Church Leaders Intelligence Report 12.9.2009 ~ Be informed!

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12.09.09

Effective Managers vs. Effective Leaders

With so much focus on leadership today the lines of effective management and effective leadership often become blurred. Although there is a significant amount of overlap between the two roles of managers and leaders, the two disciplines actually draw on different, and often times contradictory, qualities. Successful small business consultant and often published business writer Susan Brown sets forth how typical management and leadership styles differ across various components: personality, goals, strategy, qualifications and experience, and relationship to team members.
Personality Type Good managers have a tendency to seek comfort and stability in both their professional and personal lives. They are usually somewhat risk adverse, tending to favor the preservation of the status quo. People who do well in a management role are inclined to be detailed-oriented and excel at things that call for organization.
On the other hand, effective leaders are typically at ease with considerable amounts of risk and change when they believe it will help them successfully pursue their goals. They are also more willing to embrace the challenges and difficulties they encounter along the way that must be surmounted in order to achieve these goals. People who excel in leadership roles are more likely to be compelling free-thinkers who can comfortably think outside of the box.
Goals An effective manager's goal is to maximize productivity within the existing infrastructure or system of a ministry or organization by carefully planning, organizing, and controlling a myriad of details and tactics. Theirs is a very hands on role. In contrast an effective leader will work on a system rather than in it. They are not concerned with just getting the job done, but they want to improve the whole process for the benefit of the team, the organization and its constituents.
Qualifications and Experience It is common for people in the management ranks to have slowly worked their way up the organizational ladder. Good managers often bring to their positions a high degree technical experience and a deep understanding of how the organization's systems operate. Although these are valuable traits, it is not uncommon for an effective leader to lack much of the experience that a person in management has acquired. Instead effective leaders can bring a new ideas, fresh outlook, and inspiration.
Strategy Historically, success in management comes as a result of adhering to organizational policy and consistently working on leveraging and maximizing output while reducing costs and rooting out inefficiencies. Managers tend to have a formal and rational approach to their jobs. Their strengths are heavily dependent on their individual abilities to delegate work, analyze data, and smoothly control performance and production flow.
Whereas, leadership success is often defined by the leader's ability to bring and implement change in the ministry or business and to empower its workers. Leaders are radical thinkers who have the courage and self confidence to follow their own instincts in seeking out new opportunities. To do this, successful leaders will procure the help and support of the workers to accomplish their goals.
Relationship to Employees As a rule managers default to an authoritarian approach when working with their subordinates. This means a manager speaks and the workers in his or her charge are expected to do what they are told. With this approach it is usually the manager that receives the most credit for a job well done.
But a leader intentionally seeks to inspire, coach and empower his team members. People are naturally inclined to loyally follow such leaders. Unlike the manager, a leader's interaction with his or her team members is less formal. Leaders also conscientiously seek to bestowing credit on their team members, where they honestly believe the credit is most deserving.
Though they there are times management and leadership may seem to come from different ends of the spectrum, the key qualities of good management and leadership compliment and augment each other. The best managers tend to possess some leadership qualities, and the most effective leaders bear many of the key managerial skills.

Susan Brown, The Difference Between Management and Leadership Suite101.com, 5/10/09

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Growing Online Presence of Small Church Pastors

A search on Google reveals 52 million hits just on the phrase “small church.” “Small church pastor” and “small church ministry” produce 18 million and 10 million hits respectively. There is even a hashtag on Twitter for small church discussions, #smallchurch. A growing movement of small church pastors are writing and blogging about their experiences. The Rev. Les Puryear, who's been blogging since 2006, says, “Just because a church is small doesn't mean that the church is unhealthy.” His blog is a prime example of the increasing presence of small church pastors on the Internet. The issues in this movement include more equitable small-church representation on denominational boards and committees, production of material
specifically for the small-church environment and a change of heart about the small church as valuable and not unhealthy. Statistics show the vast majority of Protestant congregations in the U.S. are small, with an active membership of less than 100 people. Puryear says the small-church minister is hungry for material that fits. “It's important that small churches communicate with each other because we can learn from one another. Most of the denominational church health material is written by large church people who promote large church ideas. Most of these materials do not translate easily into the small church environment. We need to learn from each other in the small church.”

