The Loudest in the Room

You give the loudest person, regardless of their spiritual maturity or commitment to the church’s mission, the opportunity to influence what happens in your ministry.

Developing a Theology of Planning, Tony Morgan*

Have you ever heard the saying “big fish in a little pond”?

In the church world, you can run into it a lot. There are people who want to be in charge, and they can’t seem to be in charge of anything else, so they end up getting put in charge of something at the church. It’s a frustrating dynamic.

Often times, what happens is they find opportunities to be involved. They build up trust in the leadership, and once they get put in charge of something that little taste of power starts to consume them.

I don’t necessarily think that everyone who does this does it on purpose. I think some just don’t realize they have that desire until they are put in control of something. They like the control, and they want more of it.

This can happen in churches of all different sizes; though, it perhaps is most noticeable in smaller churches where it’s easier for a person to hold on to that power for an extended period of time.

Generally speaking, most people are non-confrontational, especially in a church. This is exactly why those with the loudest voice end up with the most say – because they know that nobody will challenge them.

What we need are people with a quiet confidence. People strong in their convictions. What we need is an overarching mission and vision that enough people can get behind that the loud, big fish are not given the voice they think they have.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least listen to critiques from time to time. Sometimes, those with the loud voices have something that needs to be heard. Sometimes, they are just loud. It takes discernment to tell the difference between the two.

Now, let’s think about some time when we’ve been the loudest voice in the room. Did we have something legitimate to add to the conversation, or were we just trying to be in charge?

If we truly want to improve as individuals and leaders, we must be honest with ourselves in such evaluations. This means having a heavy dose of humility, which isn’t always easy for people who are use to being in charge.

In the end, our jobs as leaders is to cast vision and hold people accountable to the mission. We don’t have to be the loudest (volume) person in the room to have the loudest message.

*Amazon affiliate link. I’ve read a few things from Tony Morgan, and it is always worth the time.