Category Archives: Leadership

Anticipation … And wonder

Posted on by
1

Tomorrow is a big day.

It’s a big day because our organization has been in interim for the past 15 months and tomorrow we meet the person who will be our new leader.

I remember when I was serving a congregation in interim and met the person who would become our new lead pastor. I was excited and nervous. Excited, because it was time, time to be out of interim, and this leader came with good recommendations. Nervous, because I knew the future was unsure, and my future was unsure. You see, I was 8 months pregnant and knew my returning from maternity leave would be to a new world. What would my role be? How would the culture change? What if I didn’t fit in?

Tomorrow has a similar anticipation. This new leader comes having been lifted up by a group of committed and faithful people and a thorough discernment process. The team sends her to us with their approve and enthusiasm. I trust them. But that doesn’t take away the questions. That doesn’t stop the uncertainty. That doesn’t stop me from wondering about what changes lie ahead and what my place is in the organization in the future.

The day I returned from maternity leave I was as nervous as the day I started working right out of college. My return reminded me the organization was in a new place, and so was I. Would we still be a match? A simple, but really important question, and only months of showing up and being open to a new future would answer it. At some point I realized I wasn’t wondering anymore, and the months turned into years of meaningful ministry. I know it could have gone another way, and that would have been okay too, but it didn’t.

Tomorrow is a big day, but it is also not the most important day. The important days are the ones ahead, the days of just showing up and wondering. Are we still a match? It is time, time for a new leader and time for change. And I’m changing, I’m wondering about the changes going on in the church and where I am called to contribute. All of it is needed and necessary. And it’s change.

I’m excited for tomorrow, and I’m open to the future, and anticipate many days of wonder ahead. What about you? Is change taking place around you? Is this a time of wonder? My prayer is this – May God be in present tomorrow in our community and may God be present in me, letting me be open to wonder. God, let us wonder, together.

Grit and a Life of Faith

Posted on by
1

What does it take to make it through middle school? More than intelligence, according to Angela Duckworth. Corporate businesswoman turned teacher turned researcher, Angela discovered “grit” was the determining factor.

Today Angela has taken up the field of psychology and studies grit, and it’s relationship to success. For more on Angela’s work, check out this YouTube video. And, for ministry leaders, ponder what is the relationship between grit and a life of faith.

TedTalk on Grit

For more on Angela, see Angela Lee Duckworth’s bio

Identity and Way of Life

Posted on by
3

Image

Yesterday I finished teaching one of my favorite courses – Discipleship and Vocation in Children, Youth and Family Ministry. Not a sexy title, and there are no gimmicks in the class. In fact, the class is pretty simple, it is about exploring Christian discipleship and vocation. In everyday language that translates into what does it means to be and live Christian? It’s about identity and way of life.

Now just because a course can be summarized in a sentence does not mean its subject matter is easy or simple. In fact, each week we gathered we discovered some things can be reduced to a simple statement, but putting such statements into conversation with our everyday experience is often complicated.  Life is messy. There is brokenness and pain. People are selfish, and self-centered. The world is noisy and vying for our attention. But there is hope, and promise. We all do have a purpose, gifts and agency. And while there are BIG things in life to figure out, there are also little ways we can make a difference everyday. Knowing the basics can be really helpful. And having conversation partners along the journey really matters.

But there is another thing we discovered.  Some of the ways we have been “doing” church (or at least practices those of us in the class grew up with) are not actually helping people get at what it means to BE Christian and LIVE Christian.

Perhaps that’s troubling news. It once was for me. But now my attention has shifted from being disappointed to being curious.

