Leadership matters. It is crucial to advancing mission.
How will a leadership change impact your ministry?
Not too long ago I hit a wall. Ran straight into it.
Let me tell you about it….
It has been my privilege to serve and lead ministries across Canada for more than 20 years.
A ministry will be as healthy—and only as healthy—as its people and processes.
Most recently, I have been serving as the executive director of Camp Caroline.
Camp Caroline is a non-profit Christian camp and retreat center located in the eastern foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It is a growing ministry with almost 2 million dollars in annual revenue. Every year, we serve more than 10,000 campers and guests.
After serving in the role for 33 years, my predecessor stepped out of his role in 2015. He had led the ministry of Camp Caroline with distinction, and I am so thankful to have followed him.
His transition was voluntary, and he was able to provide several months notice.
There was, however, no plan in place for succession or transition.
After considering the possibility of responding to the need with an internal plan, the board of directors decided to recruit a new executive director externally.
My predecessor was not actively involved in the recruitment process. Nor was there any overlap between he and I. He finished only days before I began.
I was appointed in February 2015 and assumed responsibility of the role of executive director for Camp Caroline in June of that year.
Within 12 months of that transition, I hit a wall! I thought things were coming together well at camp but I was so wrong.
Quite unexpectedly, I experienced significant internal opposition from members of my management team. It took 24 months to work through the resulting conflict. During that time, our ability to actively advance the mission of the ministry of Camp Caroline slowed. This disruption was difficult to navigate and challenging to resolve. It took time to understand the concerns and work through the issues.
As I continue to reflect on what we went through at camp, I have recognized the following leadership lessons.
These are leadership lessons I learned the hard way:
Healthy ministries are led by healthy leaders. I am convinced that healthy ministries are led by healthy leaders. Healthy leaders pay close and careful attention to the health of the people serving in the ministry and the processes practiced or promoted throughout the ministry.
A ministry will be as healthy—and only as healthy—as its people and processes. Healthy leaders do not ignore or avoid addressing issues. Avoidance never appropriately attends to issues.
Attending to issues is normalized in healthy environments. It takes a commitment on the part of everyone affected to attend to issues. An unwillingness to address an issue cannot be allowed indefinitely.
Issues can be interpersonal but not all are interpersonal. I have also observed that issues can be interpersonal but not all are interpersonal. Some are the result of a process (or practice) that has become ineffective or inefficient. Such processes are burdensome in ministry. This misalignment weighs a ministry and its people down.
Each of these reflections have reinforced the importance of the role and function of strong and stable leadership.
Leadership matters.
It is crucial to advancing the mission of your ministry.