I Beg You. Stop Saying “Lay Leadership”

I’ve written quite a bit about pastoral leadership – like here. But if we want to be a part of a thriving, impactful congregation, we need to develop everybody’s leadership skills.

The angels weep (and Cindy Bolbach sighs from the heavens) every time someone uses the term “lay leadership.” It’s not a thing – at least in Reformed Theology – because we believe that all baptized believers are called into ministry. If we consider the person with “Reverend” or “Pastor” in front their names to be the only leader or the most important leader in the congregation, we are mistaken.

The very best leaders know how to equip other leaders – whether we are ordained or not. Every day I witness churches that are dying and churches that are thriving. The difference is leadership.

Signs of a good leader:

• No confusing ownership of a project, a team, or a congregation. I flinch a little when pastors refer to “my staff” or “my sanctuary” or “my committee.” It all belongs to God. Practice saying “our church” and “our vision.”
• Willingness to step aside to give new people a chance. I know a pastor who is especially generous in sharing the microphone. In Bible Studies, when Church-Famous speakers visit, anytime it’s possible, he asks someone else to open with prayer or introduce the speaker or be in charge. The congregation he serves is rich in leadership because he encourages others to lead.
• Things Happen without the presence of any Pastor. There are classes and fundraisers and special events not dependent on whether or not the Pastor shows up. It could mean that the Pastor is a slacker. Or it could mean that the Pastor trusts their people.
• They take constructive criticism well. Bullies stay in power because they scare people. We don’t dare challenge their ideas or ask them to give others a chance to lead because they give the impression that nobody else will do it or nobody will do it as well as they do.
• They laugh at failure. So we decided to try nighttime Vacation Bible School this year and it was a bust. Now we know. And the worst thing that happened was that the ten of us who showed up had to eat all those extra ice cream bars.
• They exemplify more Christlike qualities than Lady Macbeth-like qualities. Nobody wants to work with a manipulative and ruthless person.

So here’s a question: what ideas do you have for equipping leaders to serve? What would be the best way for – say – a Presbytery to train people to be more effective leaders? It’s a real question.