Transforming Church

These Marks were identified to give clarity to the end results sought through the VPL coaching process. The ELCA Division for Outreach chose forty-five (45) top mission developers to participate in a process for strengthening new church plants where these characteristics were shared and these participants felt that they correctly identified their strengths. The following behavioral characteristics therefore are identified as the goals for clergy in the VPL network project. For more information on the VPL, contact David Stark at Changing Church Forum.

1. Willingness to Risk But With a Fear of Failure.
The primary behavior of these great pastoral leaders was their willingness to risk. They seem to have the opposite DNA of those that have a failure of nerve. Failure to risk is one of their greatest fears. Leaders take chances, big chances. In fact the bigger the risk the better because it means that without God's help it cannot be done. This drives them to their knees in prayer. In addition to taking risks and closeness to God is their fear of failure. They will try anything to keep their vision going. When leaders discover things that block their moving ahead they do everything to avoid them or get around them. They will re-chart the course or take new initiatives but they are committed to accomplishing their goals. To quote Nietzsche, "He/she who has a why to live will live with any how." Their clear purpose and vision drives them to success.

2. Vision and Mission Driven.
Shaping and maintaining a compelling vision is a task these pastors believe they should never give away. These leaders were purpose driven. They identified their vision with the mission of God. It is in this identity that they found energy for the task of ministry. They were willing to share vision with others as long as the others were on the same track and were willing to lose precious new recruits who had a contrary vision in order not to compromise where they were going. Leaders have a big vision that serves to recruit others to join who will largely implement that vision. That is how they understand their primary role even after the congregation reaches 7000 members. Their job is to have a super-vision, a vision that would grow the congregation deep into the very fibers of the new participant's being and their relationship with God.

3. Willingness to Let People Go.
This compelling vision was open to grow but not be compromised. This is where risk is made manifest. Being willing to give up potential participants for principal was a common behavioral characteristic of these leaders. This willingness may be the best indicator of their willingness to risk. This behavior also focused the ministry and eliminated what these leaders believed were secondary thrusts. They understood that chasing false rabbits of someone else's choosing could easily dissipate ministry's energy.

4. The Focus Is On Jesus.
Many of the new participants were first time Christians. These pastors knew that this would be their first encounter with Jesus. They focused on the person of Jesus and his ministry. They pictured Jesus as one who loved unconditionally, who cared for the hurts and needs of people and even reached out to those who by religious tradition were considered outsiders. Jesus is Lord against all other claims. (David Bosch) This focus hit a chord with people. These pastors contextualized the Luke 4:16-22 passage by addressing issues of today such as loneliness, despair and addiction. Their goal was to make disciples of Jesus but they knew that to come to faith was a process and these pastors needed to nurture the young Christians to faith in Christ and commitment to the mission of God.

5. Mission is at the Center of Their Life.
These pastors are energized by God’s mission. They discovered meaning in their ministries by the impact of faith on new Christians. There was a sense of urgency to bring the gospel message to people who have lived their life without God. This questioning has also created a market for a renewal of mission. Some congregations and church leaders are rediscovering the "Missio Dei," the mission of God. They understand their people and their hurts and they believe that God will transform their lives. Obedience to God gives purpose. This mission renews their calling and commits them to this ministry. They understood that the USA is now the fourth largest mission field in the world and a great place to take seriously “making disciples of all nations,” as the nations of the world are all here. This challenge is their calling and they feel accountable to God for its fulfillment.

6. Prayer is at the Center of Their Life.
These pastors were clear about the source of power in their lives. They started the day with prayer and continued in prayer. The constant challenge to overcome was not to rely on what they did but to give in to God what God was doing to lead them in the development of this ministry. By making room for God in their daily life they achieved balance and renewal. Whenever life or work became so hectic that they were too busy for prayer, they felt the loss and knew that they had to return to the source of their strength. They participated in a disciplined time for prayer as well as spontaneous prayer. Their structured prayer included prayer for others, for their mission and for the context of their ministry. They demonstrated an intimacy with God in their lives.

