The Problem of Preference | ep14

Six ways personal preference destroys your organization.

 Preference fuels divisionSomeone wins, someone losesPeople become jealous when an idea you pitch gets approvedPeople get disappointed when their ideas aren’t approvedIt becomes my idea vs. your idea - you vs. mewe throw out ideas because of who they come from, not based on the caliber of the idea itself. People get labeled as “bad sources” and are functionally silenced Tribes begin to develop within the staff (and often beyond it). You need one of two things in order to make decisions: power or expertise. Leaders point to the org chart when advocating for their preference Experts design systems that only other experts can maintain in order to protect their preference 

2. Preference feeds pride

When someone’s preferences are allowed to move forward, it feeds a “build my empire” attitude.This doesn’t typically start as the main objective. We unintentionally create our own vision. I want our design to be off the charts creative That doesn’t actually work in our context I get frustrated that I can’t accomplish my vision. 

3. Preferences alienates people

Preference prevents us from considering anyone else’s opinion or perspective when “choosing a side” Approach to music Teaching style Approach to Discipleship Digital vs. print Approach to Evangelism Approach to community engagement What color our logo is What our welcome gift is How the website looks Without running these through the filter of your church’s mission, you will be less effective at reaching people in your congregation. I often see people want to get rid of printed programs without considering if printed programs are effective. Sometimes you do need to blaze a trail, but you need evidence to back it up. Don’t get caught up by the advice of other experts without assessing your context. Eventually, preference even pulls us away from God’s word. We no longer make our decisions surrounding what the church is called to in Scripture…we just keep chasing our preference. Our people are alienated as a result.

4. Preference wastes resources

Preference is the fuel for mission driftConversations are around “who is asking for this”, not “how does this help us move the mission forward”. Often a piece of someone’s preference is approved, but another part isn’t. This leads so incomplete or bad solutions. Over time, preference trains us to think wrongly. The organization loses the ability to think on mission, so the ideas become less and less effective at moving the right things forward. This is, in part, why organizations wake up one day and are in need of repair in dozens of areas. 

5. Preference ignores facts

Sometimes the truth is difficult. But that doesn’t mean we can just ignore it. If your congregation gives at a certain rate, you can’t just wish for it to be different. If kids aren’t coming to your VBS, you can’t assume the program can’t change. If people are leaving your church, you can’t assume it’s a “them problems”. The problem with presence, however, is that we often don’t want to make the changes that the data leads us to. Not every decision should be data driven in the church. But your defense against data should be scripture, not preference. 

6. Preference