Rev. David B. Smith, Church Solutions, 11/09/09

Supreme Court Will Hear Case of Christian Student Club

The U.S. Supreme Court said it will decide whether a public university can refuse to recognize a religious student group because the group requires its leaders to share its religious beliefs. The justices agreed Monday to intervene in the case of Christian Legal Society Chapter of University of California, Hastings College of the Law v. Mary Kay Kane, et al., which was first filed in 2004 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Since the federal civil rights suit was filed, attorneys with the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom have argued on behalf of the student chapter of CLS, insisting that the group should be able to decide its own membership and not be required by the college to admit homosexuals and non-Christians as members and officers in order to receive school recognition. “Christian students have the right to gather as Christians for a common purpose and around
shared beliefs,” stated ADF Senior Legal Counsel Gregory S. Baylor with the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. “It's completely unreasonable—and unconstitutional—for a public university to disrupt the purposes of private student groups by forcing them to accept as members and officers those who oppose the very ideas they advocate.” The Christian Legal Society, which has chapters at universities nationwide, has sued other universities on the same grounds. It won a similar suit against Southern Illinois University, which settled with the group in 2007 and recognized its membership and leadership policies.

Christian Post 12/8/09

New Flu Resource Available for Churches

Should churches abandon the common cup during communion? Is it unsafe to extend the peace of Christ with a handshake during worship? Are we spreading too many germs when we hold hands during prayer? In light of the continuing news about the H1N1 influenza outbreak, churches across the nation are wrestling with questions like these and trying to make wise and sensible decisions to keep their congregations safe and healthy. For a limited time, ChurchSafety.com is offering a free 31-page electronic resource, “Preparing Your Church for a Pandemic.” The download offers church leaders advice on how to organize a response plan, communicate effectively with staff and members, and set up policies to stem the risk and spread of infection. “This resource provides practical, comprehensive help for navigating this season of overwhelming illness,” explains Marian Liautaud, editor of ChurchSafety.com. “Whether or not you're faced with the threat of H1N1, every church should be prepared to respond to a health crisis that could affect their entire congregation.” The download is especially timely as churches prepare for the holiday season when many congregations experience their highest levels of activity and attendance. Click here to download the resource. The resource is available free of charge until December 31, 2009.
Christian NewsWire, ChurchSafety.com, 12/7/09

Senior Population Growing Rapidly

Churches have a growing opportunity to offer ministry to seniors as the elderly population continues to increase rapidly in our society. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the next five years alone, the population of those over 65 will increase by 40%, from 36.8 million to 51.7 million. By mid-century, the worldwide population of seniors is projected to triple. In the U.S., this could add up to 88.5 million people over 65, comprising 20% of the population.
MediaPost 11/9/09

Churches Offering Support to the Grieving During the Holidays

Many people who have lost loved ones find they are depressed, and coping with the holiday hustle-and-bustle is just too much to bear. In order to help those dealing with grief during the holiday season, many churches across the nation are now hosting seminars and events, such as GriefShare 'Surviving the Holidays' seminars, to help grieving people deal with the painful, debilitating emotions they face during the holiday season. Dr. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University specializing in religion and culture, says: “In times of death or divorce, people are most likely to reengage in a church.” Topics discussed include dealing with depression during the holidays, prioritizing holiday activities and events, control of emotions, and how God helps
during these times. Participation from non-churched people in these seminars has exceeded expectations. Churches are finding events and seminars of this type consistently draw people from the community into their churches.
ASSIST News Service 12/4/09

Rick Warren Comments on the Future of Christianity

In a recent conversation with Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, CA commented, “The last 50 years has seen the greatest redistribution of a religion ever in the history of the world. For instance, in 1900, 71% of all 'Christians' lived in Europe; by 2000 it had declined to just 28% who claimed to be Christian. Far fewer go to church. Conversely, in 1900, only 10% of all people in Africa (10 million) were Christians vs. over 50% (360 million) today...I may surprise some when I say that there are by far more Christians in China than in America. There are more Presbyterians in Ghana than in Scotland, where they were founded by John Knox. There are more Baptists in the India state of Nagaland than in the American South. There are more Anglicans in Kenya or Uganda or Rwanda or
Nigeria than in England. There are two million Anglicans in England compared to 17 million in Nigeria. Last Sunday, more Christians went to church in China than all of Europe combined. This is a fundamental shift. If you want to know the future of Christianity, it is the developing world. It's Africa, Latin America and Asia.”