7. High Expectations
These leaders had high expectations for the congregation and for the participants in the ministry. They maintained a clear Biblical framework and faith standard. They believed that being a Christian had to mean that life was transformed and that there would be a difference in the way people lived. This difference was so essential to life that it manifested itself in a passion to share the gospel with everyone they encountered. This high expectation of a person's faith response to God's grace also raised the pastors' expectation of their own performance. Many reported that their worship attendance far exceeded their membership. They would often question people interested in membership, "Why would you want to join? You can receive everything we offer without membership, but if you join we will expect you to attend worship weekly, pray and study scripture daily, be in relationship with others in a small group that will encourage your spiritual growth, serve God's mission beyond this congregation and give of your time and talents, and tithe your resources for God's mission here." And people join.

8. Core Values.
They also maintained an articulated set of values about what one could expect from these congregations. The people who came to these churches were looking for what would differentiate this place from the general pabulum of American Christianity. These leaders knew that they had to stand for something. They had to define themselves over and against the popular expression. At these congregations newcomers knew that the participants cared about each other; experienced an honest concern for them; felt accepted just as they were; experienced a commitment of the congregation to walk with them through their struggles and sorrows; and the congregation was even open to hearing their doubts and questions. They saw this congregation as a safe place which gave permission to explore new and uncommitted ideas; saw that people were honest and could be trusted; and felt hope for the future here. They discovered new opportunities, realized that diversity was valued, saw that healing was going on, knew that intimacy and boundaries were respected and fidelity and responsibility were valued.

9. This Ministry is a God Thing.
Pastors of these congregations had a profound faith in God as the real leader/actor in these ministries. They recognized that they needed to get out and meet people and build relationships and through those relationships pointed beyond themselves to what God was doing in their midst. They also made it clear that God brought the people to the church because God knows their needs and has prepared a community of believers to receive them and help them discover God’s plan for their lives. This group of pastors was clear that the focus of their preaching was on Jesus--his faith, life and teachings. They pointed to how Jesus related to people, how he prayed and to whom he gave the recognition of the source of power to transform life. They invited Jesus into their walk of faith.

10. Humility and Willingness to Learn from Others.
They understood that their talents, even their charismatic gifts, came from God and that turned their strong ego into humility. They gave God the credit for growth in the church. They also gave credit to others. In fact, they delighted in the accomplishment of others. They sought out talents from within their congregation and beyond to develop the skills and knowledge base for effective leadership. They were the first to admit they did not have all the answers and the first to see the contributions of persons other than themselves. Diversity in staffing is considered a rich resource for ministry. They seek to surround themselves with even more talented persons for the sake of mission development.

11. Equipping People for Their Ministries and Multiplying Ministry by Giving Ministry Away.
Effective pastors can give ministry away. In fact, one of the key characteristics is their passion to give ministry away to others. Equipping the laity to be in mission was their primary goal. This meant multiplying ministry through the gifts of God’s people. It meant that they saw their role as affirming the gifts of others and not as gatekeepers. They were team-centered and could build on the ideas and passions of others.

12. Developing Identity.
These pastors knew they had to establish an identity in order to differentiate their ministry from other offerings in the community. They had to reach out beyond former affiliates. Their identity was shaped by the unique character of the people and the service they gave to meet the needs of the community. The hurts of the people, their addictions, oppressions and abuses needed to be responded to in a meaningful way. People seeking a church would come for one of two reasons -- they were either seeking a sense of belonging to a community or looking for meaning and making sense out of life. These pastors sought to fill those needs while sharing the gospel message.

13. Building a Personal Relationship.
These effective leaders know that personal relationships were needed to build a bond between the pastor and the people but they also realize that they need to be careful about building a cult of personality based and unilateral relationships. They built the bond with people, but they knew their boundaries. This does not preclude friendships within the congregation, but it does mean that the friendship needs of a pastor may be jeopardized if pastors do not build friendships with fellow clergy either in the general ministerium or the denomination. The leaders of these highly effective congregations knew that they had to get beyond the personal relationship they established with the people and help them build a relationship with each other. They knew that the Christian faith was personal but never private. The key to commitment was in building relationships with others. At the very least there is a necessity for a small group of friends that could care for each other and grow together, where trust and safety in sharing their questions, fears and doubts would be honestly received. When the impact of the Christian faith was experienced it needed to be shared with others.

