I enjoy sitting in the second chair! It allows me to use my gifts and skills to help my organization (a church) fulfill it's mission in our community. In my unique role I am charged with helping all of our ministries to be more effective so that means that I perform a variety of tasks with a lot of different groups and individuals with the goal that my involvement will be a positive experience. Mostly it is, but sometimes its not. That should come as no surprise since most of what I do is to tweak, nudge, change - even eliminate - various ministries and programs.
I like to read and so staying current in these varied areas allows me to read pretty broadly. I've been reading some church management and structure stuff (Simple Church, Purpose Driven Church, Activate, Fusion, Becoming a Healthy Church, etc.) and quite a bit of spiritual formation stuff (Sacred Marriage, God Is The Gospel, Authentic Faith, Beautiful Fight, Don't Waste Your Life). I've been doing some thinking on how to synchronize these varied subjects in our ministries but I'm not yet ready to draw any profound conclusions. My current read on my Kindle2 is Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal. It is my sense that once I finish that my thinking may become clearer. The challenge in the second chair will be the ability to introduce this change to those who make the final decisions.
Over the past several months I have been working to introduce a new approach to small groups as outlined in Nelson Searcy's book Activate. After nearly six months of presentation, discussion, sharing of resources, etc. I have now been given the green light to implement the model this Fall. It has been a longer process that I imagined but not really very difficult. The difficulty will come over the next several months as we move from design to implentation! But I appreciate the opportunity to read and conduct the research for these changes. I'm grateful that the leadership here values my involvement in that research, too.
As one who has made a career of sitting in the second chair I know well the challenges and limits of leading from this position. It's often much more about relationship than position. Building that level of trust and influence takes time. The more I can demonstrate that I am fully supportive of the leadership and the team with which I serve, the more likely it is that I will be invited to implement change and lead from the second chair.
I like to read and so staying current in these varied areas allows me to read pretty broadly. I've been reading some church management and structure stuff (Simple Church, Purpose Driven Church, Activate, Fusion, Becoming a Healthy Church, etc.) and quite a bit of spiritual formation stuff (Sacred Marriage, God Is The Gospel, Authentic Faith, Beautiful Fight, Don't Waste Your Life). I've been doing some thinking on how to synchronize these varied subjects in our ministries but I'm not yet ready to draw any profound conclusions. My current read on my Kindle2 is Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal. It is my sense that once I finish that my thinking may become clearer. The challenge in the second chair will be the ability to introduce this change to those who make the final decisions.
Over the past several months I have been working to introduce a new approach to small groups as outlined in Nelson Searcy's book Activate. After nearly six months of presentation, discussion, sharing of resources, etc. I have now been given the green light to implement the model this Fall. It has been a longer process that I imagined but not really very difficult. The difficulty will come over the next several months as we move from design to implentation! But I appreciate the opportunity to read and conduct the research for these changes. I'm grateful that the leadership here values my involvement in that research, too.
As one who has made a career of sitting in the second chair I know well the challenges and limits of leading from this position. It's often much more about relationship than position. Building that level of trust and influence takes time. The more I can demonstrate that I am fully supportive of the leadership and the team with which I serve, the more likely it is that I will be invited to implement change and lead from the second chair.
Joe! I am the proud reader of the very first post on your blog! What a surprise to find it! Are you going to try to post regularly? I hope you do. I've always learned a lot from you and the study and research you do.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're an expectant grandfather! Congratulations! Update me!
Hope you had a blessed Easter. He Is Risen!