Refuse to engage in or allow gossip.

Church leaders can get caught up in gossip. I believe that leaders do need to talk about people, yes, on occasion, even when they are not in the room. But only for the purpose of developing their spiritual life or overall welfare. Never for the purpose of tearing them down or the blunt end of a hurtful joke. And more often than not, the person becomes aware of the conversation.

The difficulty in this process is that its easy for noble purposes to descend into purposeless or even hurtful gossip. Negative things get said about people and then they get repeated. No harm was meant, but it was said. It takes so much time and effort to repair the relationship and trust still remains at risk. When trust is at risk, politics is on the other side of the door.

Keep it real. Stay positive. Speak well of everyone. And when you must have the tough conversations about someone, make it solely for the purpose of their best interest.

Practice generosity.

Let me close with a simple thought. Generosity is the opposite of politics. I know that if you consult Webster’s Dictionary, you won’t find them to be natural opposites. But consider that if political people in political environments are about getting something they want, then the act of generosity and giving yourself away will do much to deflate the air out of political tires. Could they take advantage of you? Yes. But do it anyway. Jesus would and I believe it will come back around for God’s favor in the end.

Church politics is likely here to stay, but you have the opportunity to reduce it substantially in your church, if not nearly eliminate it. Whether you need to hit it head on or you will proactively keep politics to a minimum, my prayer for you is that God would help you in this process so you can invest your time in the things that really matter.

Be blessed and thanks for all you do!!