Skip to main content

Here at YALT, we talk a lot about leadership…it’s in our name, after all. Many of the discussions we encourage about leadership training focus on pastors, either the education they receive in seminary or how we can improve their on-the-ground learning opportunities. In many ways this makes sense. Both the denomination and individual congregations have limited resources, and since through their training and leadership pastors influence large numbers of people, we get the biggest bang for our buck focusing on pastors. My denomination, the CRC also has a historical legacy of emphasizing the importance of pastoral education. But what about the lay leaders? Do they really matter?

Why ask this question? It’s the lay leaders who will remain in the congregation when the pastor moves on to another church. They’re the ones who provide pastoral care when there’s a death in the family, the ones who coordinate meals and donations when fire ravages a home, the ones who clean the kitchens and chair the committees. Every time synod rolls around, there are some who complain that synod rushes through deliberations and should go back to being two weeks long, while others note the lack of diversity among delegates (be it a dearth of women, people of color, young adults, etc.). Addressing those concerns hinges on our understanding of lay leadership and ability to equip individuals to serve in multiple environments.

For me, this question is important because in the approximately six years that I’ve been in lay leadership in my congregation, I’ve been offered essentially zero leadership training besides that which I had to personally seek out.

Some of this may simply be a matter of semantics. There are always webinars to watch, books to read, and conferences to attend that focus on different aspects of leadership. The annual Calvin Symposium on Worship, for example, does an excellent job of resourcing those charged with leading worship; I’ve attended it and found it helpful. One of YALT’s first major initiatives was hosting re:kindle, a summit designed to equip young adult leaders. Nonetheless, I struggle to recall a single instance when someone gave me constructive feedback on my leadership skills besides a generic “Yup, we think you can do this!” statement.

Those of us in the Kuyperian tradition talk frequently about “every square inch” and the importance of a faith lived out seven days of the week. However, we don’t always do a good job talking about the middle space of leadership, that place in between the pastor and the congregation where responsibility is real but unpaid and people hold jobs outside the church. When we ask those who aren’t church staff to participate in synodical study committees, or rely on lay men and women to serve as council members, have we explicitly communicated the nature and importance of those roles within the diverse breadth of kingdom work? If we believe in the priesthood of all believers, are we offering the specific training and mentoring that helps lay leaders fully bring their gifts to the service of their congregations and the denomination?

Young adults in particular are eager for mentoring relationships (as we’ve noted on Momentum here, here, and here), and I think such relational discipleship should be a key component of lay leader development. In my first year as a deacon I would have loved for a more experienced leader to come alongside me to explain my new responsibilities and help me develop an appropriate sense of calling to the role. As a 27 year old search committee chair who had never before chaired a committee, I would have loved to get some basic advice on people management and crafting a meeting agenda. Mentoring is something that doesn’t necessarily require a big program or financial commitment; it does require time and a willingness to be vulnerable.

The denomination’s work in studying the offices of elder and deacon (highlighted in this report headed for discussion at synod this summer) is a good start in clarifying what we mean when we ask individuals to serve in those roles, we need to find more and diverse ways to get helpful resources into the hands of local lay leaders. As a denomination and as congregations, we also need to be more intentional about equipping individuals to serve in a variety of roles, rather than just assuming people will automatically know what needs to be done.

If you’re a young adult, what kind of lay leadership training would you find helpful? Pastors, what kind of training/mentoring do you offer to lay leaders who serve with you?

Comments

 I have seen the pastor of a small church struggle with the weight of his ministry when because of lack of funds there is no other supportive staff to serve with him, to pray with or to share vision casting. The Council Is there (once a month) but much like Synod they have an agenda to follow and full time jobs to go back to the next morning. That makes for a very lonely staff meeting if you are the pastor and the only person in attendance. If we believe in the priesthood of all believers, why not develop a strong team of lay leaders? Meet together, pray together, vision cast, mentor them in their leadership role? As the article say "It is the lay leaders who will remain in the congregation after the pastor moves on to another church."  Currently I know a young person who is voluntarily doing the tasks of a Worship Director while the church seeks to hire someone "with the right pedigree". Why not mentor this person into the position as a voluntary staff ? Is the "priesthood of believers" more limited than we want to acknowledge?

Instead of the scenario where the pastor serves alone, he develops his lay leaders; serving  as a lead mentor in a group where they support each other in prayer, encouragement, (and a little troubleshooting) but mostly sharing excitement together about the small and the big ways God is working in the church. Wouldn't everyone benefit and God be glorified? Being more intentional about bringing lay leaders along together not only focus's more on building  each other up  but in the long term it builds a stronger foundation for the church as a whole. Paul said "make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in the spirit and purpose."   One doesn't have to be "the loneliest number", it can mean a unified community serving with like purpose. God may have given you a community of lay people at your church instead of professionals; work with what you were given.

 

Esther, that exactly the type of scenario I would like to see come to life! The challenge is that right now neither pastors nor lay members get the training they need to make it successful. Paid staff can be a wonderful blessing, but they can also be a crutch if it means church members don't have the opportunity to lead in community.

 

What kind of lay leadership development resources would you like to see widely available? Bbooks? Webinars? Guides for establishing mentoring/discipleship relationships?

Let's Discuss

We love your comments! Thank you for helping us uphold the Community Guidelines to make this an encouraging and respectful community for everyone.

Login or Register to Comment

We want to hear from you.

Connect to The Network and add your own question, blog, resource, or job.

Add Your Post