14. Knowing Their Community.
Pastors of effective congregations shape their ministries from the context of their community. While many were sent into this church by their denomination, they soon realized that they had to know their environment. They did not see themselves so much as in competition with other churches as knowing that they had to respond to the unique needs of their intended audience. They felt a calling from God to reach people who had no previous relationship with God. They used a variety of methods to learn about the residents of their community from cold calling, knocking on doors, to joining civic organizations. The purpose of these efforts was two fold. They knew that they personally had to become known in the community, but they also knew that they had to learn who made up their community. These learnings led to a commitment to serve the community by meeting the needs of the people. Community organizing became a tool for fulfilling this response to human need.

15. Respecting People Building Lay Ministry.
The leaders of effective churches respected where people were in their life. They listened carefully to understand where people were in their life journey. They did not do this to compromise the faith but to adapt their approach. They believed that God had already touched them. They understood that if leadership is best shared with respect for others they could build a force for change and new development. These pastors brought their lay people to the renewal of ministry events. They knew that the answer to clergy burnout and expanded ministry was in the discovery of lay gifts for ministry. They saw themselves as a member of a team-delivering ministry where the lay members were as important as the ordained were for the future of the mission.

16. Shared Authority.
This led to an understanding that authority can be delegated to others and that others also got their authority to act from God. The delivery of ministry does not need to go through a bureaucratic hierarchy of permission giving, nor is it controlled by these pastors. Ministry flows from the gifts of the people of God and as such they have the authority to act. In fact, the solution to the apparent clergy loss of calling is not in rallying around the call but in helping laypersons discover their call to serve God's mission. These pastors experienced the multiplication of ministry when they gave ministry away. They discovered a more important role of the pastor as one who equips others for ministry. This maximizes diversity, which, in turn, expands the potential target audience for mission. This is the intent of the New Testament’s "Royal Priesthood" and Luther's "Priesthood of all Believers." It is also the solution to clergy burnout and the POSTMODERN Cultural context. It provides a means to grow the congregation beyond the capacity of the pastor.

17. Respecting Diversity.
These pastors had a profound respect for diversity, knowing that diversity would add to ministry. This included diversity of race, gender and opinion. In many ways, they were the first to add staff and share authority. While they respected role and function, they saw the power of competing ideas. They believed that God was revealed in the diversity of others. They saw value in a team approach to mission.

18. Building and Experiencing Christian Community.
Once a group began to gather, the pastors of these congregations knew that their next task was to build a community of believers. The new congregations could not rely only on their relationship with their pastor but needed to build on relationships with each other in a common mission. This unity of mission and the interdependence developed by relating persons with each other built strong congregations. These pastors knew that people needed to live their lives in a caring Christian community. This took shape in small groups. The groups ranged in size from 3 or 4 to 15. The groups engaged in personal sharing of concerns, caring for each other, Bible study, prayer, identifying and implementing a common mission action and their own leadership development. They often identified a community concern that could make life more abundant for the poor or the oppressed. They saw value in acting together in meeting those needs that created interdependence and accountability.

19. Connection to Middle Judicatory or National Denomination.
There is a balance of conflicting behaviors with these pastors in relationship to their denomination. They both appreciate and are critical of their denomination. They love the church but they also see its weaknesses. They felt a sense of urgency to start a new congregation because they feared the present trajectory of congregations around them. They are entrepreneurial leaders in the middle of a bureaucratic system. Both the church and the leaders have the same goal of expanding the church, but often these leaders are thinking outside the box and do not want to compromise. They appreciate the resources that the church can bring to the task, but they will find a way to stretch the church beyond its policy and procedures and they are impatient with the system. They understand that the church is more than the congregation and delight when the church recognizes their gifts and skills and asks them to lead. When they can have a foot in both the local congregation and in the church-wide system, they feel the potential for fulfillment. But if the judicatory tries to curtail their mission they feel betrayed. What they need is permission to try new approaches for ministry within their congregations for the sake of developing mission. They see themselves as a research and development arm of the church. They believe policy can follow the learnings not precede them. This will require a transformation of the middle judicatory from gatekeeper and problem solver to a partner in God's mission. This is not an anti-institutional, anti-authority behavior but a desire to reinvent the denomination and its systems.