Why am I curious? Because I know, at least the way any gut knows things, many of our current ministry practices are not going away. In fact, many have a very long track record. Take worship, for example. It would be very surprising if worship suddenly became meaningless for Christians. Why? Because as I look back across time, I can’t think of one Christian community that didn’t exercise some worship practice. Does it look like the worship I am familiar with? No. But they drew on many of the same elements we do today.  The same can be said of prayer and serving others and telling the Christian story.  In addition, I think Christians are more open to asking questions these days. And I find that encouraging. Like the two-year old who wants to know why or the teenager trying to discover the deeper meaning of family practices, many Christians are hungry to know why congregations do what they do, and they are not content being passive participants. They want more, they not only what to know the meaning, they want participation to be meaningful.

So what does this mean for ministry? As I play with, and imagine, ministry in the years ahead, it seems more critical now to ground ministry in the basics of what it means to BE Christian and then help people discover how such an identity IMPACTS and SHAPES life. For preschoolers that might include reading stories about God’s people in the past, telling stories about Christians today and helping them wonder about what it will mean in their life. For adolescents it might be reminding them, day in and day out, that they are a child of God…loved as they are…gifted and capable, with the ability to make a difference in the world and impact the lives of those around them. For young adults it might include helping them form really good questions about life, and love, and relationships, and work, and the world. And it’s questions shaped out of an honesty about our limitations and selfish desires, yet full of possibility and with an eye to the future. It could include learning about prayer, as one prays, or engaging Scripture with an eye to the world and an eye to God, or serving others, not to fulfill our needs, but because someone else needs us to. And the list could go on.

Ministry today, for people raised in the church or new to the Christian faith, is both more basic…starting and ending at who we are as Christians…and more organic….in that it takes seriously the lived experiences and questions of each person and their communities.

This summer I turn 50. And, like many, am going to need to be reminded of who I am and what it means to live out of that identity in this time and place (and at this age). I hope the communities I am apart of will remind me of the basics, as they also join me on the journey. And I hope to do the same for them, curious and open to whatever the future brings.

Terri

Thinking Differently about “Bi-vocational” Pastors & Ministry

Posted on by
Reply

One of the core theological ideas I find extremely helpful for accompanying GOD’s people in their discovery of what it means to live as Christians in the world is Luther’s understanding of vocation. In this blog, Aaron Fuller wrestles with his many roles, or as Luther says stations, and how he lives faithfully into and out of those roles. Check it out and see what you think.

adfuller03's avatarwrestling inspired faith

First off, I’m a big proponent of bi-vocational ministry.  Actually, I like to call it multi-vocational ministry.  For me, my understanding of ministry comes from the notion that none of us as persons are constructed out of a single role, type of work, or thing.  Our identities are shaped and varied by all sorts of forces, vocations, if you will.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about multi/bi-vocational ministry.  And a while back, I came across a conversation about the “issue” of bi-vocational ministry….primarily the theological problems it presents.  If you want to go into it in detail, you can check it out here.  Additionally, there are other perspectives as well, like this and this.  But here’s my take on their conversation:

  • Bi-vocational ministry is narrowly defined as having another job to supplement your pastoral salary (or lack thereof).  Vocation=work you get paid for.
  • The primary theological justification for…

View original post 813 more words

Goal: Transformational Leadership

Posted on by
1

Great post on leadership by a wise young women.

Jazzy Schwolert's avatarALL AT ONCE

In my Organizational Communication class we have been talking about different aspects of organizations and how they function in relation to different roles and positions. One question we have been challenged to think about as a class is this: “What is the purpose of leadership?” Is it the ability to control others? To interpret issues well? To set goals for a group? 

These are hard questions to wrestle with. This is partially because people have very different leadership styles from one another. But this is also because being a leader means more than having one specific characteristic or fitting some sort of leadership criteria. In most cases, especially within an organization, a leader needs to have a balance of both task- and human-oriented thought processes and characteristics. This could include a number of specific traits, but overall a leader needs to be able to get tasks done while still having concern…

View original post 265 more words

Hanging with Phil

Posted on by
Reply

1619182_10152159211811208_1205014606_n

Phil, the compensated celebrity spokesperson for the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, invited me to spend a long weekend in St. Louis. I, along with 650, said yes. (Phil’s the one in the middle and here’s the invite if you want to see Phil in action – 

Honestly, it wasn’t convenient. (There were several things going on at work and at home which I had to miss.) But I missed it last year and I needed to go. Why?

