Lay leader qualities
Popular church wisdom about filling lay leader positions says that it’s important not just to get the right people on the bus, but also to make sure they’re occupying the right seats. Otherwise, your bus might run off the side of the road.
With the anxiety heightened by all of the events of the past year, some church buses haven’t just gone off the side of the road. They’re teetering on the edge of a cliff. That board chair whose inability to make a decision might frustrate you during normal times, but now that person’s indecisiveness could have public health consequences. That personnel chair whose power plays gave you heartburn before the pandemic might now have you questioning your future in congregational ministry.
Many churches have just completed a cycle of bus seat assignments, but it doesn’t hurt to begin thinking about what qualities you need in key lay leader roles for the next nominations season. Here are a few thoughts to get you started:
All people in key leadership roles:
Spiritual maturity
Deep listening
Ability and willingness to communicate well
Personnel committee chair:
Trust of the staff and congregation
Empathy
Ability and willingness to have hard conversations with compassion
Generosity
Consistency
Board/council/deacons chair or clerk of session:
Trust of the staff and congregation
Finger on the pulse of the congregation
Creativity
Vision
Meeting facilitation skills
Ability and willingness to have hard conversations with compassion
Consistency
Trustee chair
Sense of church’s physical assets as means of ministry
Pragmatism
Generosity
Open-mindedness
Ability to think both short- and long-term
Treasurer
Sense of church’s physical assets as means of ministry
Financial assessment skills
Pragmatism
Problem-solving
Generosity
Open-mindedness
Ability to think both short- and medium-term
Spiritual caregiving team chair
Compassion
Equipping skills
This is not an exhaustive list of lay leader roles or qualities, just a jumping-off point. What would you add? How might you begin to cultivate potential leaders with these gifts? How might you help your nominating committee keep an eye out for these characteristics in church members?
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash.