Differences are not just inevitable in faith-based organizations—they are necessary. The body of Christ is made up of many members, each with unique gifts, personalities, and callings. Yet, when these differences bump up against rigid systems, they can create tension.

In many organizations, being different can feel like being “the problem”. Friction builds on both sides—those who want to innovate and those who want to protect traditions. Over time, this tension can reveal deeper realities: power dynamics that favor the few, bottlenecks in decision-making, and self-serving patterns that subtly replace a servant’s heart.

For young, upcoming leaders, these realities can be especially frustrating. Their ideas are restrained by what John Maxwell calls “leadership lids”—limitations set by senior leaders that keep potential locked away. The result is often a quiet resignation to “the way things are,” a lament over what could be but never seems to happen.

Yet lament, in the Biblical sense, can be holy. It allows us to name the brokenness and organizational dysfunction honestly before God and seek His healing from wounding that occurs. Accepting that dysfunction exists does not mean we condone it—it means we recognize that human systems will always fall short.

Our true hope is this: God’s power is not restrained by organizational charts or leadership bottlenecks. Using positional power or react in defensive postures may produce quick wins or prove a point, but it will leave us empty and often cause greater loss. Trusting in God’s Spirit within our identity and attitude (Matthew 5:3-12), however, brings lasting fruit—love, joy, peace, patience—that can daily renew us, even in the most resistant cultures.

If you find yourself in the middle of such a system, remember: 

1. You are not responsible to change people or the organization;

2. Surrendering what is important to you at a time of tension can purify any false motives while maintaining your integrity and desire for righteousness;

3. Your calling is not to force change by sheer willpower, but to walk faithfully, speak truth graciously at opportune times, and lean on the One whose power is made perfect in weakness;

4. Remember the proud, reactive disciple of Jesus wrote (concluded), “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, ‘for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time, He may exalt you.”  1 Peter 5:5 & 6