Passion is never the problem. Capacity is.
I recently sat in on a board training for a newly forming nonprofit. It was early—very early—in its life. The mission was good. The people were earnest. There was genuine passion in the room.
And yet, the longer the conversation went on, the more alarm bells started going off in my head.
A few days later, in a one-on-one with the board chair, I said something that felt almost taboo:
You might need to shut this down.
I didn’t expect to say it out loud.
When passion outruns capacity
The issue wasn’t vision or values. It was simpler—and harder to admit.
The board chair is leaving.
In this case, the board chair is also functioning as executive director. They carry operations, relationships, public visibility, and day-to-day decision-making. There is no redundancy. No staff ED. No one else positioned to absorb that weight.
When the chair leaves, the executive function leaves too.
The response was familiar: We should add more board members.
That’s not wrong. But recruiting and onboarding takes time. Which means new members would arrive just as the current leader walks out the door.
That’s not succession.
That’s a leadership cliff.
Structure is not capacity
Nonprofits—and churches—often confuse structure with capacity.
We assume that if we fix the org chart, the work will continue.
But titles don’t answer emails.
Committees don’t manage partnerships.
Passion doesn’t replace executive labor.
Time is the hidden antagonist.
Creating a fundraising committee doesn’t help if there isn’t a viable donor list.
Creating an evangelism team doesn’t help if there are no relationships with unchurched people.
Creating a savings plan doesn’t help if you’re bleeding red monthly.
If nothing materially changes—money or people—the likely outcome isn’t growth.
It’s burnout.
Sometimes stopping is stewardship
Sometimes the most responsible advice isn’t push harder or believe more.
Sometimes it’s pause.
Sometimes it’s close.
That isn’t failure.
It’s stewardship.
Something does not have to live forever to have been faithful.
God may perform miracles.
But God also invented math.
Substack Seminary exists for precisely these conversations — the ones where discernment matters more than optimism.
If you are leading something that feels one leader away from collapse, this is the space to think honestly about it.
Substack Seminary exists to help pastors and church leaders think clearly about capacity, sustainability, and leadership in a post-growth church.
If you’re tired of being told that bigger is the only faithful option, and you want language and frameworks for leading well within real limits, this is the space for you.
Join us.
