Selecting the New Leadership Circle

by Bill Zelazny, District Executive

Most congregations are starting to look for congregation leaders for the next church year at this time. In some congregations the nominating committee will go back to past leaders to ask them to serve again. In others congregations the committee finds themselves going after individuals who are very new to Unitarian Universalism or the congregation or end up pressuring someone to take a job. While these approaches do find people, and often dedicated individuals, they may not make for the leadership team that reflects the congregation or gives it the right team for the current times.

The Rev. Patricia Hayes, an Alban Institute consultant, in a recent article, has some suggestions for nominating committees to develop a leadership circle.

Reflect on the Current Leadership.

Meet with the current leaders and ask them to reflect on what serving as a congregational leader has meant to them, changed their lives and the skills they needed

Look at the current and traditional leadership circle to see who is included and who is missing -- genders and age groups, viewpoints, ethnicities, length of membership.

Use the findings to create a plan to identify the new leadership circle

Make Leadership Visible.

People will not volunteer for what is invisible to them or what they do not understand. Increase the visibility of the congregation's leadership by publishing testimonies in the church's newsletter about what it means to be a congregational leader, and have congregational leaders speak at new member classes, at church dinners, and at other gatherings to share the value of their leadership experiences in their lives.

Clarify the Invitation.

Before inviting members to serve as leaders, clarify what it is you are asking of them with a clear description of what the job has been in the past, how much time it took, and what the current goals are. Also, talk about why this is an important activity for them to be involved in and what is the potential for this leadership task?

Good, balanced and enthused leadership teams do not just happen; but with intentional recruiting, coaching, and support, a congregation can have a healthy, well functional team.