First, as many will say (including Tara Ulrich and Organic Youth Ministry) the ELCA Youth Ministry Network Gathering is more than a learning event, it is a network. And while this network is always there – virtually accessible with local and regional opportunities to gather – there’s something powerful about being in a space where the virtual network is physically real.

I’ve been teaching children, youth, young adult and family ministry at Luther Seminary for the past 9 years … and the funny thing about students is…well, they graduate. So one of the coolest things I get to do at this gathering is hear how life and ministry is going today…on the “other side” of graduation. While in St. Louis I had dozens of conversations with Luther alumni, now working in some area of ministry in the first third of life. I heard their joys, and felt their struggles. I listened. We laughed. We worshipped together, and we dreamed about what it means to move the church forward into this new age. These conversations were rich, not only because we reconnected, but because we were now partners in ministry – colleagues and friends.

But that’s not all. For the past several years I have worked with a team of leaders on a church-wide initiative on equipping youth ministry leaders. When we started it was a new concept, never tried before. People were confused and unsure how it would go, but they went with it. Now, three years later, people are coming up to me and sharing really cool stories about how they are using the work of this initiative to empower leaders – adults and youth – in ministry and in integrating their faith into their daily life. The smiles, many accompanied with hugs, tell me their confusion has turned to hope. I love the church. But I also know the church has to rethink it’s frames and approaches to ministry if it is going to faithfully live out its calling. While in St. Louis, I had a glimpse of the change taking place in the church.

And there’s one other thing. Our church, the church I have been part of all my life, is shifting it’s leadership model. Oh, don’t get me wrong…we don’t have it all figured out  but we are on our way. And I got glimpses of a new future, a future were leaders are  humble, servant leaders with a mission and vision. There is a desire for faith to be alive among God’s people and God’s people to be active in God’s world. For two days after the big gathering, I had conversation with some of these leaders. They, like me, had other places they could have been and other things they could have been doing. But they came together in St Louis to think beyond their stream of work and vision about a new day, a day where our church initiatives are more connected and collaborative. Why? because fostering faith among those in the first third of life – babies, children, youth and young adults – matters! 

So today, I’m tired and having a hard time reentering the world I left behind. It’s so easy to get back to the daily tasks…and I will…but I want to reengage in light of what I just experienced. How might my daily work, my ordinary work, keep these ideas alive? How might my decisions, big and small, be part of our larger church’s exploration of what it means to be church in 2014 and beyond? These are just some of the questions which distract and challenge me today.

For those of you who were in St. Louis – thanks for your work. You matter, your work matters and your presence in the ELCA Youth Ministry Network matters. Help me, help us, help each other and the church live our calling. And to those who were not there but are in some way part of this larger network of God’s people seeking to faithfully live their faith everyday…stay connected, both virtually and physically, because it helps fuel the journey.

Terri

#nywc and #aar/sbl

Posted on by
Reply

We live in a world where you can be in more than one gathering at a time, kind of. Thursday I got on a plane and headed to Nashville. The same day many of my colleagues boarded a plane to Baltimore. All of us were on work-related trips, and truth be told I could have gotten on either plane and had an enriching time.

Baltimore was a national gathering of religious scholars, people who teach and research in a wide range of disciplines and work in a variety of colleges, universities, seminaries and divinity schools. People come for the learning, yet many experience it as a reunion and networking opportunity…having dinner with PhD colleagues, drinks with past professors and running into colleagues at receptions or in hotel elevators. Publishers come to introduce their latest resources, trying to diffuse them into the field; authors come looking for opportunities to pitch their proposals, with hopes of tenure and ‘making it’ in their career.

