work home. This meant sitting in front of my computer for additional hours in the evening, robbing my family of the time they needed with me. The result was more fatigue and frayed relationships. I thought I was being faithful to God by working hard to fulfil my duties. But I later realised that taking work home didn’t help me to finish the work I wanted to finish. I also realised that the failure to take care of my family was the failure to lead the organisation (1 Timothy 3:4-5; 5:8). I decided to work at the office and focus on family affairs at home.
7. I Ignored the “Little” Evils in our Workplace
The word “evil” here refers to any anti-biblical act. I thought only “big evils” such as theft, sexual immorality, fighting, murder, or corruption needed my attention. So I spent time looking for any big problems that I could identify and set out to solve them immediately. Little did I know that “little foxes ruin the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15).
I only spent time looking for big problems.
I remember being told that a staff member was spending money on items without the knowledge of his department. Only it was a small amount of money, so I ignored the matter. Months later, it turned out that the staff member was extracting money from our clients. Being a Christian organisation, this horribly tarnished our image and damaged the trust of our community. Remember: “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9).
8. I Undermined the Talents of Host Communities
Every stakeholder is gifted and talented. For God gives diverse abilities and skills. One of these stakeholders is the host community. But I had a little consideration for the host community, and as a result, their gifts. We operated the way we wanted, often without consulting them. Because of this, the members of the community didn’t consider us to be a part of them. This weakened our witness and distanced us from those God put us there to serve.
The members of the community didn’t consider us to be a part of them.
For example, one time we invited youths from the community and asked them what they knew about us. They said that our organisation belonged to the white people, people from other countries, and not their community. They weren’t even aware of the services we offered. This changed us. It changed me. We wholeheartedly decided we must serve the host community; and create ways for them to serve us. Host communities should be seen as partners who understand the environment and can guide the organisation you’re leading.
9. I Gave Too Much Work to the Diligent and Faithful
I had staff members who were faithful and obedient. They wholeheartedly did everything we asked. They were sacrificial and ready to help the organisation in any way necessary. Seeing themselves as servants, they were ready to serve their Master through the organisation. But because of their obedience and willingness, the organisation took advantage of them.
I gave them all the work that wasn’t getting done elsewhere.
I gave them all the work that wasn’t getting done elsewhere. Other staff members also gave them their work. So in the long run, they had too much to do, and their wellbeing and performance suffered. I should have only given them what they could handle, because each servant is given talents according to his ability (Matthew 25:15).
10. I Worked in Isolation from Local Churches
The church isn’t another organisation. It’s the mother of all Christian organisations. In my early days of leading Christian organisations, I didn’t see the need to involve churches in our work. Nor did I think the church had what it took to run Christian organisations. I thought the ministry of the church was completely different from the ministry of the Christian organisation. Because of this, I worked in isolation from the church. But today I’m convinced that partnering with local churches is vital for the work of Christian organisations. Better than most, local churches often understand the problems their people face, both their physical and spiritual needs. This holistic view is invaluable for Christian organisations.
