Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Leading Ideas from Lewis Center for Church Leadership at The Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States: "Good Leaders Still Face Problems - Just Different Ones | Church Bell Calls Kids to Summer Food and Fun" for Wednesday, 31 August 2016
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Leading Ideas from Lewis Center for Church Leadership at The Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States: "Good Leaders Still Face Problems - Just Different Ones | Church Bell Calls Kids to Summer Food and Fun" for Wednesday, 31 August 2016
SUBSCRIBE | Topics | Authors | Reprints
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"Good Leaders Still Face Problems - Just Different Ones"by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.; Leading Ideas
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., writes that effective leaders are never free from problems. In fact, as they make progress, they are likely to confront more complex and consequential problems. So, ironically, facing “higher quality” problems is a marker of success.
A governor not known for his intellect was once asked at a press conference about a rash of prisoner escapes from the state penitentiary. With all seriousness, the governor said, “The only way we are going to solve our prison problem is when we have higher quality inmates.” Well, leaders may feel some of the same frustration at times. Why, they ask, if we are making so much progress, do I have to deal with so many problems?
For example, several years ago your congregation may have experienced a dramatic reversal in finances, so much so that there had to be cuts in staffing. Feelings ran high as decisions were made about where those cuts would be made and what ministries and people would be most affected. Those difficult financial days are years behind now. Unfortunately, you and the congregation find yourselves facing another problem. The increasing participation and giving of recent years have opened the opportunity to add an additional staff position. Feelings are strong about two or three options for the focus of that new position. On one level, everything feels a bit like years ago when the “problem” was reducing staff. That may be true, but notice that the congregation’s success has not eliminated problems. Nevertheless, all must admit that today’s problem is of a higher order than the one before.
More common examples may have to do with whether little or much is at stake for the church. A disagreement about which Sunday School class has the newly-renovated classroom is a problem, but one with low missional stakes. A debate about whether the newly-renovated fellowship hall will be made available for a program serving homeless persons might generate as much debate, but what is at stake for the church’s mission is much higher.
So, don’t spend time fretting about the presence of problems. They never go away. Spend that time assessing the nature of the problems you face. Are they big, forward-looking issues, or small, narrow, even petty, concerns? If the problems are of a high quality, then celebrate them as much as you hope they are solved soon.
Related Resources:
Read more.
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"Church Bell Calls Kids to Summer Food and Fun" by Daniel Kerlin, Leading Ideas
Pastor Daniel Kerlin’s Pennsylvania church hosts a free summer lunch program. When kids who were on their own or couldn’t tell time were having difficulty showing up on time, they started using their church bell to signal the start of lunchtime. In an era when many church bells stand silent, theirs is inviting a new generation of young people to be fed by the church in body and spirit.
Many kids in our community rely on free or reduced-cost school lunches during the school year. But what about the summer months? For the past two summers, Trinity United Methodist Church in Mifflin, Pennsylvania, has offered a free lunch to neighborhood children three days a week in the summer, working in partnership with the United Way and another local congregation.
We started using our church bell to let the neighborhood kids know that the food was ready, and within minutes, a line of 30 to 40 kids would appear.
The need is real, but many of these kids are on their own during the day, and, we discovered, some can’t tell time. So when we opened the doors for lunch at 11:30 a.m., sometimes only one or two kids would have arrived. Then someone had a great idea! We started using our church bell to let the neighborhood kids know that the food was ready, and within minutes, a line of 30 to 40 kids would appear.
Our program is open to anyone 18-years-of-age or younger. But we find that parents sometimes show up, too, and we are happy to feed them, as well. We served an average of 25 individuals a day, supplementing the resources provided by the United Way with additional food and volunteer time provided by the congregation. In addition to lunch, we usually provide some kind of activity. Sometimes it’s “Veggie Tales” videos, and sometimes it’s free passes to the community pool.
Word-of-mouth is usually sufficient to draw people in for free food and fun. We’ve also used flyers and newspaper announcements to reach people. In an era when many church bells stand silent, here at Trinity, our church bell is calling a new generation of young people to church, to be fed in body and spirit.
Related Resources:
Read more.
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The Right QuestionLeaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Baptist pastor David Hull tells how a right question by the Sunday School Director in his first church helped the pastor appreciate how important it is to count and pay attention to the results of the counting. This church member asked this question:
Want more Right Questions? Read Right Questions for Church Leaders.
Learn How to Partner with Your Local Schools
Our local schools provide many opportunities for mission within our own neighborhoods, and increasing numbers of churches support their local schools through ministries large and small. If your congregation is considering a school-focused initiative, check out our Engaging Local Schools Tool Kit.
Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
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Quotable Leadership
"Community" is something to be constructed rather than inherited, and that applies to congregations as well.[Nancy T. Ammerman]
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We're Hiring!
The Lewis Center in Washington, DC, seeks aMultimedia Specialist to support communication, events, and product development. The position is part-time but could evolve into full time. If you are interested, or know someone who may be, learn more now.
"Good Leaders Still Face Problems - Just Different Ones"by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.; Leading IdeasLovett H. Weems, Jr., writes that effective leaders are never free from problems. In fact, as they make progress, they are likely to confront more complex and consequential problems. So, ironically, facing “higher quality” problems is a marker of success.
