Equipping Lay Leadership For Adaptive Transformation
by Rev. Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader
How do lay leaders in churches know how to lead when it comes to adaptive transformation? This is something beyond executing the duties inherent in their roles, like leading committees. Churches need Deacons, Elders, Council Members, Board Members, Vestries, or whatever they are named in your church, to help adaptive transformation taking place, proactively giving their energy and influence to that movement. One way to get there is to identify LeaderGuides, the principles and specific practices the church needs embodied in their role.
LeaderGuides are carefully discerned principles to guide leadership, or even specific practices lay leadership can pursue. When carefully and accurately discerned, LeaderGuides serve as the implementation guide for the mission and vision of the church. When identified and approved, then the lay leadership team can use these LeaderGuides all year, directing their energy and efforts, ramping up their leadership. When done well, the church experiences the lay leadership team as unified, mission-focused, and forward-moving.
At the risk of influencing churches too much (since these are contextually created and not imported), allow me to share a few LeaderGuides collected from churches with whom we have worked.
We will affirm every effort to form disciples who partner with God to transform this world.
We will affirm every holy experiment, reinforcing our efforts to follow Holy Spirit nudges.
We will continually adapt our organizational structures toward supporting our mission efficiently and effectively.
We will look for those persons in this community for whom this church would help open the door to God through Jesus Christ.
We will speak directly and honestly as we interact with each other, yet always with an eye on what’s good and healthy for one another.
We will invest in leaders, encouraging them to lead, support, and challenge us toward spiritual growth and mission fulfillment.
As you can see, LeaderGuides are an expression of the mission and vision… how leaders would serve to help church culture and functioning to constantly align therewith. We are starting a brief process with another church’s lay leadership team soon. We are glad to explore partnering with others toward creating their LeaderGuides as well.
Blessings to you and your church as you join God’s mission to transform this world, living into greater expressions of church as we go.