HEROIC PASTORS: LEADING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES WEBINAR
More than 6 years ago when we started this movement, we called it The Amazing Parish because we believed that was the key to bringing more people to Jesus in the world. And we still do. But the world has changed considerably since then, and if we were to rename the movement, we might very well call it the Heroic Pastor movement.
Recently, the Amazing Parish Movement came together for a quarterly webinar geared towards lifting up, challenging and encouraging the Heroic Pastors that our world needs – take some time to watch (or rewatch) the recording, and let us know how we can serve you on the journey.
3 CONVERSATIONS TO MAKE YOUR PARISH STRONGER
Parishes that want to fulfill their potential as outposts of the Great Commission must have offices that ooze the love that comes from prayer, fellowship and wall-to-wall ministry. Is that your parish office? If not, take these simple steps with your staff, and watch what happens. Pastors around the country are seeing fruitful change – finding their offices stronger and more prepared to help people find Jesus than they were before!
FRUITS OF THE 3 CONVERSATIONS
These 3 Conversations help us to be better people of prayer. They help us to be better disciples. They help us to be a better parish.
As we go into inviting folks into leading the 3 conversations and spreading the culture of discipleship, prayer, and teamwork I don't think we can approach it as do this for me or for the parish. We should approach it more as do this with me. Join with me as my friend and fellow disciple. We need to ask people do with us instead of do for us.
We've had close to 100 parishioners participate in [the 3 Conversations] and overwhelmingly these men and women have told us that these have been moments of profound grace for them. There is an excitement from these parishioners in particular, this core group, who are eager to go out to their own spheres of influence and speak about Jesus.
This is the first time as pastor that I have been open with parishioners. I realized that I can be open about some of my deep hurts and people prayed for me and with me right then and there. Originally, I moved forward with the Three Conversations out of trust of the Amazing Parish, but I realized how impactful this can be on a big scale now that we have started.
I did have someone in our 1st Conversation session say that that was the first time since his daughter died in 2004 that he was willing to ask anyone for prayer. (He says he usually prays for other people.) As part of our prayer for him, I thanked God for his being willing to have people pray for him.
The Three Conversations work! And it's so obvious. Why haven't we been praying? Why haven't we been sharing the faith?...Why didn't we do this before, and thank God we are doing it now. It's what we are supposed to be doing.
A parishioner came in and was having some personal struggles and shared with myself and our secretary. Before they left, I asked them if we could pray for them and we did it right there. It was very moving and exactly what this parishioner needed. Strangely enough, another parishioner came in about an hour later and the very same thing happened! I asked if I could pray for them and we did! Again, tears were shed. I felt honored to be a part of such an experience. Had Amazing Parish not encouraged these conversations, I would never have had the courage to do this.
"The new school principal met with the teachers and they did the first conversation together. It went extremely well! The teachers really opened up and there were some tears and great sharing. They remarked how nothing like this had ever been done and how pleased they were with the results. The principal now plans on engaging them in the next two topics as well. Thanks Amazing Parish!"
"If we don’t start simply with our parishioners, we will never get to a point where they can appreciate the depth and beauty of our faith."
SHARE YOUR OWN STORY!
Stories are powerful and yours is especially powerful! We want to celebrate the fruits of beginning a culture of prayer among your parish office by sharing your story with others in our community.
5 THINGS THAT ONLY A PASTOR CAN DO
No leader is purely reward-centered or responsibility-centered. We all struggle at times, and we all rise up to do the right thing at times. But one of these two motives for leadership will be predominant, and that motive will have a profound impact on the success of the pastor and the parish he serves.
A pastor who accepts responsibility-centered leadership embraces the following 5 things that only he can do:
- Having difficult and uncomfortable conversations
- Actively managing direct reports
- Running great team meetings
- Developing the leadership team
- Communicating constantly and repetitively to staff members
PAT'S POINT OF VIEW
Perspectives from the desk of organizational health expert Patrick Lencioni.
Only the pastor can take the first step
“The journey toward becoming an amazing parish does not begin by reading a book or attending a conference or participating in a webinar. It does not happen with a group of people sitting around a table discussing the future direction or mission of the parish. It happens when the pastor, sitting alone, prayerfully decides that he will be a leader.”
A few thoughts for leaders and managers
“Second, be persistent. This is not a time to hold back. Send people updates and regular communication, even if there is not a lot of new information and the message is largely personal. No one will look back at this time and say, “my manager was so annoying with all the encouraging e-mails checking in on me.” When people are isolated, over-communication is more important than ever.”
Help fight the war for jobs
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there is a war going on, but most people think it is only a medical war being fought by the brave men and women in hospitals, health care facilities and laboratories.
In fact, there are multiple fronts in this war, and I believe that one of the most critical is the attack on jobs.”