20. Passion for This Work.
If they were not doing ministry at this location, they would be doing it somewhere else. Their passion is for the building of relationships with God. Their passion is to communicate how much God loves people. They believe that it does make a difference in what you believe and that difference will transform your life. They also know that passion can consume them if they get out of balance with self and family and, ultimately, with God. Pastors and others sometimes misunderstand their passion as arrogance. These leaders are purpose driven. Their commitment comes before self-care and self-pity.

21. Skills Needed for This Work.
While these leaders see leadership as a gift from God, they also believe that God bestows leadership gifts on everyone. They recognize that skills can be learned and need to be nurtured. All too often those who select leaders focus on skills in making their choice. In addition to the talents and gifts listed above, these leaders also possess the ability to relate to people of all ages, theological reflection based on a faithful relationship with God, communication skills such that they may be understood, organization skills that can fully utilize the gifts of others, and recruiting skills for acquiring resources and raising funds. All of these skills can be found in other persons if the pastor lacks them and will be used by these leaders to strengthen the ministry. These skills can be learned or at least improved. These leaders seek to improve their skills for the sake of mission but they don't focus on them. This became obvious by hearing what they read or did not read.

There were three factors that were important and need to be noted, as they seem to contribute to the effectiveness of these leaders: First, persistence and drive; second, good health because it will require a lot of energy; and finally a supportive family that is committed to this work. It is the negative of these factors that will soon undermine the efforts of the pastor. Exercise, diet and balance in their living were important blocks for their effectiveness.

22. Flexibility, Adaptability and Change in Style as the Congregation Grows.
The leaders agreed with each other that they had to be flexible. The reality of change and the constant demands on their role, style and function of leadership is not only because of the organizational change due to size, but to the environmental changing times. These leaders changed their job descriptions or what was required of them even as they kept the same position. They seemed ready for the next change even before others were aware of the need for change. They were not reckless in giving up things simply for the sake of change but rather liked to experiment or test ideas to see if what was new could broaden the appeal of the ministry.

23. Longevity and Continuity of Leadership.
These leaders stood the course. The key to their growth in their minds has been their longevity. They have built a relationship with multi-generational families. They know the struggles and blessings and yet continue to find adventure in their current call. They know that the problems they face will be at the next call as well. They understand that the challenges and opportunities they seek are right here. They have a self-confidence that God is by their side and the continuity of leadership is a special blessing for the congregation.

24. Ferocious Readers.
Top leaders read as much as they can to find new ideas and new discoveries that can impact ministry. They demonstrate openness to learning and growing and invigorate others by what they share. They build an atmosphere of learning and experimentation. Change is considered the ally of growth and new development. They were always looking for resources. Often, they would pick out leaders in other disciplines to see how they lead their organization or they would read biographies of great leaders to learn more about leadership.

25. Develop Local Ownership.
Top leaders know that they have to bring the leaders of their congregation along with them. They are not lone rangers. They know how to separate opinions from the people stating them. They do not abuse the power of their position or their relationship with God to win or silence opposition. They bring a core group of leaders through a common experience before asking for their support. They see long term. They invite their people to use their own expertise to introduce new ideas.

26. Giving Ministry Away.
The difference between great leaders and others is in the willingness to give ministry away. Less effective leaders hold on to ministry. They seem to fear giving it away for fear of not being needed or not receiving that feedback of appreciation. Their identity with the work of ministry makes it difficult for them to see the importance of giving ministry away. Pastors have learned that effective ministry is shared and the witness of lay leaders can increase the power of the church in achieving change.

Conclusions

Leaders with these skills would be effective in any setting. Pastors need to be placed in settings that have potential for growth but their spirit to succeed needs to be central to their life in order that they discover the way to grow a congregation. It is this Spirit and their relationship to the Spirit of God that ultimately will make the difference. In some cases where other leaders without this spirit were placed in these same settings they failed to make mission happen. It may have been timing, but these characteristics appear to differentiate the top leaders from the rest. Leadership is a gift. Learning certain skills such as marketing can enhance leadership or having more knowledge as in knowing the profile of the target audience, but the gifts of leadership makes the difference.