To My Leaders: Let me give you all a big hug. You are awesome!
One thing that is clear to me from being a pastor and leader is how important our teams of leaders and supporters are to what we do in the world. Our leaders are not just a part of the church, they ARE the church. They are not just a part of what we do in the community; they ARE what we do in the community. With their leadership we are strong, and without them… too scary to think. So, I give you: The Top Five Things I Love About My Leaders (in no particular order).
Encouragement. As a pastor, one of my top responsibilities in leading the people God has given me is to encourage them. I’m blessed with leaders who go out of their way to encourage me. I get email, phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, Twitter DM’s, and personal “stop and chat” time in the halls every week from my leaders. They say I am a better leader than I say I am, a nicer guy than I even tried to be, a smarter strategist than I ever was, and a holier person than God watched all week. Encouragement is such a blessing to a guy in ministry, whether paid or non-paid staff, and my leaders are a blessing for their kindness.
Commitment. I have leaders that are willing to meet early in the morning both during the week and even before church on Sundays to pray together and engage in discussion about ministering to the neighborhood God has placed us in. I’m blessed to facilitate some in depth discussion when we meet as teams or the occasional breakfast/lunch/coffee meeting. The level of commitment to plan, execute, and review make my ministry more joyful and creates a culture of continual improvement for everything we do from Small Groups, Baptism Orientation, big events, or unknown and unsung behind the scenes hours of labor. The commitment of my team members has made us powerful.
Honesty. My leaders now pretty much expect me to hand out a feedback form at the end of any meeting, event, or even at random. What has been a huge blessing is their willingness to take the time to address our highs and lows, identify what is going well and what is not, and offer solutions with a personal stake in the outcome. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t bother. But these are my leaders, and they’re AWESOME. We plan the process together, walk the road together, and “celebrate the win” together. Thankfully, we even take the blame together as well!!
Attitude. Whether we do “the same old thing” or try something new, these guys always get behind what we do and drive the vision forward. Even the ones who hate change are willing to learn new systems, embrace new technology, and ask questions. Anyone reading this who has ever been a leader knows how attitude affects outcome. I’m very optimistic in how God can use these teams.
Generosity. And I don’t mean cash. My leaders are generous with ideas, time, and grace. The grace they extend to one another and to our staff is beyond measure or accurate description. Their generosity makes the impossible dreams we have for our city become probable.
The Top Five Things I Love About My Leaders (in no particular order). What else should I have added to this list? What are YOUR favorite things you love about your teams or the leaders of your organization?