Continuing my blogs on
Congregational Revitalization, I want to return to the subject of leadership
and particularly what a church should look for in the Rector selected to lead
this change.
In my many years of
working with congregations, I have had the great privilege of working with many
remarkable clergy. I have found that it
takes a significant combination of personality and skills for clergy who have
successfully lead efforts of congregational revitalization. What are these?
First, let me remind you
that in my previous blogs on this topic I have outlined some important
pre-conditions that help a congregation in this task. It is important to remember that leadership
is NOT just about leaders, but also about a congregation’s readiness for change
and the context of the community surrounding the congregation. Too many congregations especially in the
Episcopal Church have lived with the illusion that “if we just got the right
Rector this time” then everything would go well for them. Often the image of this “right Rector” is
that of a past beloved Rector of the 50s or 60s.
Having reminded my readers
of this, I now want to suggest what a congregation should look for in the new
Rector to lead Revitalization.
1.
I would look for a candidate with a proven
track record. Past performance is the BEST indicator of future behavior. I would look for a leader who has
demonstrated an ability to inspire church members and to attract new and
especially unchurched people. As
fundamental as this may seem, it is amazing to me the number of search
committees that fail to do their research on this. Often they based their impressions on one or
two of the following.
a. Their Bishop’s recommendation
b. The physical attractiveness of the candidate
c. The ability of a candidate to answer a few selective
questions with no connection as to whether the candidate has ever done what
they have written
d. One example of a sermon by a candidate
e. How a particular candidate stacks up against the other
4 candidates they have seen so far
2.
I would look for
a leader that has an infectious spirituality.
This leader is able to draw people to her or his vision of the church
and its mission and who is able to communicate an image of God and of Christ
that is inspirational and attractive.
3.
I would look for
a candidate who is an effective communicator of the Gospel. Here I put the emphasis on “communicator.” Most Episcopal Clergy are intelligent and
thoughtful people who share a certain intellectual ability assured by their
seminary training and confirmed by the examination of a Commission on
Ministry. This does not mean that they
are effective as communicators.
When I evaluate sermons, I look at two
important skills in preaching. Fred
Craddock called these simply “having something to say” and “saying it
effectively.” I can almost always give
an Episcopal Clergy person high marks on have something intelligent to say, but
I give few good grades on saying it effectively. Unfortunately, most clergy use the same form
for a sermon over and over again. We
wear the hearer out in our predictability of what we will say and how we will
say it.
4.
I would look for
a candidate that loves people, accepts people where they are and yet is ready
to challenge them to grow deeper into discipleship and into Christ’s mission. I would look for an encourager and someone
able to affirm lay leadership. If a
larger congregation, I would look for someone who can build a strong team of
staff members and effectively delegate.
5.
I would look for
someone who values and loves the Church even the local congregation. Many Episcopal Clergy communicate a certain
disdain for ordinary parish life. We
make fun of the Altar Guild or we are cynical about the annual Parish
Fair. We often fail to simply thank
volunteers for their contributions. We
frequently chastise those who loyally show up and do the regular routine things
that make a community work.
6.
I would look for
a candidate who knows what she or he does well and who knows their own limitations.
An effective leader focuses on what that
leader does best and delegates what that leader does not do well.
I once told a search committed that “if
you are looking for an inspirational leader who can communicate a vision in a
passionate way, than I am your guy. If
you are looking for someone who is focused on details and repetitive tasks,
look for someone else.” Was I a good
administrator? Yes, if you mean by that
visionary leader, team oriented, and problem solver. No, if you mean by that someone who can
organize the next parish supper. I
learned often the hard way that I worked best as a Rector when I had a strong
administrative assistant on my right hand.
7.
I would look for
a person who models, as a leader, what it means to be a follower of
Christ. I would want a person who can
admit a mistake. I would want a person who is able to forgive. I would desire a leader who is generous in
financial matters, tithes to the parish, and gives to other important
ministries and organizations. I have
never found a parish where stewardship is strong where the Rector does not
tithe.
8.
I would look for
a Rector who is connected to other leaders.
I would want a full participant in the Diocese. I would want a leader who has good
relationships with colleagues. I would
want a leader who takes good counsel from other leaders. I have learned that in the long run there is
only one illness in a leader or a church and it is isolation.
Narcissistic
leaders stand alone. They only have admirers
or fans. They do not live in relationships
where they are help accountable. I
remind us that clergy are members of an “order” and not Lone Rangers. These relationships help a leader remember
that he or she is not the Messiah and that the Church exists apart from them,
and they apart for their role. In other
words, I would want a healthy person and healthy people exist in relationship
to other healthy people.
9.
Finally, I would
want a person who is dependent on God’s Grace.
I once heard a clergy spouse respond to a question about the clergy
family being “models” to the congregation.
“Yes,” She said, “we are to be models to the congregation. We are not, however, models of perfection because
we aren’t perfect and such an expectation is always destructive. We are to be models of people who live our
lives as if we are dependent on God’s Grace.” No matter what situation a leader
or leaders find themselves facing, we can always model that we are dependent
upon the Grace of God.
Notice that I haven’t said
anything about programs, or systems, or theories of parish organization. Certainly these can be important, but without
the above, they are of little use.
