Dan Smith & Mary K. Hucyke: CourageousSpace Newsletter: June 2006
What Really is the Work of Pastoral Leadership?
How do I get off the treadmill of too much to do and not enough time? What is a pastor to do with the multiple demands that always are urgent? How can I to assess and choose what is truly important? How does all that I do fit into a larger pattern of what has meaning? How can I create a work schedule that is fulfilling for me and actually serves the work of Christ?
To answer these means answering a deeper and more fundamental question first. We believe that each person responding to a divine calling serves nothing less than the transformation of the world. All the work of the called, no matter what specific career, serves the fulfillment of the desire expressed in the works, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven." The question then is, what is the specific focus of the work of a "pastoral leader", the unique task that is theirs that contributes to the transformation of the world?
We suggest that the work of a pastoral leader has two focuses. Our choice of the term "pastoral leader" suggests those two focuses: the development of individuals as disciples of Christ; the development of an organization as the Body of Christ. The two focuses require very different skills and work. Some persons serving churches feel a greater ease in functioning around one focus that the other. Both, however, are absolutely essential to the work of those called to serve a church.
Development of Individuals as Disciples of Christ
Jesus embodies this role as he relates one on one with people. He accepts each person as they are and interacts with them where they are in whatever manner will help them engage more deeply and authentically with God, self and others. Some he commanded, "follow me!" To some he said, "go back to your home and tell them what has happened." Some he challenged; some he healed. His was not a cookie cutter approach to disciple making. It is as if he held a picture in his mind and hunger in his heart of what was possible for people and did whatever was required in an interaction to move them towards that vision of wholeness.
Equipping and nurturing Christian disciples is fundamental to the work of a pastoral leader. So is bringing those disciples together into a powerful and Spirit-filled community that impacts its community and the world
Development of an Organization as the Body of Christ
At the same time that he tended to the needs of individuals, Jesus developed a community marked by shared responsibility and a shared vision of reality, reality both as it is and as God tell us it is to be. This work, initiated by Jesus in the gathering and sending out of the disciples, is developed further by Paul. Paul's letters, written to communities in different settings and situations, address issues still faced by faith communities - what is the reality we will align ourselves to create? How shall we be with other as we engage together in that work?
Your day by day activities as a pastoral leader are not just "activities" - unless you allow them to be just activities. Everything you do should serves either the development of disciples or the development of the Body of Christ.
Consciously connecting any activity with one or the other of these functions transforms an activity from being just another demand in a busy, hectic day into something that serves a higher purpose. Intentionally assessing each activity according to whether it truly serves one or the other of the functions allows you to say "no" to many unimportant although urgent things. Reflecting on what would better serve the two functions prods and challenges you to say "yes" to new and scary initiatives.
Developing clarity about what is important (and not just urgent) and developing the ability to say "no" and "yes" is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. You begin to transform your own life from a series of overwhelming burdens that often make little difference to a life with space, balance and purpose.
Summer is great time to reflect on your leadership. Here are questions and exercises to help you become aware of your natural preferences, the needs of your congregation, and align your activities with the needed focus.
1) With which aspect of pastoral leadership are you most comfortable - the development of disciples (developing individuals) or the development of the body of Christ (developing the organization)? Which aspect gets the majority of you time?
2) Which aspect of pastoral leadership is needed most by your congregation right now? What's the difference that would make?
3) Make a list of the work-related activities that you will engage in across the next week. After the list is complete go through and note what your focus will be as you engage in that activity. For instance, next to "Visit Emily in the hospital" might be "discipling the an individual" while next to "Ad Board meeting" might be "developing the body of Christ". Take time prior to each activity to think through how you will use it to attend to that aspect of your work. How can a hospital visit be an opportunity for discipling? How can a meeting be a chance to help the body of Christ work more effectively and joyfully together?
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