Nashville was similar. A national gathering, one which offered more learning than one person can handle and one filled with networking, reuniting AND introducing colleagues from all parts of the country. And yes, publishers were there pitching their resources, as were all sorts of other ‘vendors.’ And yes, there were aspiring authors hoping to take their ideas to the next level. And this gathering also hoped to advance participants careers, as it also hoped to further the work of faith and religion.

But these two gatherings were also not the same. As I followed both on Twitter, I noticed something different. My colleagues in Baltimore offered teaching tips and nuggets of scholarly wisdom; they tweeted some fun, even whimsical quips of their experience. And while some of the tweets from Nashville also fell into those categories, the gathering in Nashville was centered in something more than learning and networking. And that center was what I needed.

Young and old, from near and far, representing different church traditions, the group in Nashville were Youthworkers and they gathered around a shared mission. Several times each day the networking and learning was interrupted by ‘the big room.’ ‘The big room’ brought everyone together celebrating everyday ministry, joining thousands of voices in praising God, and reminding all of us who God is and who we are in this shared mission. The center was not doctrine, shared experiences or great ideas, but our love for discipling young people and sharing the good news of GOD’s love with them.

As a scholar, teacher and church leader, I’m usually leading others and proposing ideas about what it means to be church today. I’m encouraging leaders and listening to the joys and challenges of leading ministry today. And while I love my work, I get tired. And when I do I sometimes forget. This weekend I was reminded, even encouraged, not only around youth ministry but also about being church again. Sure, there are tons of frustrations, challenges and obstacles. But guess what. Being a ministry leader today matters. It really does. Thousands of us gathered in ‘the big room’ and heard that message again, and that’s the message I wanted to share with others. That was what I was tweeting about.

So this weekend I was in Nashville, ease dropping into the gathering in Baltimore, and I got on the right plane. As I return to work this coming week, I do so thankful, blessed and excited to be called into ministry with young people. #nywc

Immersed in Change

Posted on by
3

continue

My life has been immersed in change. I know, I know…I’m not alone. But jump in with me in reflecting on these moments, and let’s see if any leadership lessons on leading change emerge.

First work. A few weeks ago I was chatting with a new student about last fall semester and it suddenly occurred to me, last fall was a lifetime ago. We, Luther Seminary, are living through a series of one year anniversaries – dates on the calendar which remind us our course for the future has changed. In October our board had their regular fall meeting – and we remembered it was last October when the board discovered some financial concerns. In early November we quietly moved past the one year anniversary of the resignation of our CFO. And coming at the end of this semester will be the one year anniversary of our president’s resignation. I remember how tired I was in January and into the spring, but I had forgotten now much territory we had covered since December 2012. Talking with students who were not around last fall was a bit surreal. I remember living that life, but it seems like a distant memory now. Lesson: Huge, disruptive change disorients people and plays with their sense of time. Leadership Questions: After the “crisis” has passed, how do organizations regain a healthy sense of time? And how important is it to help people gain some perspective? What is the role of noting one year anniversary’s of significant moments in an organization’s history?

Second church. On Reformation Sunday our congregation concluded a year of celebrating our 50th anniversary. The past twelve months we had noted different memories of the past, different moments in history which marked key parts of our congregation’s story. And it all came to a head with a grand worship experience and some gatherings on the last Sunday in October. Facing my 50th birthday this summer, I realize the importance of reflecting on the past and taking account of the twists and turns of one’s story – personally and collectively. During the celebration I had the chance to share stories and catch up with many people, some I had not seen in awhile and others who I see but haven’t shared this deeply in some time. As the weekend ended and we started the next 50 years, two things crossed my mind: we don’t do this often enough and it matters what story we tell. As much as I treasured many aspects of the celebration, I also noted the key parts of the story which were not told – parts that were important to my almost 30 year experience there. Lesson: What story we tell matters. Leadership Questions: Who decides which story of an organization will be told? How do we tell the breadth and the depth? How do we share the joys and the challenges? How do we tell the story of the “old timers” and the “newbies”?

