Update for Leading Ideas of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership for Tuesday, 26 August 2014 & Wednesday, 27 August 2014
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“Why Community Engagement Matters” Free Video
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The most vital congregations always do two things: connect
people with God and connect with their communities. Learn about the latter in
this five-minute video from Lovett H. Weems, Jr., as he provides an overview
of the importance of community engagement to your church. In addition to the
video, you will also find related resources from the Lewis Center and other
organizations.
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Change Leaders Persevere by
Ken Owens
Regularly we remind others and ourselves that resurrection never happens until after a death. Yet often in leading a significant change, we panic. When the smooth upward trajectory that we expected does not happen, we may blame ourselves for not being a better leader. We may even abandon the entire project.
In graphing change, we tend to draw an arrow or stair steps that move upward in a logical manner to show what we expect to happen. However, secretly we are hoping that the change will come much more easily and rapidly.
William Bridges, in his book Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (De Capo Press, 2009), reminds us that change rarely happens in a straightforward, upward trajectory. Instead, during our journey through change, it can feel like we are tossed all over the grid. It’s as if we bought a ticket for a nice, gentle ski lift ride, but instead discovered ourselves strapped in the lead car of a rollercoaster. During a change process, we experience days that feel like progress, and we have days that feel like regression. In fact, it’s not uncommon that even up to the very last moment before the change occurs, something tragic happens that threatens the entire process. The key for the leader is perseverance. Or as Paul put it, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
When Moses led the Israelites on that 40-year journey from slavery to freedom, they did not just experience hope, but they also experienced despair. When the Red Sea parts, when enemies fall, when manna first appears, those are inspiring days. But then the thirsty days, the days of the golden calf, the tediousness of a long, long journey all felt so depressing that many yearned to return to their life as slaves. They even blamed Moses for bringing them to the desert just for them to die. Yet Moses persevered and kept the dream alive.
Another example is the spiritual growth of Peter from obscure fisher to bold mission leader. His growth hardly looks like a smooth upward trajectory. He had some good days of progress such as when he walked on the water and when he saw the transfiguration. Yet, often he stumbled, looking like a totally hopeless case, drowning in the water and weeping with shame after denying his Lord.
Or consider the change journey of God giving us the messiah in Jesus. At Mary’s annunciation, with baby John leaping in his mother’s womb, at the stable with the star and the shepherds, it feels wonderful. Then the slaughtering of the innocents and the flight to Egypt feel devastating. The miracles, the crowds, and the booming voice from heaven feel powerful. But then the arrest, crucifixion, and burial extinguish all dreams. Holy Saturday feels as far away from having a messiah as any other point in history. Clearly, no one suspects that the long awaited moment is only a sunrise away.
The hard job of the leader is to keep hope alive, to keep the vision visible. Too often we give up if a change does not happen within six months, or a year, or two years, or three years. When we catch a vision, our tendency is not to prepare for the long haul but to daydream of that miraculous, quick, and easy ascent. Change did not come that way for Moses, or Peter, or Jesus. Usually, it’s not going to come that way for us.
So loudly proclaim the clarion call of a clear vision, even if it requires major change. Then, buckle down and endure the long, tedious slog. It is not easy for us to keep the vision, and sometimes we slip. Remember that God regularly takes detours and scenic routes. This is usually for our good, though often it is well disguised. Hence, the prophets sometimes look back on the wilderness experience not as a trial, but a honeymoon.
Ken Owens is lead pastor of Lexington United Methodist Church in Lexington, South Carolina.
Models for Budget Building by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Churches use a variety of budget building models. No one model or combination of models is right for every church. What approach might best fit your situation?
Begin with a blank slate.
Beginning with a blank slate is often called “zero-based budgeting.” This approach is extremely time-consuming and, therefore, rarely used. It assumes there are no items or dollars in the budget. Then you build back, item by item. It rarely accomplishes what people hope it will. Even after all the time and effort, the resulting budget generally looks very similar to the previous year’s budget.
Begin with last year’s budget.
It is relatively easy to begin with last year’s budget. This is very common in smaller churches. You simply compare previous budget figures with actual expenditures and make changes based on history and anticipated changes. The new budget results from known expenses for the coming year, such as salaries, and projected figures, such as utilities.
Begin with budget requests.
This approach is quite common in mid-size and larger churches. You ask some person or group responsible for every section of the budget to look ahead to the next year and prepare a budget based on anticipated needs and expenses.
Begin with income projections.
Here you project income from all sources based on trends over the last several years, what is happening in the current year, and expectations for the coming year. Are there any past income sources that will not continue in the next year? Are there any anticipated increases to take into account? This income projection sets the total within which the budget is built.
A variation is to receive pledges first, and then set the budget in light of the pledges and the historical relationship between the amount pledged and contributions from other sources. For example, if pledges typically are about 80 percent of total contributions, you can safely estimate anticipated income on that basis.
Begin with a strategic plan.
An overarching plan for the coming year emerges out of a planning process that begins with the church’s mission and values, moves to what God is most calling the church to do in the coming year, and then develops a plan to implement that vision. Budgeting involves attaching cost estimates to all those ongoing and new efforts. This method requires beginning well before the budget takes effect.
Use a combination of models.
Realities normally require using several of these models, rather than one alone. There is always a dynamic interplay between financial limits and ministry needs. For example, when submitted budget requests exceed projected revenues, there must be a back-and-forth process to make adjustments. That kind of interplay is quite common.
A wise goal is to project a challenging vision, but not deal in unrealistic dreaming. You do not want a budget that is doomed to fail no matter how hard everyone works or how much people give because the goals were out of reach. On the other hand, you do not want the budget to be so modest and unchallenging that it will not stretch the congregation.
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book (with Tom Berlin) is High Yield: Seven Disciplines of the Fruitful Leader, published by Abingdon and available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
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The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.
Often
churches must picture the future in their minds before they can take steps to
make it a reality. One church asks its leaders to close their eyes and
picture their church five or ten years from now if it were fulfilling God’s
will for them in their community. Then they use questions such as these:
Whom do you see in the pews at worship?
Who is walking through the hallways? What is going on during the week? What is happening in the evenings?
Want more Right Questions? Check out “Right Questions for Church Leaders, Volumes 1–3.”
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Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Matthew Lyons. Production and distribution: Carol Follett
4500 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20016 United States (202) 885-8757 lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu |
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