Did that capture your attention? Do you consider yourself a leader?
Too often we use labels and titles which may cause us to unintentionally limit leadership in church to only a select few.
Are ordained, certified, professional clergy leaders? YES!
Are part-time local pastors who are also working other jobs outside the church leaders? YES
Are church members in a local congregation who chair a team or committee leaders? YES
Are people who run a business in the community and attend a worship service when they can leaders? YES
Do you see where we are going? Some of us have the spiritual gift of leadership. Some people may not have the gift but have learned leadership skills. Others are in a position of leadership not of their choosing or out of a sense of obligation. Still others are on the sidelines now but will be leaders soon.
In the months and years to come the West Virginia Conference will be sponsoring groups around the conference focused on leadership development. These groups will have trained facilitators and be held in strategic locations to be accessible to the most leaders. Our goal is to equip ALL types and levels of leaders.
We need your help.
- Visit the Leadership Development page of our Congregational Vitality Initiative. Read through the information there and prayerfully consider joining the journey.
- Take the three-minute leadership development survey so we can add your voice to our information about how to best grow leaders of all types in our conference.
- Invite other leaders in your ministry to also take the survey and add their voice as well. (lay leaders, SPR chairperson, youth leader, Ad Board chairperson, UMM president, UMW president, certified lay speaker, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, district lead team member, certified lay minster, lay servant, trustee chairperson, hospitality team leader, director of Christian education, etc. etc. etc.)
We also have a short video which you can share with the leaders in your ministry to help your conversation. Here is a link to view it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/w2kQC7krMe4
Look for us to share the results from this survey in the coming months as we move into the next stage of our leadership development process.
Please contact Ken Willard, your Director of Discipleship, Leadership & Congregational Vitality if you have any questions.