Third home. Our family has two seniors, one a senior in high school and the other a senior in college. And being a senior is a year full of change. There are celebratory endings – or series of “lasts” – and imagination about the future. There are moments which force you to appreciate the current chapter and moments which force decision about a future direction. There are anxieties and honoring. There’s community to journey with and there are moments when “no one understands.” Yes, all of those things are true, and often they are paradoxical. Being a senior has its good days and stressful days. And living with, trying to parent and support, two seniors has its own ups and downs. Yes I’ve been there, but this isn’t my journey. Yes I have experiences, but I can’t make other people’s decisions. Yes I know some things, but it’s not wise to let learning moment go unattended. Being the parent means I have to roll with the changes, but not get too drawn into them. Lesson: Leading people in change requires staying relationally connected while also not doing other people’s work. Leadership Questions: How are we balancing being relationally connected and only doing the work that is ours? Do we know our role? Do we know what the work is and who’s it is?

As I continue to live in the midst of change, I’m noticing I need moments to rest and to reflect. But I also need moments to grieve and let go. I’m trying to find a healthy way through all three of these scenarios. I know you have your own set of scenarios, and I hope these lessons and questions might help you discover both an accompaniment partner and some fruitful lessons for the journey.

Terri

When Words Aren’t Enough

Posted on by
1

20131102-233708.jpg
I’m dreading going to worship tomorrow. To be honest, I’m dreading even going to church. I’ve done a good job avoiding this day, but now I have to face it.

Tomorrow marks the end of a significant chapter in the life of our congregation. Handt Hanson, worship leader, songwriter, colleague, and friend is leading his last worship service; starting Monday there will be a new director of worship and music at Prince of Peace. My journey with Handt goes back to the mid-80s. I remember the first time I met him. I was touring the church as I was interviewing for a youth ministry position, when we stopped by his office, not more than a storage room, and chatted. That day I sensed his humble spirit and servant heart, but little did I know the influence he would have on my life and the church.

As a pioneer in contemporary worship, Handt led our congregation to reimagine worship, sharing his learnings with thousands of church leaders along the way. Drawing on his understanding of worship and Lutheran theology, Handt taught me more about worship then any seminary class. Decades of worshipping with his leadership helped me understand how Lutheran liturgy could be fresh and meaningful each week. Both have left their mark in me. And today as I travel the country, I continually run into people who know Prince of Peace because of Handt’s contribution to rethinking worship.

But Handt’s more than a worship leader. His gifts as a musician and songwriter marked many unforgettable moments, some tragic in nature, and shaped many people’s understanding of faith and life, most of which were young people. Working alongside Handt, I witnessed firsthand how these transformational gifts often emerged out of ordinary moments and particular occasions. Yet even in the ordinary, the Spirit of God was present and when gathered communities joined in singing, the notes and words transcended the moment and drew our attention to GOD’s presence in our midst. My wedding, my daughter’s baptisms, friend’s funerals, and milestone moments in my life all have the imprint of Handt’s music; and I am not alone.

Yet Handt’s more than a church leader and colleague. Like many, I am able to call Handt a dear friend. As his friend, I am thrilled for this, his next, chapter in life. More time with his beloved wife and family, yes. New ways of being present with his grandchildren, what could be better? Not tied to the rigorous church schedule so he can travel with Kathy, sounds great. From this perspective, I rejoice. For his family, I’m excited. For him, I see new dreams emerging.

But for the church, and for our congregation, today I grieve. And personally, I’m experiencing what feels like a death. And to quote a song from a friend, ‘Broken hearts never die. They just feel that way for awhile. ‘Til the healing begins, you want to cry. The tears you feel will dry, your broken heart will mend. The king of hearts is your friend.’ It’s OK to grieve, but there’s something more here. Handt would not want the focus to be on him, but on the one who mends broken hearts; the one in whose name we gather each week.

