As leaders, we are expected to use a variety of skills and competencies in our work. In congregations, ministers are often project managers, strategic planners, budget directors, grief counselors, communicators and much more. Seminary prepares us well to unpack the biblical text through preaching and teaching, but we need more than exegetical tools if our leadership is going to have a positive and lasting effect on the congregation.
Unless vocational ministry is our second career, we don’t always have a robust set of leadership competencies developed from our earliest years. We learn as we go. We read books. We go to conferences. Sometimes we go back to school to earn additional degrees and certifications. We do these things to become better leaders. But until that happens, there is one fundamental leadership trait we won’t learn at a conference: we need to know who and when to ask for help.
If we are honest, there are times when the organization’s needs exceed what we can give. Leaders who wish to thrive under complex and adaptive challenges need to become experts at identifying people, partners and resources who can fill in the knowledge gaps.
When we ask others for help, we send an important message to those we serve. We communicate that we value people and their input by inviting them to contribute. We demonstrate humility, and without humility, leaders seem unapproachable. Asking for help happens in different ways: requesting feedback on your performance, asking for wisdom from a trained professional, listening to someone else’s perspective about a problem. Wise leaders know it is easier to solve adaptive problems when we have help. So as you get ready for your next staff or board meeting, you may want to ask what you need help with and who can help.
Resources
You’ve decided to build affordable housing on your church property. What’s next?
The “predevelopment” phase is crucial in faith-based efforts to develop church property. An expert in urban planning helps demystify the process.
By Nadia A. Mian
Could ‘hybrid shared ministry’ help struggling congregations survive?
A pastor shares his experience with a new model in which a larger congregation helps a smaller one by digitally sharing resources, sermons and other assets.
By A. Trevor Sutton
Three historic Black churches come together to make a new congregation
When a fire destroyed a historic Philadelphia church building, the congregation merged with two others to form New River Presbyterian Church, dedicated to loving God and serving their neighborhood.
By Annette John-Hall
Coaching leaders and congregations to reach their full potential
How can you connect the dots between where your church needs to be headed and the steps needed to get there? Doug Powe, president of Phillips Theological Seminary, interviews the founder of a coaching group on how coaching can help leaders draw on their own resourcefulness and creativity to move a congregation forward.
Q&A with Chris Holmes
Before you go
Topography. Audits. Church employment law. These are a few of the topics that never came up in my seminary curriculum. Yet in more than two decades of ministry, I have needed to know more than I ever expected about these areas. My first church had to negotiate with municipal staff because the town wanted to put in a road where our parking lot was. Routine meetings with members who happened to be general contractors helped me learn to read design maps and better understand how the topography influenced the church’s options. I have also benefited from working with church consultants. A consultant may not be the best option for every issue, but seeking help from external resources has helped me and other leaders I know to use a thoughtful, discerning approach to solve tough challenges.
You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!
Prince R. Rivers
Editor, Alban at Duke Divinity