A governor not known for his intellect was once asked at a press conference about a rash of prisoner escapes from the state penitentiary. With all seriousness, the governor said, “The only way we are going to solve our prison problem is when we have higher quality inmates.” Well, leaders may feel some of the same frustration at times. Why, they ask, if we are making so much progress, do I have to deal with so many problems?
Don’t spend time fretting about the presence of problems. They never go away. Spend that time assessing the nature of the problems you face.
Leaders are never free from problems. The difference is only in the nature and quality of the problems. They still bring with them all the frustration, conflict, and dilemmas of the old problems, but, in truth, these are indeed higher quality problems.For example, several years ago your congregation may have experienced a dramatic reversal in finances, so much so that there had to be cuts in staffing. Feelings ran high as decisions were made about where those cuts would be made and what ministries and people would be most affected. Those difficult financial days are years behind now. Unfortunately, you and the congregation find yourselves facing another problem. The increasing participation and giving of recent years have opened the opportunity to add an additional staff position. Feelings are strong about two or three options for the focus of that new position. On one level, everything feels a bit like years ago when the “problem” was reducing staff. That may be true, but notice that the congregation’s success has not eliminated problems. Nevertheless, all must admit that today’s problem is of a higher order than the one before.
More common examples may have to do with whether little or much is at stake for the church. A disagreement about which Sunday School class has the newly-renovated classroom is a problem, but one with low missional stakes. A debate about whether the newly-renovated fellowship hall will be made available for a program serving homeless persons might generate as much debate, but what is at stake for the church’s mission is much higher.
So, don’t spend time fretting about the presence of problems. They never go away. Spend that time assessing the nature of the problems you face. Are they big, forward-looking issues, or small, narrow, even petty, concerns? If the problems are of a high quality, then celebrate them as much as you hope they are solved soon.
Related Resources:
- Predictable Surprises in the Church by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
- What is “Adjacent Possible”? Can It Benefit Your Church? by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
- Look for Options, Not Solutions by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Read more.
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"Church Bell Calls Kids to Summer Food and Fun" by Daniel Kerlin, Leading IdeasPastor Daniel Kerlin’s Pennsylvania church hosts a free summer lunch program. When kids who were on their own or couldn’t tell time were having difficulty showing up on time, they started using their church bell to signal the start of lunchtime. In an era when many church bells stand silent, theirs is inviting a new generation of young people to be fed by the church in body and spirit.
Many kids in our community rely on free or reduced-cost school lunches during the school year. But what about the summer months? For the past two summers, Trinity United Methodist Church in Mifflin, Pennsylvania, has offered a free lunch to neighborhood children three days a week in the summer, working in partnership with the United Way and another local congregation.
We started using our church bell to let the neighborhood kids know that the food was ready, and within minutes, a line of 30 to 40 kids would appear.
The need is real, but many of these kids are on their own during the day, and, we discovered, some can’t tell time. So when we opened the doors for lunch at 11:30 a.m., sometimes only one or two kids would have arrived. Then someone had a great idea! We started using our church bell to let the neighborhood kids know that the food was ready, and within minutes, a line of 30 to 40 kids would appear.
Our program is open to anyone 18-years-of-age or younger. But we find that parents sometimes show up, too, and we are happy to feed them, as well. We served an average of 25 individuals a day, supplementing the resources provided by the United Way with additional food and volunteer time provided by the congregation. In addition to lunch, we usually provide some kind of activity. Sometimes it’s “Veggie Tales” videos, and sometimes it’s free passes to the community pool.
Word-of-mouth is usually sufficient to draw people in for free food and fun. We’ve also used flyers and newspaper announcements to reach people. In an era when many church bells stand silent, here at Trinity, our church bell is calling a new generation of young people to church, to be fed in body and spirit.
Related Resources:
- Expanding a School Partnership through Community Dinners by Connie Cole Jeske
- Doing Community Ministry in the Small Church by Joy F. Skjegstad
- 50 Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Children
Read more.
-------
The Right QuestionLeaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Baptist pastor David Hull tells how a right question by the Sunday School Director in his first church helped the pastor appreciate how important it is to count and pay attention to the results of the counting. This church member asked this question:
In Jesus's parable about the lost sheep, how did the shepherd know that one sheep was missing out of 100 sheep?
Want more Right Questions? Read Right Questions for Church Leaders.
Learn How to Partner with Your Local Schools Our local schools provide many opportunities for mission within our own neighborhoods, and increasing numbers of churches support their local schools through ministries large and small. If your congregation is considering a school-focused initiative, check out our Engaging Local Schools Tool Kit.
Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
-------
Quotable Leadership
"Community" is something to be constructed rather than inherited, and that applies to congregations as well.[Nancy T. Ammerman]
-------
We're Hiring!The Lewis Center in Washington, DC, seeks aMultimedia Specialist to support communication, events, and product development. The position is part-time but could evolve into full time. If you are interested, or know someone who may be, learn more now.
-------
Editors: Dr. Ann A. Michel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Connect with the Lewis Center:
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Editors: Dr. Ann A. Michel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Connect with the Lewis Center:
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NorthWest
Washington, D.C. 20016, United States
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