Supporting leadership in clergy, laity

Reflections on the Church

Friends, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for your overwhelmingly generous response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This response is all the more meaningful for us in South Texas because we, too, have been targets. I am proud of Susan Hellums and all she has done and continues to do to coordinate our district and conference disaster response.
The need is inconceivable. Remember that every dollar you send to the United Methodist Committee on Relief goes directly into victim assistance. Your dollars from the annual One Great Hour of Sharing special offering already provide money for administrative support.
Last week I attended the Clergy Development for District Superintendents provided by the Texas Methodist Foundation Clergy Leadership Initiative. The event was attended by 11 other district superintendents across Texas and facilitated by Dr. Gil Rendle from the Alban Institute. Two books were recommended read-ing: Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz and First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. I highly recommend both these books. Each is helpful in defining effective leadership both for laity and clergy.
In First, Break All the Rules, the authors pose 12 questions to attract, focus and keep the most talented people. The first two are: 
n Do I know what is expected of me at work?
n Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? 
I think these questions are helpful for all our clergy members, lay employees and key lay leaders. Because of the challenges we face organizationally, we are pushed beyond business as usual. For example, we as a conference lost members and declined in worship attendance for the second year in a row. 
I am interested in exploring these questions together because I want to know what resources the district and conference can bring to bear to better equip our pastors to thrive and flourish in their ministry settings.
I see my job as giving you the tools you need to do what needs to be done in your ministry setting. That is why over the last three years I have led Stewardship Think Tanks for laity and clergy and will continue to do so. Over the next several months I will be seeking dialogue with you around these questions. To say it another way, a la Jerry Maguire from the movie of the same name: Help me help you!