The Leadership Conundrum

Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

Dear Friends, 

As I am writing to you, it is shortly before one of First Lutheran’s monthly council meetings. I will be meeting with Brent, Kevin, Marty, Leane, Kerri and Eileen to review and make decisions on your behalf in the name of Christ. One of things we’ll be discussing is the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in October. At that AGM, we will have elections for council members. Because of term limits, the only council members who are available to continue are Kerri and Leane. (Eileen has been attending for the last few meetings and has agreed to have her name be put up for election.) This raises the question, Who else will stand for election to Council? 

Like almost all other non-profit organizations, we rely on members to volunteer to support our ministries and activities AND like almost all other non-profit organizations, we struggle to fill volunteer roles… especially in LEADERSHIP! In some of the literature about encouraging volunteering, they even say to NOT use the word “leader” because NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE ON LEADERSHIP ROLES! Why has it become so hard to find people who will lead? 

A couple of the reasons I can identify are:

1. If you are a leader and things don’t go well, YOU GET BLAMED!

2. If you agree to be a leader, YOU END UP HAVING TO DO ALL THE WORK YOURSELF!

Let me address these two… 

#1 YOU GET BLAMED!Several years ago at a previous congregation, my wife, Pastor Laura, realized that their church council spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was to blame for there not being enough money and for other things that weren’t going well. Finally, she said, “Okay. It’s MY fault. I’ll take the blame. Now that we know who is to blame, how are we going to address these issues?” And, it worked. When the council started to go down the rabbit hole of whose fault it is, someone would say, “Oh yeah. It’s Pastor’s fault!” Then, they’d chuckle and start figuring out what to do. By willing to “take the hit” and get blamed, Laura created an atmosphere where the leadership was supported and freed up to work together to move forward. 

So, guess what? It’s MY FAULT! If you are wondering why something isn’t going as well as you think it should, then it’s my fault. If I were just a little more _________ or a little less_______ or if I would just _________ or just quit ________ then things would be better. My commitment is that if you step into leadership, you will be supported and uplifted as we work together! 

#2 YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THE WORK YOURSELF!This a very common scenario in a situation where not many people are volunteering. I’ve been there. There was something that I felt needed to happen, I got excited about it, I expected folks to show up and help, but then no one else did and I had to do it all. Quite often, folks will talk about the 80/20 rule: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. One solution to this is to HIRE people to do the work. I’ve heard that a while back, First Lutheran had 14 people on staff! If we just pay people to do our “volunteer” work then we don’t have to! If everyone doubled their giving, then this might be an option… 

I’m not pushing for this solution. I think the real answer is to have everyone find their role in ministry. By contributing yourself, your time and your abilities, you are blessed. Especially, when you are contributing out of your giftedness, there is great joy to be found and experienced. We have discerned our core purpose to be making life-giving connections. Serving and working together on something you care about and are gifted in with others who are just as passionate and gifted is life-giving. 

To help create the kind of community where everyone gets to experience this joy of serving, we are having Reconnection Sunday on Sept. 13^th. We will have a time in the worship where you get to choose where you are called to serve. The roles range from making coffee to serving on council. All areas of our life together (worship, faith formation, inreach and outreach) will be enhanced by having more of our membership being involved in these aspects of ministry. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I invite you to be thinking and praying about where you are being called to serve. What are you passionate about? What have you always wanted to try? Where has fear stopped you from getting involved? Come on Sept. 13^th ready to reconnect with each other and with Christ’s work for us! 

Peace,Pastor Phil