MIM Ezine, May 25, 2007

-- "The Reconstruction of a Youth Leader: A Guest Rambling" by R. Scott Miller.

-- Book Review: "God Called a Girl: How Mary Changed Her World—And You Can Too" by Shannon Kubiak,reviewed by Teena Stewart.

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Several people file into the meeting room and gather in chairs around the table. A few make small talk while others introduce themselves to each other. You are the ministry leader. You have a mission and an agenda. You are excited about the possibilities this group may create. You have been praying and preparing for this initial meeting for some time. Are you ready?

What role you will play on this team? Do you understand your default reflexes in leadership? Do you know what style of leadership this team needs most from you?

Many writers have analyzed the strengths and characteristics of effective leadership. Others have noted the techniques and disciplines of an effective leader. There is no one leadership style that fits every situation. How does a leader know what style that is needed in his/her particular situation?

Think of three criteria in answering that question: maturity or experience of the group, clarity of the mission, and urgency of the task.

I. Maturity

Norman Shawchuck created a resource in 1981 entitled, How To Be A More Effective Church Leader. One of the main contributions of this resource that is still useful is determining the group’s maturity or experience. Here maturity has more to do with the experience of the group working together as opposed to the age or behavior of the individual members.

In describing different stages Dr. Shawchuck mirrors the maturity of a group with the maturity of an individual. There are groups that are in a stage like an infant. They may be unable or unwilling to carry out responsibilities for many reasons. At the other end of the spectrum, some groups are like adults – fully capable and willing to carry out responsibilities.

What makes a group immature? Shawchuck names several characteristics: ownership of the goals, trust, openness, engagement, confidence, experience working with each other or a sense of team.

Ownership

A team that owns the goals or feels a personal sense of investment in those goals will work much more responsibly and much more effectively. Consequently, a group of people who have had a voice in forming and shaping these goals will most likely be the ones to work towards accomplishment. If goals are identified by some other leaders independent of communication with the larger group, there may be little investment or ownership of the goals.

Trust

How well do the members of the group trust each other? Do they respect each other’s opinion and judgment? Are they able to listen to each other? Do they sense they can learn from each other? Can they express their own thoughts and feelings without fear of criticism or embarrassment?

Openness

Is the group open in their acceptance of others? Do a few people do all the talking? Are members encouraged to share differences of perspective and experience? Are members pressured to conform or affirmed for being unique?

Engagement

When the group gathers, can they focus on the task? Do they sense a connection to each other as a team? Do they come prepared to participate?

Confidence

Does the team have the confidence to try experiments? Can they freely explore new and untested ideas? Is there a willingness to risk?

Experience

Has this group of people worked together before? Are there several who don’t know each other?

A mature group that ranks high on most or all of these areas will require a very different kind of leadership than a group that grades low on these areas. The leader of a mature group will work to bring clarity to the mission and encouragement to the group as it works. At times the leader may appear to the outside observer as disengaged or even disinterested. Yet, a mature group could become frustrated with an over functioning leader or a micromanaging leader.

An immature group that has little experience may require much more involvement by the leader. The leader will need to work on nurturing relationships so trust, confidence, and openness can grow.

II. Clarity of Mission

Picture Shawchuck’s imagery of the age or maturity of an individual. The younger or less mature the group, the more concrete and specific the goal needs to be. A child cannot handle an abstract task or navigate a problem with multiple uncertainties.

Consequently, the more concrete and specific the task, the less engaged and involved the leader may need to be. If the task, however, is abstract and includes multiple possibilities; the leader may need to be more engaged at critical decision points.

For example, when I ask the women’s group to pull together a meal for a family following a funeral, my best leadership is to give them the date and time and get out of the way. This is an experienced group. Some of them have been doing this long before I showed up. They understand their task better than I do. And they have been working together on this for some time.

On the other hand, if I ask another group of people to develop a new ministry for and with parents of children with special needs; they may need more assistance from me as a leader. I will need to work with the group to clearly identify the needs, to discover resources, to recognize persons who may benefit from this ministry, to clarify decision points, and to lead the processing of information.

That is why clarity of mission is so valuable to the leader. The greater clarity a leader can bring to a group, the greater the possibilities of the group to exceed expectations. Many groups flounder with a lack of focus and a confused sense of purpose.

III. Urgency

The third component for a leader to examine is the urgency of a task. A task with a quickly approaching deadline will require more involvement by a leader as opposed to a task with an open timeline. An open timeline allows a more leisurely pace to develop maturity and experience in the group as well as patience for an emerging consensus on the task.

For example, if the church building is on fire, please take charge and issue specific instructions on how people should exit the building. Do not form a committee. Do not take a vote. Do not engage people in consensus building about what the congregation should do. GET OUT OF THE BUILDING!

On the other hand, if you are thinking of setting the building on fire, you might want to consult with some people to consider the options and consequences first. Taking time to build consensus and explore alternatives may prove useful here.

In summary, as the leader examines the many alternatives of styles and approaches; consider also the needs of the group to be led. The effective leader will tailor his/her direction specifically to the group’s needs.

Tom Hanover has served in a variety of pastoral leadership roles for over 30 years, the last four as a District Superintendent supervising the ministries of more than 100 pastors and churches in southwest Ohio. He has a BA (cum laude) from Taylor University, and MDiv and DMin degrees from United Theological Seminary in Dayton.

Just for fun this month I thought I would introduce our readers to a friend of mine: Brent “Woody” Clayton. Brent is one of the best resources I have when it comes to music and sound. He plays more instruments than anyone I know and is as good of a musician as he is a sound technician. I asked Woody to share some of his wisdom and ramblings about church sound systems. The scary thing is that I met Woody while he was in high school and I was a youth ministry intern at his church.