So tomorrow, I will go to worship and I will celebrate Handt and I will lament the ending of this chapter in our life together. But I will also trust God is in this next chapter, of Handt’s life and our congregation. Thanks Handt. And thanks be to a God for your service to GOD’s church. It’s been a blessing.

It’s been a week

Posted on by
Reply

images copy 4

It’s been a week. Busy by all accounts, as many are. But being busy is not what has me tired tonight. Rather it is something about the nature of the busyness.

As a multi-tasker, and parent, I’m used to juggling a variety of tasks. Grading paper, getting groceries, going to a tennis match, organizing the work for a subcommittee, and registering for a conference; so far so good, right? Creating and attending to a to-do list is part of how I stay sane juggling my many and varied responsibilities. But today while teaching on leadership, a light bulb went off.  Accomplishing things is not what wears me down. It is something else.

Going about my work is what I expect to do each day. And, in fact, “work” is life-giving – it is part of how God designed us. We are created to contribute in the world based on our gifts and passions and the community’s needs. Preparing a class session on team leadership, meeting with students around vocational discernment, and planning next year’s curriculum most often are what feed my call as a teacher, scholar, and church leader. And its the same at home; preparing dinner, caring for our house, hosting a high school bonfire, and planning family time are everyday, ordinary ways I help our family create a life based on our values and commitments. And I expect this “work” to be easy some days, and harder others.

But somedays my head hits the pillow and I’m exhausted, defeated, and stretched beyond my means. And often on those days a collision has taken place between my attending to the life I am striving to create and the realities of the environment around me. Maybe it’s an unplanned event, like the resignation of a colleague; maybe it’s a stressor in a relationship, like a disagreement with my daughter; maybe it’s a decision by “the powers that be” that I disagree with, like cutting staff from my team; maybe it’s a shift in leadership or changes in other systems which I cannot stay detached from. The list is long, but what I know is this – with each of these “external” changes, I have to recalculate my internal compass. Maybe it’s just for the day, or the week, or beyond. And this “recalculating” takes energy, and too much recalculating leaves me questioning my direction and wondering where to direct my efforts.

As I lead my life, with my agenda and desires, I’m always balancing my competing commitments, values, and physical limitations. And that in and of itself is hard work. But then at the same time, I have to attend to the competing commitments, values, and limitations of the system/s I’m living within. When things are fairly predictable, I make it through the day with a dose of confidence. But sometimes the environment asks more of me then I have to give and the recalculating mode works overtime. Sometimes I’m having a good day and I encounter a colleague or friend who is having a hard time and my day turns. Then I go to a politically toxic meeting and come home to a daughter who needs extra attention and I’m done. All might be “normal” in the ebb and flow of that system, but together it’s overload. Then think about the “abnormal’ demands of living systems, when there is crisis or major transition.

On those days, I need to step back, remove myself, and take a break. Sometimes I go into a hole and attack my to-do list. Sometimes I immerse myself in another system, one I’m less emotionally or relationally attached to. Sometimes I bury my head in a book for the night. Sometimes I just go to bed and try again in the morning. Whatever the strategy, it’s time to get some perspective, giving myself some time, and a break from the recalculating. And then, in due time, take another run at the situation.

Today, I invite you to do two things. First, take a look at your to-do list (and if you don’t have one, write down the one that’s in your head). Look at it, pray over it, talk with friends and family about it, and wonder if that’s the to-do list that makes most sense in your life right now. Is your list the “agenda” you want shaping your everyday life. And second, take stock of the environments in which you spend most of your time – your home environment and personal relationships, your work and/or school environment, and the environments of the “other” places you invest your time and passion (maybe it’s a church community or a non-profit initiative).

This weekend, I’m away from home for time with family and learning with other colleagues. And I have the opportunity to do some such reflecting. And Monday, as I return, I hope to reenter with a rethought agenda and recalculated perspective. What about you? Will you join me?