Sam Rainer: Leading on the Emotional Plateau

Shepherding a church comes with plenty of highs and lows. Some days feel like a roller-coaster ride right after eating two pounds of funnel cake. But leading a church isn’t just peaks and valleys. Plateaus exist. Plateaus can last for a long season. In fact, plateaus are more common for most leaders. The highs and lows are simply more memorable—they stand out more. We talk more about them.

These plateaus are not necessarily connected to the leader’s emotional state. Though I experience a weekly plateau every Thursday, just coming off Wednesday night and not close enough to Sunday. Passionate leaders often react viscerally and decide decisively. They can be the tethered buoy riding the wave and fighting the current. The church, however, may not feel these ups and downs like the pastor.

These plateaus are not necessarily connected to the (spiritual or numerical) growth and decline of a church, though average attendance Sundays often elicit a “meh” type of response.

By plateau, I am referring to the tone of an entire congregation. While the church leader’s attitude will inevitably filter into the church with time, sometimes the attitude of the congregation hits pause. No church can sustain peak passion. No church should perpetually stumble in the valley. And most every church—rightly or wrongly—will experience a string of typical weeks, if not months. The collective sentiment of the church can stall between a high and low. And the people of the church may feel as if they’ve paused emotionally. What are some things leaders can do while leading on the plateau? Keep reading