4 Temptations That Leaders Face

By Dan Reiland

It’s troubling to see a called, gifted and talented leader give up a lifetime of ministry for a moment of temptation. And the sobering truth is that we all face temptation.

It’s rarely a “I never saw it coming – it took me by surprise” situation. Our downfall may start with a moment of temptation, but it’s most often about a long slow drift from the values we embrace to the enticements that entrap us.

None of us as leaders will escape this challenge. But how we handle our temptations will determine to a great degree, the effectiveness and longevity of our ministry.

James 4:7-8 helps us know what to do.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8

Let’s begin with three important questions:

What is your greatest temptation?
If you know it, you can fight against it.

Do you have a safe friend or two with whom you can be honest?
Confession is good for the soul and accountability helps keep you honest.
Do you know that God is on your side?
God does not condemn you or me for our struggles, but He does want us to fight to live a holy life.

I’m not convinced all temptation is from the devil. I’m not certain it’s all spiritual warfare. Some of this is simply part of being human and imperfect and we can take ownership for creating some temptations ourselves.

We don’t need to start a theological debate. If you consider temptation to be a wholly a spiritual issue by asserting that we are spiritual beings, great. If you believe it to be entirely a spiritual issue by taking it back to Genesis chapter 3, also great. My purpose here is to be helpful in a practical way.

Temptation seems to be naturally grouped into four categories for church leaders. If you know the potential temptation, you are more likely to see it coming and proactively resist what tempts you. That’s the goal here.

Let’s name the temptations, own what is ours, and intentionally resist.

1) Pressure Temptations
As your ministry grows, gains complexity, and the demands increase, pressure rises. When pressure rises margin decreases, and any of us can become an easy target for pressure-related temptations.

Here are three common examples.

Are any of these danger zones for you?

Loss of integrity
For example, you can be tempted to over-exaggerate something in a message you teach. Or perhaps you might bend under financial pressure to use monies designated for one thing for a completely different purpose.
Cut corners
Time pressures, for example, might cause you to over-use AI rather than invest the needed thought and prayer into the next talk you deliver.
Inappropriate anger
Sustained high-levels of pressure can cause leaders to be impatient, angry, or even harsh with others with no legitimate reason. Are you aware of your personal “pressure levels?”

By learning how to use appropriate pressure relief tools such as a friend to talk to, a real day off, a good counselor, learning to say no, doing something fun, exercise, or developing other leaders to help carry the load, etc., you can handle pressure in healthy ways.

Do you consistently engage healthy pressure relief practices that work for you as a church leader?

2) Power Temptations
The temptation for more power seems to be less common in the local church. That’s a good thing, but it still lurks in the background and is a real possibility for any of us.

Here are three common examples.

Are you susceptible to any of these potential snares?

Manipulate people
Manipulation is using authority or position to control or take advantage of people rather than serve them. Manipulation is essentially using people to build your ministry, rather than building people and empowering them to lead the ministry God designed for them.
Live by different standards
It’s a great misuse of leadership when a leader rises “above the law” and begins to live by a different set of rules than others are held accountable to.
Become a controlling person
Good leaders exercise control for the good of the organization. This is quite different than becoming a controlling leader and holding people down rather than training and empowering in a way that builds them up.

Leaning into genuine humility, possessing a servant’s heart, and intentionally expressing your love for people is a great help in overcoming temptations involving leadership power.

3) Purity Temptations
It’s difficult to avoid the dominant presence of the internet and the temptations that lie within. Nearly anything is only a click away. This is a huge temptation. But not all purity temptations are online.

The following are three common examples.

Do any of these temptations catch you?

Thought life not in check
Temptation against purity begins in the mind. What do we do? Scripture says to take every thought captive, but we know that is not always easy. Philippians 4:8 says: . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Marital faithfulness is at risk
We all know stories of friends who have lost their marriages and in many cases, lost their ministry too. It’s heartbreaking and can happen to anyone. This temptation always leads to regret! Stay alert. Exercise wisdom.
“Innocent” flirting
A wise counselor once said, “Young leaders, beware of innocent flirting, for there is no such thing.” What starts innocently, even while working together in ministry, can end in disaster. Remain on your guard.

It’s best to make a conscious choice not to play with fire because it’s just too easy to end up burned. Get honest about your temptation and talk with a friend or leader you respect for accountability.

4) People Temptations
This last category is not often included within the topic of temptation. It is therefore overlooked, even though it is likely among the most common of temptations that a church leader will face. We work with and serve people every day, and these common temptations are always with us. Here are three common examples:

People pleasing
The temptation to please people often finds its origin in a genuine heart to serve others. However, that can slowly slip into behavior that is less than genuine and a performance-orientation can begin to take over.
Critical spirit
Even the most loving of pastors and volunteer church leaders can lose perspective under all the demands of ministry. Then instead of a loving heart, our hearts become critical.
Lack of forgiveness
Leaders are not immune from being hurt in their close relationships. If hurt enough, our hearts can become hardened, and forgiveness becomes hard to find. We know the right thing to do but may need spiritual help to get there.

An intentional effort to be yourself, look for the best in people, and be generous in giving grace will go a long way to help resist common people temptations.

The good news in all this is that we can resist!

The good news is that we can resist temptation. We can say no. We are not on our own, our Father in heaven is for us not against us!
Each day is a new day and a fresh start.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41