7 Ways Church Leaders Build Influence Through Trust and Competency

Jun 30

In our blog, 10 Quiet Habits That Grow Leadership Influence, we shared David Whiting’s (Senior Vice President of GenerosityOS and LeadingSmart Senior Consultant) perspective on leadership influence.

His take is that influence isn't built on title, age, or tenure alone. It takes character.

How you carry yourself, how you respond under pressure, how you handle tension, and how you talk about people when they aren’t in the room matters.

But character isn’t the whole story.

Influence also grows when people trust your competency. That doesn’t mean you have to be great at everything. None of us are.

Some people are naturally strategic, some are gifted managers. some can see around corners, some are great at execution.

The goal isn’t to become someone you are not. The goal is to keep getting better at what has been entrusted to you.

If you want to expand your influence, here are seven competencies David urges you consider.

1. Win at Your Assignment

Do your job well.

That may sound obvious, but it’s one of the clearest ways to build trust. When people see that you can carry the assignment in front of you, they’re more likely to trust you with more.

This doesn’t mean you are in the perfect seat forever. You may be in a role that doesn’t fully match your wiring or your long-term calling. But while you are there, win where you are.

Results build trust. And trust expands influence.

2. Make It Better

Some people are content to keep things moving. Leaders look for ways to improve what has been handed to them.

That doesn't mean everything has to be perfect. There is a point where you have to ship it, move forward, and not let the pursuit of excellence become a lid on progress.

But if everything you touch requires someone else to prop it up, clean it up, or make it better after you are done, your influence will eventually be capped.

Look at the ministry, team, system, or project in front of you and ask, “How could this be better?”

That question alone can change the way you lead.

3. Add Value in the Room

Every church has people who can name what is broken.

They can point out the problem. They can critique the decision. They can explain why something won’t work.

But the person who brings ideas, solutions, clarity, and wisdom becomes harder to ignore.

When you consistently bring value to difficult conversations and difficult decisions, people notice.

Influence grows when people trust what you bring when you are in the room.

4. Think Ahead

A good manager handles what has been assigned.

A growing leader starts thinking about what is coming next.

What problem might surface in the next six months? What question has not been asked yet? What will this decision require from the team later? What is around the corner that no one is paying attention to?

Not everyone is equally strategic, and that’s okay. But the more you develop the ability to anticipate what is next, the more helpful you become to the leaders around you.

Leaders who can see around corners are valuable in every organization.

5. Succeed with Volunteers

The church is a volunteer organization.

No church has enough paid staff to do everything. More importantly, the role of church leaders isn't to do all the ministry themselves. It's to equip God’s people for the work of ministry.

If your ministry only works because you do everything yourself, that may feel productive for a season, but it'sn't healthy leadership.

Learning how to recruit, develop, encourage, and empower volunteers is one of the most important competencies a church leader can build.

The more you can multiply ministry through others, the more influence you will have.

6. Bring Internal Drive

Some leaders have a drive that shows up in everything they touch.

They want the ministry to grow. They want the team to get healthier. They want the project to work. They want to keep learning, improving, solving, and building.

That doesn’t mean they work eighty hours a week. It means they bring ownership.

They aren’t waiting for someone to chase them down, remind them again, or motivate them every step of the way.

Internal drive builds trust because people can sense when you care deeply about the mission, not just your own role.

7. Represent the Mission Well

There will be times when you speak on behalf of your church, your lead pastor, your executive pastor, your board, or your leadership team.

Those moments matter.

You may not agree with every decision. You may not have loved every part of the process. You may have had a different opinion in the meeting.

But once a decision has been made, the way you represent it matters.

This doesn't mean being fake or pretending you never had questions. It means learning to speak with wisdom, care, and loyalty to the mission.

Leaders who can represent the church well build trust quickly.

Influence Grows Where Trust Grows

The goal isn't to demand a seat at the table.

The goal is to become the kind of person people want in the room because they trust what you bring when you get there.

Character matters and competency matters. And when those two grow together, influence grows in a healthy way.

Listen to the Full Conversation

In this episode of The LeadingSmart Podcast, David Whiting, Senior Vice President of GenerosityOS and LeadingSmart Senior Consultant, and I pick up where we left off last week and talk about the competencies that expand influence. We discuss what can be developed, what may always have some limits, and how leaders can grow without trying to become someone they are not.

Don’t skip part one. Last week’s conversation on character sets the table for this one. Catch that episode here.

Listen here: