Empowering your engagers

Rev. Richard Hardy examines how to lead a church into engagement.

One of the comments I’ve frequently heard when I’ve talked to church members at Engage Conferences is something like this: “I would love to do this, but it will never happen. My vicar/pastor/elders would never allow it.”

I think it’s sad to see such enthusiasm and passion snuffed out because church members honestly believe the idea will not be supported by the leadership.

Is this a genuine concern? Are people afraid to mention anything because they have the idea that the leaders will automatically say ‘no’? Or is this feeling of disempowerment based on previous experience? Are people resigned to not doing anything because they have been disappointed with their leader’s reactions in the past? Or is it an excuse not to do anything and blame the leaders when they aren’t there to defend themselves?

It could be any of those things. But for every time I think it’s an excuse, there are other times when I think there is real hurt and disillusionment that prevents people from even suggesting it.

As leaders, it’s easy to hold the reins of leadership too tightly. Maybe it’s because of our own insecurities, or perhaps we fear that things will get out of hand.. We have to exercise discernment in the projects our church takes on, but maybe there are times when we have poured cold water on initiatives and stand in the way of good ideas for the wrong reasons.

Frustration

Church governmental structure can often be a source of frustration to the congregation. If everything has to be agreed by the leadership before anything can get done, it can mean proposals have to overcome many hurdles. No wonder that some people give up.

I know of one church that operated several congregations across a city, which insisted that every decision came through the collective leadership. This was to be the case, even when the decision itself was only relevant to one of the congregations. The aim was to foster unity; the outcome was simply exasperation.

For example, one of the congregations saw the opportunity to purchase premises, but had to act quickly. The congregation met, realised it had enough money without going to the rest of the church to ask for financial support. That should have been enough to settle the situation. Those on the ground, in the know and with a stake in the situation were best placed to make the decision.

However, the form of church government they had committed to meant that they had to wait for the next meeting of the whole church and present the case. By the time this happened, the property had been sold to someone else.

The need for leaders to reflect

This article is not a plea for pragmatism or revolution it simply invites church leadership to reflect on both its fears where control is concerned and practise in church government. Here are some things I’ve learned as a church leader

• Just because I’m not in control doesn’t mean the situation is out of control.
• It’s much more personally fulfilling to lead people in a common cause, than seek to control an institution,
• When you effectively release church members creative engagement with the community seems to follow naturally
• People are more passionate about projects they feel called to – so you avoid the problem of having to recruit volunteers
• In the long run, empowering people to do things themselves means less work for the leaders!

Guardians of the vision

When a church arrives at a consensus as to God’s goal for their engagement it is remarkable what can take place. For example, one church summarised its mission in these terms – To Love God; Love Each Other and Love the World.

The leaders then because guardians of the vision. They let it be known that they would only endorse, encourage and plan those projects and events that would help the church fulfil the mission.

When someone came forward with an idea they were asked how it would help the church fulfil its vision. If they could demonstrate that it would, they were encouraged to get on with it and asked what support they needed. This sped the process up. The leaders did not feel that they needed to weigh every last detail or even participate in the event unless asked to do so. Similarly it was rare that leaders needed to intervene and pull a group back on track.

I like the story told about Rick Warren and Saddleback Community Church. One of the members of the congregation approached him after a particularly challenging sermon and said that he felt there was a need for more prayer in the church. Rick could have said he would look into it and maybe mention it at the next Church Leaders meeting. Instead he said, “Great! You’re it! What do you need to get started?”

Maybe it’s time that we as church leaders reflect upon whether we prohibit initiative or promote it. After all Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-13 that true leadership is about releasing others to serve and maybe even to lead. Let’s not let the way we work run counter to what Paul suggests in this passage.

Last Updated 30 November 2010