Transforming Leadership: New Vision for a Church in
(Norma Cook Everist and Craig L. Nessan, MN: Augburg Fortress Publisher, 2008)
Here is an outline of the book that may enable pastors and lay leaders in their leadership of God’s people called the church. Each of the chapters concludes with a sections of thoughtful questions for personal reflection, group conversation, spiritual practice, and transforming action. These would be great for a book study.
SECTION
CHAPTER
· Trust is the essential element of all ministry
· Transformational leadership is at the core relational
· Trust-building means intentionally fostering a climate of open communication where people take the time to listen to each other.
· Establishing trust involves creating times and places where interaction is relaxed enough so that time is available to really pay attention to what others are saying.
· Listening deeply and insightfully involves understanding the story of the faith journey of a congregation.
· Only by investing in people can one attain the social capital needed to engage in mutual transformational ministry.
· Trust is maintained over time and most congregations need a pastor’s tenure for 3-5 years minimum to begin to establish trust (but the average pastor says only 4 years).
· We must increase the tenure of those called to serve as called or commissioned leaders.
· Therefore leaders will need to invest in spiritual practices that sustain ministry for the long haul, and be enveloped in a support system beyond the congregation.
Trustworthy Environment
- Trust will remain on a surface level unless people trust enough to care about one another to risk a new adventure.
- People bring their own insecurities to meetings, most of which are not immediately observable.
- On the other hand, people also have the propensity to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think, failing to believe that others, are of great worth in God’s eyes too.
- An environment that is trustworthy, safe, healthy, and hospitable is not devoid of different opinions, even disagreement.
- A safe environment is “comfortable” in the sense that it can “comfort others.”
- Some think a “safe environment” lacks risk. On the contrary, congregations where trust is solid will have the courage to care about and engage in courageous ministry in dangerous places in need of justice and love.
- A hospitable environment offers generous welcome, even and especially to strangers.
- A healthy environment provides opportunities for all of the members to grow.
- Without trust, no specific leadership style will probably matter to the system.
- When people feel out of control in other areas of their life, it is likely they will exert control in the life of their church, even venting anger and resentment in inappropriate ways to people who do not deserve it.
- We must work to maintain an environment of trust, learn and use skills of patience, active listening, and clear, honest, and respectful listening…in other words, maintaining a healthy conversation will need to be modeled and taught.
- As change comes into a congregation system, it becomes essential to check in and re-establish trust between and among generations.
- Transforming leaders actively look for gifts in people, not just some people, but all.
- Both the authoritarian leaders and the leader who abdicates leadership display a lack of trust in people.
- When one person or group is given free reign to shatter the trustworthy environment and, more often than not, to make the leader the scapegoat, the congregation council needs to stop the inappropriate behavior and consistently act to re-establish trust and vitality in the community.
- Ironically, people who are exhibiting mistrust of their leader still count on the leader to fix what is broken. People’s wounds and distorted attitudes toward authority lead them to make irrational demands of leaders.
- How we behave under fire is crucial. Other people can take a lot from us, but not our integrity.
- See the questions at the end of chapter one, page 15.
CHAPTER TWO: Honoring the People – Congregational Realities
Honoring Context: Leadership entails careful attention to learning and honoring the context of one’s ministry
- Ethnology methodology:
- Participant observation
- Semi-structured interviews
- Material artifacts
- Documentary evidence
· Ten insights about the partnership between leader and people that maximize team building (#
Key Insight:
Theological truth:
Leadership Virtue:
o #10 - The congregation was there before you were. They have experienced God’s providential care for a people over time. Key component needed: Humility\
- #9 - There’s a reason why things are the way they are. The ecclesiastical condition, like the human one, is one of brokenness (sin).
- Key component: Do not judge
- #8 - It is the congregation’s job not to want to change. The human condition is marked by fear of the future.
- Key compnenet: Gentleness with God’s people contemplating change
- #7 - The congregation is divided roughly into thirds: one third will be “inactive,” one third will attend worship as primary or only activity, and one third are active beyond worship. The body of Christ has many members…each has a role and part to play.
