Three Unreasonable Expectations Pastors Have of Their Churches

By Sam Rainer

I have high expectations of my church. Church members should worship together often, give generously, serve sacrificially, and make disciples of all nations. There are no exceptions to these high expectations. The mission of God requires an all-in effort from every believer in every church.

Of course, plenty of low expectation churches exist. The come-and-see consumer mentality is an unfortunate church culture that is far too prevalent. Good church leaders expect more of their churches. However, in this post I want to address unreasonable expectations pastors have of their churches. I’ve seen these unreasonable expectations in churches with a low view of membership, as well as churches with a high view of membership. 

Agreement is the same as unity. I doubt you ever experience a moment in your ministry where everyone in the church agrees with you at the same time. Let’s be real: The only place total agreement exists is in dictatorships, where “agreement” is forced. As a pastor, good people will occasionally disagree with you. If you lead a church with over a couple dozen people, then at least one of them will disagree with you about something at any given point. Agreement or disagreement occurs over specific decisions, and you will not always get everyone to agree with you. However, I do hope your church is unified at all times. Unity is a Spirit-led culture in the church that should be exhibited by everyone.




Passion is often contagious. “Passion is contagious!” Sure, I’ve said it many times. Passion can be contagious, but it is not often contagious. Some areas of the church self-generate passion. Most others do not (Who wants to help stack chairs?). That’s why it takes more than passion to lead and disciple people. You cannot expect passion to be contagious.




The bulk of leadership can be done in the pulpit. A common piece of pastoral advice floating around is, “Just preach the Word!” I appreciate the spirit of this statement because I have a high view of Scripture and preaching. But telling someone to “Just preach the Word” is kind of like telling a politician to “Just give good speeches.” Preaching is critically important, but you can’t rely on the pulpit for the bulk of your leadership.

Agreement, passion, and preaching are three important areas of church leadership. Just don’t have unreasonable expectations of your church with them.