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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.