- Graciousness to “sinners” and “pillars” alike.
- #6 - Your parents will be members of your congregation (rarely actual, but metaphorically always true). The healer is also always wounded.
- Key component: Always seek greater self-knowledge
- #5 - Some people will know how to push your buttons. You however as the leader must remember that you are justified by grace through faith and not by the approval of other people.
- Key component: Self-determination
- #4 - The congregation and leader will identify other people to blame for their problems. Jesus Christ died as the final scapegoat.
- Key component: When you are wrong, apologize. Confession is good for the soul of a leader.
- #3 - Christ is God; you are not. Watch for idolatry; people will want to worship you as leader…it has the opportunity for great sin and many have failed when this has happened.
- Key component: Surrender – let Christ minister to you and your congregation.
- #2 - People will tell you what you need to know, if you are ready to listen to them. This people already have a theology. They are not a blank slate.
- Key component: Silence and awe in the face of a great mystery.
- #1 - The congregation will abide even after you leave. Remember that the harvest belongs to God and it will continue until the end of time.
- Key component: Equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph.
CHAPTER THREE: Hearing the Wisdom – Twelve Ecclesial Foundations
1. Location: The church is both local and universal.
2. Nature: The church is both sinner and saint.
3. Redemption: The church needs liberated spiritual leadership.
4. Shape: The transforming church gathers all people around.
5. Ministry: The living saints who are my neighbors.
6. Vocation: The church is set apart to be sent forth.
7.
8. Confidence: Self-negation blocks real courageous service.
9. Inclusivity: The church as a company of strangers.
10. Strength: The church is a suffering servant.
11. Challenge: A global church will face idolatrous promises.
12. Gift: The church is not a claim but a gift.
CHAPTER FOUR: Leading for
Defining leadership: the art of “mobilizing people to make progress on the hardest of problems” (Ronald Heifetz). “Spiritual leadership is moving people on to God’s agenda” (Henry Blackaby).
· Leadership is an “art”. Leadership is about a range of relational practices that need to be engaged with flexibility and adaptability in given contexts and situations.
· Leadership is about “mobilizing” or “empowering” people. Leaders engage in transforming practices that empower people to participate in this ministry and mission.
· Leadership seeks to engage the hardest of problems. All congregations perennially face two particular problems.
o Identity: remembering and claiming its true identity as the people of God in Christ,
o
· Ten Leadership practices for mobilizing congregations to address their two most difficult problems: claiming identity and engaging in mission.
o Form and preserve and environment of trust.
o Draw on the deep values of the people
o Imagine God’s future together.
o Identify the assets of the congregation and build on them.
o Understand systems and the certainty of avoidance behaviors.
o Maintain sufficient differentiation to see the big picture through the development of an adequate support system beyond the congregation.
o Focus on appreciating and developing the leadership of others.
o Recognize that transforming leadership as difficult and challenging work.
o Accompany people over time.
o Remain rooted in the gospel above all things.
· Leadership in
o
o Justification and Justice
o Witness
o Evangelizing
o Discipleship
o Stewardship
SECTION TWO: IDENTITY CLAIMED
CHAPTER
One of the most challenging aspects of pastoral ministry is to walk the tightrope between claiming too much authority for oneself and claiming too little. Both authoritarian self and the humiliated self are dangerous alternatives. Authority has to do with the responsible exercise of power.
“Power” can be defined concisely as ‘the ability and means to get something done.’NT Greek describes Jesus authority as “exousia” (ex- meaning out of, and ousia- meaning being), i.e. Jesus exercised power “out of his being”.
Celia Allison Hahn defines “authority is the right to exercise leadership in a particular group or institution based upon the combination of qualities, characteristics, or expertise that the leader has or that the followers believe their leader has.”
Transformational leadership is exercised in the interplay between the inward authority possessed by that leader – charisma, skill, wisdom, and knowledge – and the acknowledgement of that authority by those who are led.
People will always related to a pastor in terms of the office they hold…which can be a source of joy or a burden for the leader.
People bring good and bad experiences with other authority figures:
o Dependency, hostility.\
o Transference: it is crucial that a leader not overreact to such emotional transference.
o Those in authority have an initial investment of social capital that is theirs to employ, unless squandered or abused.
· Types of authority:
o Formal – based upon the office one holds.
o Acknowledged – based upon trustworthiness and skill, built upon relationship
o Integrative Authority (Hahn speaks of 4 different types of exercising authority
o Received authority – based on position or office
o Autonomous authority – “I know best”
o Assertive authority – “autonomous authority recognizing a relationship with others”
o Integrative authority – exercising authority contextually, choosing right style given situation
CHAPTER SIX: Transforming Servant Leadership
· Paradox: Abuse of power versus Abdication of power.
o We need to fully claim our authority and responsibilities without veering into authoritarianism.
o Willing to be a servant does not mean we doubt our gifts and sink into abdication of our roles.
· Seven Aspects of (the paradoxical) Servant Leadership
o Power – one who leads understands power and uses it effectively. One who serves empowers others. Abuse of power is authoritarianism. Refusal to claim one’s own power is abdication.
o Presence – The leader is aware of their own physical size and presence and uses them well. The servant sees differently-abled people and meets them where they are.
o Knowledge – The leader is knowledgeable and give clear direction. The servant asks and finds out where people are in their thinking. The authoritarian assumes they know everything and is unwilling to learn for fear of losing face. The abdicator believes they cannot know and therefore is unable to learn from or about others.
o Roles – The leader claims the authority of the office and respects the roles of others with whom the serve. The servant moves freely among people, able to serve in a number of roles without losing identity. The abdicator too easily surrenders authority and role.
o Relationships – The leader is assertive and able to interact with people. The servant considers each person important and listens carefully to each one. The authoritarian ultimately becomes isolated. The abdicator through dependency deprecates themselves.
o Decision-making –The leader manages well and is decisive. The servant consults, links, and facilitates mutual decision-making, using the gifts of all. The authoritarian controls. The abdicator is “humbly proud” of not being able to make decisions.
o Proclamation – The leader proclaims with conviction. The servant proclaims with a listening ear. The authoritarian pontificates. The abdicator speaks hesitantly or not at all.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Leading Theologically
Transforming leadership requires us to see preaching and teaching as core responsibilities of the calling. The church today is adrift in a sea of confusion about its identity and mission. By neglecting the ministry of teaching the Word, in many and various ways all week long (in every context), we are in the process of sacrificing an entire generation to the trends of the times or to literalist legalisms. They lift up the role of the Servant of the Word with the image of the Rabbi. There is an excellent and brief description of the rise of Rabbinic Judaism following the fall of the Temple.
Suggestions for making the core of our work pulled within the gravity of the Word:
· Make the Pastor’s office into the Minister’s Study.
· Engage in Holy Conversations with people
· Expand the use of the Word within the daily life of the congregation.
· Teaching the word in every context (“the whole counsel).
· Meetings and special occasions are opportunities to engage the Word.
· Continuing Education – read a variety of material (Biblicial, ministerial strengthening, leadership, something new and something old, and recreational reading. Form colleague groups.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Transforming Power of Partnership
The Power Cycle
- The POWERFUL and the POWERLESS
- Ignore
- Internalize deprecation
- “Here I am”
- Trivialize
- Diminish self
- Claiming one’s power of voice
- Ridicule
- Bruised and abused self
- Straightforward, direct action
- Caucus for support and wisdom
- Token stage: unnatural and somewhat dangerous
- Eliminate
- Dismissal, exclusion, annihilation
SECTION THREE: INTEGRITY TESTED
CHAPTER NINE: Stewardship of Life: Spiritual Practices for Sustainable Ministry
One of the deepest sources of joy is the opportunity to enter into the life-giving relationships with God’s people. Yet, there are times of privileged access are simultaneously the very occasions that require conscientiousness and vigilance on the part of the minister. Therefore a leader must attend to self-care for self, soul, family, community, and church. They discuss the spiritual wellness wheel and the Circle of Support (
CHAPTER
We are created to be gift and joy to one another, not to treat each other as toys or as pawns in a power play.
