Grace World Outreach Church | Leadership Podcast | Ep. #46 | Moving Towards Tension - Leaders Make It Better | Pastor Daniel Norris

Moving Towards Tension
Leaders Make It Better

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

True growth is painful. It comes after testing, heat, pressure, or resistance. Most people run from the pain of tension, but wisdom tells us tension is necessary if you want to keep growing.

Likewise, an organization will not grow by eliminating all tension; it grows by embracing it in a healthy way.

Consider this: Toyota is known for building vehicles with remarkable reliability. They consistently hold some of the highest resale values in the automotive market and are regularly recognized for longevity and durability.

But Toyota did not become synonymous with quality by accident. In the decades following World War II, Japanese automakers were not globally respected. Toyota had to fight its way into credibility. Their breakthrough came when they made a radical decision to prioritize quality over speed.

While many manufacturers focused on producing more cars faster, Toyota chose a different path. They developed what became known as the Toyota Production System, often referred to as Lean Manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing removes unnecessary complexity. It strips away waste. It refuses to grow comfortable with inefficiency.

But perhaps most remarkable is this: Toyota literally built tension into their assembly line. At the center of their system is something called the Andon system (Andon means lantern in Japanese).

Running alongside the assembly line is a bright cord. At any moment, any worker, regardless of rank, can pull that cord. And when they do, the entire production line stops. Not slows down. It stops.

In an industry obsessed with speed and output, Toyota empowers the person with their hands on the product to halt the entire line if they see something wrong. Why?

Because they understand that small tension now, prevents catastrophic failure later.

So what does that mean for us?

If a company can embrace tension in a system that produces cars, why would we try to avoid it in a church that is building people?

Tension is the stretch we feel when growth pulls us beyond our current comfort. It’s not a sign that something is wrong; it’s a sign that something needs to grow. Learning how to lean into it and use it is key.

Let me give you a practical example.

Since September, we’ve seen a significant increase in first-time guests. At the same time, I felt something was off in our follow-up systems. We’re not seeing the retention I expected, so I “pulled the cord,” in a manner of speaking.

What we found was alarming.

Systems we designed years ago are no longer adequate or effective for where we are now. We became too comfortable with automation. Our contact reads like scripts and templates. It isn’t personal. It isn’t surprising that we haven’t received a reply to any of our texts or emails since October. It hasn’t been personal; it hasn’t felt real.

Personal is powerful, and artificial is inauthentic. If we want God to keep sending people, we have to truly see people.

Do you feel the tension?

HOW TO MOVE TOWARDS TENSION

1. RECOGNIZE TOMORROW’S GROWTH REQUIRES TODAY’S PAIN

Two months ago, I shared “Moving Away from Complexity.” I didn’t realize at the time just how timely that message would be for us.

We’ve worked hard to move from an older version of Grace World to the healthy expression we have today. Yet this cannot be our stopping place. There is a future version of our church that is leaner and stronger than we are right now.

Getting there will require the right amount of pain. We have to embrace the tension.

Time under tension is the only way to produce growth.

If you’ve been feeling tension, that’s a good thing. Lean into it. Don’t run from it. If you haven’t been feeling tension, it’s likely you’re too comfortable and need to challenge yourself.

Comfort says, “This is what got us here.”

Leaning into tension asks, “What will get us there?”
• Look for your current pain points.
• Find a leadership book, podcast, or coach that will stretch you.

The key is to decide today that you will embrace the tension.

2. ASK, “IS IT MISSION CRITICAL?”

We are not a program-driven church. We are a mission-driven church. We show people who Jesus is and introduce them to the fullness of life that He offers. We help people discover life in fullness.

To do this…
We Awaken hearts.
We Connect in community.
We Train for purpose.
We Send into fullness.

Everything we do should be regularly run through that filter: Does this awaken? Does this connect? Does this train? Does this send?

If it doesn’t clearly move someone toward life in its fullness, we must refine it or release it.

A clear mission should create tension. Every program. Every event. Every activity. Every role. Each must answer the question: How is this mission-critical?
• Review your events and ministries through the lens of our mission.
• Look for measurable fruit.
• Are you duplicating efforts?
• Where are you doing too much?
• Make sure you and your team know exactly how this moves the mission forward.

Remember, clarity of mission protects our calling.

3. MAKE FEEDBACK YOUR FRIEND

Every member of this team needs to be able to pull on the rope. You see things we can’t see. We cannot fix or refine what we refuse to see. Invite them into the feedback loop.

We depend on an amazing team of pastors, campus staff, group leaders, and Kids and Student leaders. It takes teamwork to make this dream work.

When was the last time you invited feedback or felt that yours was truly welcome?
Normalize post-event debriefs:
• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• Where was there confusion?
• What was missing?
• Schedule regular check-ins with key teams and leaders.
• Invite input before making major adjustments.
• Ask, “What are you seeing that we are missing?”
• Reward their honesty, not just their harmony.

A lack of feedback usually means we’ve grown comfortable. You have to challenge the system.

4. HAVE THE HARD CONVERSATIONS

You cannot move a team or organization forward without embracing hard conversations. These are the conversations that challenge the status quo while moving us toward the mission.

Avoiding these conversations may protect your comfort, but having them protects our culture.
• Separate identity from assignment.
• Anchor the conversation in our vision and values.
• Remember, the first goal of communication is clarity.
• Land on clear action steps.

If we know our vision and live out our values, we already have a framework for every hard conversation. It’s built into the culture. Pull on the rope!

SHARPING THE EDGE

If we want to stay sharp as a church, as leaders, and as a team, we cannot run from tension. We must lean into it. The right kind of tension is not a threat to our culture; it is proof that we care enough to grow.

So here is the action step: pull the cord.

This week, identify one area where something feels “off” in your ministry, your systems, or even in yourself and address it directly. Don’t ignore it. Don’t normalize it. Lean into it.

Remember, leaders make it better.

And sometimes making it better means embracing the friction that sharpens us.