BUILDING LEADERS, SURVIVING CONFLICT & MOTIVATING LAITY AnnMarie Mecera

“…effective techniques of human communications, administration and teamwork succeed not because Lee Iacocca invented them, but because they’re accommodating some aspect of our God-given human nature.”

“Whether they’re used at Chrysler or Constantinople, administrative techniques that truly support and enhance human fellowship and interaction (the true purpose of administration) are rooted in God’s Truth. The place where these techniques are used doesn’t affect whether they’re godly or not.” Orthodox Christian Meetings

Building Leaders Both Clergy AND Laity

Building Leaders Empowerment

Building Leaders DIFFERENT from Delegation

Empowerment vs Delegation

Delegation is the assignment of responsibility or authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. Not a bad thing, but…

Empowerment Empowerment is a sound principle for allowing your team to get the job done.

Empowerment Promoting production of additional ‘pies’ to feed the parish more richly instead of ‘dividing the pie’ Sharing with the royal priesthood

Empowerment Sharing with the royal priesthood

Empowerment Empowerment works best when the focus is on implementing pieces of the parish vision or addressing issues that your parishioners greatly care about.

Empowerment Is NOT: Passing on unsuitable activities Mundane, insulting tasks Clearly beyond their expertise Abdication of power

Empowerment CHECKLIST Determine & quantify the benefits you expect to achieve through empowering your leaders Make sure your leadership knows it will be a fairly long process involving time and other resources Provide training, coaching and other learning opportunities to your leadership Use your theological training to teach your leaders Look at the ‘authorization procedures’ you currently have in place. Are they too much? This may require re-defining decision rights.

“Parish Council members, just like church school teachers or choir members, require training that is scripturally based…” Metropolitan Philip, Antiochian Archdiocese

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Motivating Laity Reasons Why Parishioners Do NOT Get Involved

Motivating Laity

Getting hurt Failure (letting God down?) New relationships

Motivating Laity What makes people WANT to volunteer?

Motivating Laity Positive church atmosphere/happy congregation Clear, positive challenge They are aware of the need They feel a personal responsibility They believe they can make a difference They join their friends They feel obligated (guilt) They have been ASKED!!! But it’s not always ONE specific reason!

Remember this from our discussion on Leadership/ Empowerment? Empowerment works best when the focus is on implementing pieces of the parish vision or addressing issues that your parishioners greatly care about.

Motivating Laity Different Ministries for Different Folks

Motivating Laity Over 65 have time and want to contribute in a meaningful way

Motivating Laity Ages skilled in their jobs and have professional experience to share; time may be opening up after years of parenting

Motivating Laity Ages have more limited time because of raising families and/or their career, but still want to serve

Motivating Laity Ages voracious volunteers, but need opportunities to do things (in their own way in their own time).

Motivating Laity “People want to live lives of meaning and significance. This is what the church can do better than any other institution because we are ambassadors of the God’s reign.” Prince Raney Rivers, pastor of United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Motivating Laity We have examples of ‘volunteers’ in the Bible: The Disciples The man who fetched the donkey for Christ Those who made arrangements for the use of the Upper Room

Motivating Laity Christ is the Ultimate Volunteer

Motivating Laity Ask for a return of their gifts and talents they’ve received from God Stewardship Interview: "Giving is Part of our Spiritual Life“ “Our Patterns of Giving”

Motivating Laity Being a member of the Body entails ministry; anything from prayer to faithful attendance can be so registered. Anyone without some 'ministry' cannot be ‘en-membered’. Fr. Daniel Rentel

Motivating Laity “En-membered” ‘En’: 1. to put into or on 2. To cause something to happen 3. to provide with something. Think in terms of Eucharist what it means to re- member. Thank you, Fr. Dan

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Surviving Conflict CHANGE. BREEDS. CONFLICT.

SURVIVING CONFLICT “Is this change worth it? What will the gain be?”

Surviving Conflict

And make no commitments or promises without it!

Surviving Conflict

Don’t minimize the negatives Openly discuss positives and negatives

Surviving Conflict Educate

It’s about SURVIVING it. St. Conflictus is right over there. We can make it!

SURVIVING CONFLICT Discuss at Parish Council meetings Educational sessions on conflict Ask the parish to pray Pray Get help

SURVIVING CONFLICT Consider how to minimize the threat and loss to the parish

SURVIVING CONFLICT Allow congregation to share their feelings aka LISTEN

SURVIVING CONFLICT From both priest and lay leaders

SURVIVING CONFLICT Build a vibrant parish where parishioners can: find the love of God, know they are ‘home’, cultivate their relationship with God

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

1. One specific challenge I want to address related to this presentation 2. Laity/Clergy I want to possibly engage in addressing this challenge 3. I will know I have successfully dealt with this challenge when…..