- In our doubts, fears, and obsessions, we distort and betray.
- As people transformed through the cross, we are called to renewed relationships of responsibility and mutual accountability.
- The challenge is to figure out how to regard the people in our lives now, how to collaborate in current working relationships, and how to foster life-giving friendships and commitments.
- Three dimensions of regarding one another: “admiration”, “affection”, and “respect”.What do healthy relationships look like?
- ADIRMATION - “looking up to, having a high opinion of, perhaps even regarding with awe.”
- AFFECTION - “to have a fond or tender feeling toward another.” Affection can be one-way or reciprocal. It may involve attraction. It can be exclusive/obsessive. Affection is primarily an emotion, but involves attitudes and can lead to actions or to the refraining from relationships.
- RESPECT - “to regard with esteem”. Respect is the willingness to show consideration and appreciation for someone. Respect is primarily an action, but it emanates from attitudes and emotions.
- The authors addressed various combinations of these three or two and the issues, blessings and problems.
- Boundaries are necessary because when seeking our own self-gratification we will be capable of self-deception.
CHAPTER 11: Ethical Leadership: Confidentiality, Collegiality, and Finances
Ethical leadership relates deeply to ministerial integrity. Ministerial integrity has three parts:
· Tradition – theological integrity (Faithfulness, coherence, and consistency).
· Experience – Personal integrity (Honoring self and others, Establishing and respecting boundaries, genuineness and sincerity).
· Culture -- Professional integrity (Competence, fairness/equality, confidentiality).
Seven Duties to Guide Ethical Practice (W.D. Ross):
- Making reparations for wrong doing
- Keeping promises
- Duties of gratitude (based on prior act of others)
- Doing good (beneficence)
- Avoiding evil (non-malfeasance)
- Duty of justice or equitable distribution of goods and evil
- Duty of self-improvement (in virtue and intelligence)
- They added: Respect for liberty and self-determination of the other (sometimes called the duty of autonomy, sometimes the principle of respect for persons)
- They added: Truth telling
Code of Ethics for Pastoral Ministry (Ideal characteristics for pastoral ministry (Richard M. Gula):
- Holiness, love, trustworthiness, altruism, and prudence
- Professional obligations
- Theological competence, service of people’s needs for salvation, commitment to the other’s best interest, care of ourselves, and use of power.
- Sexual conduct
- Confidentiality
They conclude the chapter on lengthy and good discussion of confidentiality and collegiatiy and finances.
CHAPTER 12: Leaders Under Stress: The Transformation of Time
· “Timelock” – when the demands on our time become so overwhelming that it feels impossible to wring one more second out of our crowded schedules.
· “Vanishing Pause” – instant communication brings with it the expectation of instant response so there is never a time for an acceptable pause in our lives.
· “Multitasking” – erasing the moments of contemplation or relaxation.
· “Bondage of Choice” – freedom of choice for many has become a bondage of choice.
· Sabbath – Martin Luther links work and rest: “Any conduct or work done apart from God’s Word is unholy in the sight of God, no matter how splendid and brilliant it may appear.”
Healthy Rhythms Lessen Stress:
- Alleviate the sense of time urgency
- Understand the differences in body time
- Be specific about appointments
- Respect each person’s time and gifts
- Refrain from engaging time as a power play (don’t keep people waiting, etc)
- Realize that each person has specific trouble with time (probe the root of your problem with time)
- Be able to appreciate ‘Local Time’ (cultural acknowledgements of time differ)
SECTION FOUR: OPPORTUNITIES UNLEASHED
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Transforming Gifts: Asset-Based Congregations
- Many churches operate under the perception of “scarcity” and therefore operate by the “logic of scarcity” (e.g. “there is not enough money, volunteers,…etc.).
- Appreciative Inquiry and Asset-Based Ministry
- AI operates from the perspective that every congregation has all the gifts that are needed for creative and vital ministry. This changed perspective has a powerful effect upon people and the leadership.
- Eight Assumptions of AI
- In every …church something works.
