Leading in Difficult Times

The following text is taken from a guide presented at the First 90 Days training for pastors in the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church.

We must adjust to changing times and still hold on to unchanging principles. - Jimmy Carter

Pastors are called to lead at all times in the life and history of churches.  Often that leadership is challenged with a variety of factors.  Our most recent challenge is that of a world facing economic crisis.  The challenges presented to pastors and churches are as varied as the churches themselves.  For this reason, the First 90 Days plan for pastors engaged in transitioning to a different or new church will need to include a plan for leading through the challenges of budget adjustments, stewardship attitudes, and the money fear factor.

The First 90 Days plan that you will develop is designed to accelerate your transition in your new ministry experience.  The following strategies and conversations can be combined to lead your church in difficult times.

The most common approach to ledership is simple and applies to the best and worst situations:

• Common Sense
• Creativity
• Collaboration

Leadership Strategy

A strategy to establish a clear plan for leading in difficult times:

• Lead with vision and Manage with discipline
• Create and Sustain high performance culture
• Enhance your members' church experience through Lay Leadership Engagement
• Nurture your church's brand relationship
• Learn and Grow from the experience

Communicating Your Leadership

The Five Conversations for Church Leadership and Their Pastor*

*Adapted from The First 90 Days: Critical Strategies for New Leads and All Levels by Michael Watkins

1. The Situational Diagnosis Conversation
   Leading with Vision and Manage with Change
2. The Expectations Conversation
   Creating and Sustaining a High Performance Culture
3. The Style Conversation
   Nurture your Church's Brand Relationship
4. The Resources Conversation
   Enhance your members' church experience through Lay Leadership Engagement
5. The Personal Development Conversation
   Learn and Grow from the Experience

Leading with Vision and Manage with Discipline

"Where there is no vision ... the people perish."  We have heard this prophetic proclamation loud and clear for many years in our churches.  It is also true that where there is too much vision ... the people choke out of confusion.  We can become paralyzed by the drive to be a visionary for the sake of vision alone without action.  Leading in difficult times challenges a leader to focus on the main thing.  Discovering or re-affirming the vision, and then managing that vision with discipline is essential.  Here is a strategy within a strategy to accomplish that purpose:

1. Vision that Works
   1. Know your Purpose
   2. Cast your Vision
   3. Build your Team
2. Manage with Discipline - best practices in:
   1. Communication
   2. Finance
   3. Trustees
   4. Personnel

Create and Sustain a High Performance Culture

Churches facing difficult times are infamous for just doing what they have to do to get by.  However, the church cannot only grow in such situations; it can become an incubator for future growth and a beacon of hope for the community.  One important way to create that opportunity is to create a high performance culture.

A performance culture, rather than evolving over time in a spontaneous manner, is consciously planned and developed through deliberate actions to maximize productivity.  In a performance culture, anything that stands as a barrier to meeting or exceeding performance expectations is either eliminated or maximized.

• Shared Direction
  • Vision
  • Strategcy
• Leadership Focus
  • Values
  • Goals
  • Change
• Performance Execution
  • Processes
  • Tools and Technology
  • Accountability
  • Execution
  • Organizational Structure
  • Cost Management
  • Decision Making
• Human Capital
  • Leadership
  • Collective Knowledge
  • Learning
  • Innovation
  • Incentives/Rewards
  • Relationships
  • Teamwork
  • Talent
  • Performance Management

Finding and Growing Lay Leadership

One of the most important keys to a healthy and growing church is the recruitment and development of called and compentent church leaders.  As local churches prepare ot nominate their churhc leaders annually, the Lay Leadership or Nominations Committee is giving the task of building the team, not just filling positions.  Following are three essential components that can be used to build a strong Leadership Team for your church.

1. Led to Lead
   1. Leadership Characteristics
   2. Leadership Lifestyles (Requirements for Leading)
2. Building a Church Leadership Team
   1. Clarity of Purpose
   2. Skills and Competencies needed to achieve the vision
   3. Leadership Covenants
3. Equipping the Team
   1. Leader Identity and Communication
   2. Team Performance and Evaluation
   3. Leader Multiplication

Nurturing Your Church's Brand Relationship

Churches and pastors often get stuck in their minsitry.  One of the reasons that this can happen is that we forget to nurture our church's brand.  As United Methodist we share not only a rich Christian and Wesleyan heritage, but also a strong theological approach to engaging persons in the ministry of making and growing disciples.  We have become too tentative in our proclamation of our unique Wesleyan theology and doctrine.  Following are some ways to move through a renewed brand progression:

Learn and Grow from the Experience

Leadership is rarely effective if it is reactionary alone.  In the context of leading in difficult times it is essential to take the time to observe the situation and then act.  Too often we are tempted to fire-ready-aim rather than ready-aim-fire.  There is also a danger in observing too long.  A great leader will observe and analyze then act in a timely manner.  The key to sustained, effective leadership is evaluation.  Honest, effective evaluation can lead to sustained success that will allow the leader to not only learn, but grow from their experiences.

Comments

[Victorinox replica watches]

Thank you for sharing such good experience.I also like to write such things in own blog. Our Tonino Lamborghini replica watchesare very good!