In ministry, I have found that there are two different kinds of people who often contribute in very different ways: emotional people and intellectual people.
Emotional people tend to get started quickly. When they believe in something, they respond with passion and enthusiasm. They may not have carefully calculated every possibility of success or failure, but they are willing to step forward and begin. When a new ministry or project needs to get off the ground, these people are absolutely necessary.
In this sense, a leadership style like Peter’s can be very valuable at the beginning. Peter was often passionate, impulsive, and sometimes reckless. Yet he was willing to step out of the boat. While others might have remained seated and considered all the risks, Peter was willing to act.
A ministry needs people who are willing to say, “Let’s begin.“
The story of the Wright brothers illustrates this principle. Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright had an extraordinary passion for solving the problem of human flight. They experimented, failed, adjusted, and tried again. Their work did not begin with certainty that they would succeed. It began with a strong desire to make something happen.
At roughly the same time, other groups were also working toward powered flight. Some had highly educated scientists, engineers, university professors, and substantial financial resources. They had intelligence, knowledge, and the ability to analyze the problem from many angles. Yet having excellent minds and resources did not automatically produce an airplane.
The difference illustrates an important leadership principle: knowledge can analyze a possibility, but passion is often what moves people to begin.
However, emotional people alone are not enough.
A ministry needs people who can start, but it also needs people who can examine, organize, evaluate, improve, and eventually complete what has been started. This is where intellectual people become important.
When I first began the Lay Pastors Ministry in Korea using Dr. Melvin Steinbron’s resources, some of the first people who joined were very passionate about the vision. When I shared my desire to help the Korean church through this ministry, some people simply responded, “Yes, let’s do it.”They did not wait for everything to be perfectly organized. They believed in the vision and became the starting members and cornerstones of the ministry.
Without those people, the ministry would never have gotten started.
But as the ministry developed, I learned another important lesson: the people who start a ministry are not necessarily the same people who help it mature.
A ministry needs both groups.
The emotional people often join in the early stages. If we imagine a ministry developing from stages one through ten, they may be willing to join at stages one or two. They bring energy, courage, enthusiasm, and faith when there is still very little evidence of success.
Intellectual people, however, often join later. They may observe the ministry, study what is happening, evaluate the results, and ask many questions before deciding to participate. They may come in around stages six or seven, after the ministry has demonstrated that the vision is workable.
This is not necessarily a weakness. It is simply a different way of contributing.
The emotional person asks, “Why don’t we begin?”
The intellectual person asks, “How can we do this well?“
The first person helps create movement. The second person helps create stability.
Therefore, a good leader needs both kinds of people. The leader should not become frustrated with those who move quickly, nor should he dismiss those who take time to think carefully.
Instead, the leader must learn how to encourage each group appropriately.
The people who join at the beginning need encouragement. They need to hear, “Thank you for believing in the vision. Thank you for taking the first step.“
Those who join later often need confirmation. They want to know that their careful work, questions, analysis, and contributions are recognized and valued.
A healthy ministry needs both the passion to begin and the wisdom to finish.
One group lights the fire. The other helps keep the fire burning.
One says, “Let’s go.“
The other says, “Let’s make sure we are going in the right direction.“
A wise leader does not choose between the two. He learns to bring them together.