- What we focus on becomes our reality.
- Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realities.
- The act of asking questions of a church influences the group in some way.
- People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future(unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known).
- If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past.
- It is important to value differences.
- The language we use creates reality. At the heart of AI is the matter of how one frames the discussion.
· Five Basic Types of Assets (Luther Snow)
o Physical (things one can possess)
o Individual (talents and abilities)
o Associational (informal connections or networks)
4. Institutional (formal established structures)
o Economic (financial resources)
· Three elements of Asset-Mapping:
o Recognizing the presence of assets
o Creatively connecting the various assets with one another (patterns emerge, synergy happens).
o Inviting people to employ their assets together in ministry
· Focus on Leadership Development
o Beyond time and talent surveys
o Intentional leadership development
o Training events
o Small groups (with healthy cell division – missing in many small group experiences)
· Transforming Money
o Money is a spiritual matter
o Focus on the need of the giver to give.
o Developing my own and other’s stewardship testimonies
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Transforming Congregational Systems
The chapter examines the complexities of change in intransient and resistant systems.
· Understanding Congregations as Systems
· Congregations develop over time into configurations based on the sum total of the emotional interactions that constitute their history.
· The primary conviction of system theory is that congregations consist of complex set of emotional processes that determine why things are the why they are.
o WHO – person in relationship
o WHAT – the context for the relationship
· Very often conflict arises less over the substance of what is being considered than over what is at stake emotionally for those who are engaged in the decision making process.
· Triangulation – whenever two persons experience tension between them, one can expect that they will draw into the fray a third person to attempt to address the anxiety.
· The leader can take a strategic stance by seeking to mediate triangles:
o By making reference to God’s mission
o Christ’s cross as the third party
o Prayerfulness asking for both parties to be open to seeking God’s will
o Non-anxious presence based on remaining self-differentiated.
· Self-differentiated – when the leader is able to negotiate two essential leadership moves in tandem with each others
o First, remain connected with the people (Stay with people)
o Remain free to state one’s perspective, not imposing it, but clearly articulating it. (Let them know what you think)
· Games Congregations Play
o 20% of the time groups actually behave according to their purpose, which is called a “working group”.
o 80% of the time, groups function instead according to one of three postures (non-working positions).
§ First, Dependency
§ Second, Fight/Flight
§ Third, Pairings (looking for a solution externally)
· The remainder of the chapter discusses how a leader deals with each of the three non-working groups:
o Dependency - create a climate of thanksgiving
o Fight/Flight – focus on Christ as the source of reconciliation and peace (create a climate of reconciliation)
o Pairing – create a climate of abundance
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Transforming Opportunities: People on the Edge
· People live on the edge of a church for many reasons:
o Entering
o Leaving
o Knowing (God or faith)
o Speaking (Not knowing what to say to others about Jesus, even if they show it)
o Shopping from the Edge (shopping for churches)
o The Revolving Door: Edging In and Edging Out
o Hide and Seek: An Edgy Game (People hiding from authentic community, self)
o Edgy Because of Conflict
o Fatigue
o On the Edge of Belonging (Lutherans-in-name-only who claim when asked but don’t come)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Transformed for Daily Life: Ministry of the Baptized.
· The people of God are gathering in order to be sent back into the world.
· Concepts:
o The Priesthood of All Believers
o Ministry of the Baptized
o All people in Ministry
o Ministry of the Whole People of God
o Ministry in Daily Life
· Life organized around the forgiveness of sins” that is Luther’s idea of the call.
· There is a wonderful wheel or circle on page 206 entitled “An Image of Life Together in Ministry”
· They address the idea of Volition being a missing part of the concept of Volunteer.
· How to transform people:
o Invitation
o Empowerment
o Mutual Accountability
· There is an excellent process on page 211 entitled: “A Method for Discerning Transformative Ministry” (on decision making in the congregation). Here is the skeleton:
o Step One: Pay Attention, Listen, Observe
o Step Two: Explore, seek perspective
o Step Three: Reflect, search
o Step Four: Ministry Options and Opportunities
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