If we receive some interest and feedback from our readers, we may be able to convince Woody to share even more thoughts about the right sound in future issues.

Audio Upgrade: Smooth Transition or Recipe for Disaster

My heart was pounding. Could I really be experiencing this? All I could see was the gun. All I could hear was someone screaming, “Give me all the money!!!!!” And the poor victims! The victims just blindly handed over everything they had.

It wasn’t that dramatic or overtly criminal. However, seeing the church get ripped off by the local “Retail Music Store” when upgrading the sanctuary’s sound system prompted some deep thought. After all, the store sold and installed exactly $2200 worth of gear and services for the “discounted rate” of $17,000!

The purpose of this article is not to promote myself or make you feel bad about past purchases. The purpose of this article is to simply take a practical look at planning your church’s audio upgrade.

You can walk into any church in the nation today, throw a rock, and hit 10 people who claim to be knowledgeable in sound systems. I have consistently found two things over the years when it comes to churches. One is that most churches have a committee or a vestry that oversees spending, building upgrades, etc. These committees tend to be made up of well intentioned church members who typically have a background in business or finance.

The second thing that I have found is that there is almost always a guy (or gal) that steps forward with unseen and unproven knowledge that wows the committee with technical audio terminology. This person uses phrases like EQ, cabinets, boards and cables. They know what they’re talking about, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Here are a few CRUCIAL - and I can’t emphasize the word “crucial” enough - tips on how to go about finding the right person or company to upgrade your church sound system. Keep in mind that there are both scrupulous and unscrupulous contractors out there, so these tips are not fool proof, but they will arm you with enough knowledge to help you make the right decisions.

The first thing to look for is the audio “professional” who meets with you and a few committee members on an evening in the middle of the week and immediately starts to tell you what he or she thinks you need to do. Would you trust your car mechanic if he diagnosed your cars problems over the phone without test driving the car? If someone feels they can tell you what you need without offering to attend a weekly worship service, show them the door. I once sold a new condenser microphone to a church who had gotten a quote of $15,000 because the congregation was having a hard time hearing the minister at the altar table.

The next thing to look for is whether the quote includes post-install training. Is the person willing to spend 2 or 3 weeks attending services to make sure the gear is functioning properly and to train your staff or volunteers? Too often we are forced to buy something, bring it home, take it out of the box, and be expected to know how to use it. Certainly a church audio system should not be that way. Most churches have a volunteer staff made up of some of the same people who are on those committees I mentioned earlier. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, except these people simply need to be trained in the basics.

The final point to consider is an obvious one. Ask to see some recent work. Get references and visit some of the churches for which the individual or company has done work. This will also give you an idea of whether or not this person is installing the same system everywhere, but claiming to “custom design” your system.

Sounds systems are tricky and the mere phrase “audio upgrade” can be frightening for a church. Hopefully, these tips will help prepare you and your committee members to search for a system that brings the Word to life on Sunday mornings.

Woody Clayton has been involved in audio production for over 18 years. He has worked on installations and as a consultant to numerous churches and organizations in central Kentucky. Currently, he travels with the band Poor Mans Riches as the Sound Engineer and Road Manager. In 2006, he was awarded the "Greatest Sound Guy Ever" Award by his peers ....uh……. .........just kidding. Ok… the last part is just a figment of Woody’s imagination! But if you have questions or comments, contact him through the following email address.

R. Scott Miller is the Director of Christian Education and Youth at Milford First United Methodist Church in the suburbs of Cincinnati, OH. In his 17 years of youth ministry, Scott has written and developed much of the youth programming used in his churches. Scott has a B.A. in Radio/TV and Journalism from Morehead State University and an M.A. from Asbury Theological Seminary. Scott is the author of7 Things Christians Don't Do and What To Do Instead by Abingdon Press.

Shannon Kubiak may be young, but her giftedness is obvious. She is a graduate of Biola University with a BA in journalism, and, in addition to being a published author, she also speaks at youth events nationwide.

Though her book gives insights into Mary, the mother of Jesus, that is not its main focus. The primary purpose of God Called a Girl is to show what God can do with a teen that is fully committed to serving Him. Kubiak does use Mary as an example of how one teenage girl willingly allowed God to work through her.

Just as any teen, Mary was faced with many choices. Kubiak examines those choices and how Mary positively dealt with them and holds them up as an example of inspiration to young people, and especially young women. Though we have been taught to see Mary as a mother, Kubiak teaches us to see Mary as what she truly was, a young, teenage girl.

Young people will likely identify with the fact that Mary was a virtual unknown, a nobody, and yet God chose her and she willingly allowed him to use her. Kubiak discusses her own life experiences and the way in which she accepted the fact that God called her for some unique ministry, even though she felt the task was beyond her gifts and capabilities. The lesson: God can use each one of us and each of us has merit in his eyes.

God has a plan for us and wants to use us, but sometimes we won’t know what the ultimate plan is until he puts it in motion. This unknown factor can make us fearful because it may take years to see it unfold. However, if we learn to trust him and believe that He knows what he is doing despite our insecurities, the results can be both fulfilling and amazing.

Kubiak urges the reader to take a stand for what is morally right, even when it is not the popular thing to do, and to influence others, even in small ways that might bring about change for the greater good. Though we may have heard all of this before, the fact that these words come from a young woman who is barely out of college, adds strength to this powerful message.

This book is most appropriate for high school age youth and young women, but its lessons are rich no matter what your age.

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MIM Ezine - May 25, 2007