The Tryannies that Rule?

There’s a phrase that has echoed in leadership circles for decades: the tyranny of the urgent. It names a truth every pastor, leader, or volunteer knows all too well—the endless stream of pressing demands that crowd out what matters most. But in the church, I think we actually face three tyrannies: the urgent, the desperate, and the panicked. Each one, left unchecked, distorts our mission and erodes our capacity for relational evangelism and discipleship.

1. The Tyranny of the Urgent

Urgency often disguises itself as importance. The Sunday bulletin has to be printed, the worship slides must be fixed, and the chairs need to be set up. These things do matter, but when the urgent consumes us, we default to managing programs instead of shepherding people. Relationships, which require margin and intentional presence, get pushed to the side.

Evangelism becomes an event to plan instead of a conversation to nurture. Discipleship becomes a curriculum to finish instead of a life to walk alongside.

2. The Tyranny of the Desperate

Desperation often shows up when numbers are declining, giving is shrinking, or volunteers are thinning out. Desperate churches grasp at quick fixes—new strategies, flashy events, or “silver bullet” solutions. In this mode, we begin to treat people as a means to an end rather than as beloved image-bearers.

Instead of cultivating slow, steady discipleship, we pressure leaders to produce instant results. But discipleship is never microwaved—it’s always marinated.

3. The Tyranny of the Panicked

Panic often erupts when cultural shifts feel overwhelming. The headlines scare us. The next generation confuses us. Technology moves faster than we can keep up. In panic, we make reactive choices, often fueled by fear rather than discernment. We swing wildly between extremes—either isolating ourselves from the culture or chasing after it in hopes of staying “relevant.”

Neither leaves room for patient, Spirit-led evangelism or the kind of relationships that ground people in Christ.

The Impact on Evangelism and Discipleship

When urgency, desperation, and panic take the driver’s seat, the gospel becomes distorted.

We end up offering people programs instead of presence, pressure instead of patience, noise instead of listening. Relational evangelism requires trust and time. Discipleship requires consistency and commitment.

Both demand a kind of calm resilience that can only be cultivated when we resist the tyrannies.

Choosing a Different Way

Jesus never rushed. He lived with urgency in obedience to the Father’s mission, but He was never frantic. He noticed people others overlooked. He lingered with the lonely. He walked at the pace of relationships. If we want to embody that same posture, we have to dethrone the tyrannies.

• Instead of the urgent, choose the important: build rhythms that prioritize people over programs.

• Instead of the desperate, choose the faithful: trust that God grows His church in His time.

• Instead of the panicked, choose the peaceful: anchor your leadership in prayer, discernment, and hope.

The Church’s greatest witness in this cultural moment may not be in how quickly we adapt or how cleverly we strategize, but in how deeply we love, how faithfully we disciple, and how patiently we walk with others in the way of Jesus.