April 1, 2011
Leading from the right seat
The past few weeks have pro-
vided many opportunities for me to interact with leaders of the United Methodist Church at virtu- ally all levels – local congregation, conference, and denomination. And through all of those meet- ings, I find my influence and enthusiasm spanning a wide range – from a great deal, to just a little, to seemingly none at all. It feels a little like riding in the right seat of a car – or a small plane. You know what I mean. The
person who rides in the right front seat isn’t really in charge. I’ve rid- den in both seats of a car, and in my years flying small planes I’ve been in both seats there. Certainly the driver / pilot who sits on the left is the main leader who deter- mines how the car / plane gets to its destination. The person on the right can help, even providing important directions and insight – IF the leader on the left is open to that. You know – “turn left at the light”. Or “watch out for that car pulling out!” Or “I see the airport over there.” The people riding in back may help too, but they aren’t in as good a position to provide as much help. They’re depending upon the leaders up front to get them safely where they’re going. Leadership in the church is a
little like that. The pastors / clergy leaders are like the drivers / pilots who sit on the left, steering the vehicles.
Their leadership is vital
to the success of the trip. Laity who serve in leadership may be in the right seat. Up front, with some influence, but really depen- dent upon the receptivity of the leader on the left to ask for and receive help. Just like the car or plane, the trip goes best when the leaders on the left and the right
(clergy and laity) are working together, supporting each other. The meetings I mentioned ear-
lier left me with a sense that God IS doing something new through the United Methodist Church – congregations, our Missouri conference, and maybe the whole denomination. I saw it at Conference Mission Council, the annual meeting of the denomina- tion’s Conference Lay Leaders, and a special denomination “Financial Leadership Forum” with bishops, conference lay leaders, finance officers, and connectional minis- try directors.
All three meetings
left me feeling optimistic about our conference under the able leadership of Bishop Schnase (in the left seat). In all those, I’ve felt that my voice from the “right seat” was welcomed and helpful. Then I returned to my home
church. The congregation had its HCI consultation weekend, and now people are working through their reactions. They’ll be voting on the prescriptions soon. Many of you have been in that situation of uncertainty (or are now). Our pastor is providing leadership to steer the congregation toward understanding God’s outward- focused mission, which will require changes. Some of those changes may be uncomfortable. I hear of anxiety about the HCI prescriptions and the uncertain future they create. Of course, we know that the future without some kind of revitalization is more of the same – comfort, familiarity, and some help for people. But gradual decline. I hope and pray that the leaders and people in all our congregations going through consultations will embrace the
Call to Action continued from page 1A
worldwide leadership summit on driving adaptive change for the United Methodist Church. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include presenta- tions on the Call to Action via the Internet, an hour of conversation among participants in each loca- tion, and responses to questions via the web. A limited number
of spaces are available for people who wish to participate in the dis- cussion that will be moderated by Missouri Bishop Robert Schnase at the Missouri Conference Center. To register to attend the event, e-mail Sherry Habben at
shabben@moumethodist.org or call 573-441-1770. You can also participate in
the event from any computer connected to the Internet. Go to
www.umcleadershipsummit.org. To prepare for the conversation, read the “Vital Congregations” and “Operational Assessment” reports online at
www.umc.org/ calltoaction.
outreaching mission God has for them, risking uncertainty and change to move into the future with hope and God’s Spirit. Many of you have experienced
the mixed feelings of your con- gregations as you seek to lead from the right seat, concerned but unable to steer the vehicle your- self. Change can be traumatic. As lay leaders we sometimes feel more like voices in the back, com- peting with others in the vehicle who believe their way is better. I hope and pray that the congrega- tion’s leaders who sit in the right seats up front will prayerfully consider the mission God has for the church in their community. I pray that they will work together with their pastor in helping the congregation get to where it needs to be in reaching people. Hebrews 12:1-2 is especially helpful in remembering to “run with perse- verance . . .” keeping “our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith . . . .” So – Lay Leaders and all laity
in leadership positions: Let’s recognize the vital importance of our roles in leading from the right seat, encouraging and helping our pastoral leaders as together we embrace the mission God has given – to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transforma- tion of the world. And let’s keep at it to bring those we lead to the destination: the kingdom of God alive and making a difference in our communities, our state, our nation, even our world. THANKS again for your lead-
ership! Brian Hammons, Mo. Conference Lay Leader
Missouri Conference News High-Tech Chat
Lay Leader Column By Brian hammons
Top 10 Facebook posts from UMCOM
By Diane Degnan and Ben Rhodes Does your church have a
Facebook page? If you aren’t using Facebook, you may be missing out on a whale of an opportunity to communicate with your con- gregation through a channel that many people use every day. As you seek to determine
which communications tools to use to best get your message across and increase your reach, consider how your audience likes to receive information. Facebook now has more than 500 million active users, with the average user being connected to 80 pages, groups and events. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. If you do have a Facebook
page, how do you use it? Is it just another way to post the same type of news you put on your website or in the church bulletin, or do you use it to create engage- ment, dialogue, and community? Facebook and other social media tools provide a way to unlock participation so that communica- tion is no longer one-way. You’re not just passing along informa- tion, but creating conversation. Endeavor to connect people with one another. Not sure what to post on your
Facebook page? Aim for a good mix of content. Some posts can be purely for entertainment pur- poses. Pose some conversation starters. Ask for feedback. Include photos and videos. Post links to stories that are relevant to your congregation, whether related to your local community or the larger global church, but preface the link with a question or com- ment that evokes interest or cre- ates curiosity. To get you started, we’re shar-
ing ten of our favorite Facebook posts from The United Methodist Church that garnered lots of conversation or interest, from hundreds of comments to thou- sands of click-throughs. These posts could be re-used at any time by local churches. You can also join The United Methodist Church Facebook page and share new links and topics as they are posted. • What is your favorite hymn in
The United Methodist Hymnal?
• What’s your spiritual type? This quiz is meant to help you learn about yourself, see how you compare with others, and have a little fun.
http://tinyurl.com/ spirittest
• Do you know why so many church doors are red? (This post got 4,700 click-thrus in just one day.) http://tinyurl. com/umreddoors
• What brought you to The United Methodist Church?
• Our church’s Cross and Flame insignia contains elements that relate to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, John Wesley’s faith, and the merger of two denomina- tions. What does the Cross and Flame mean to you? http://
tinyurl.com/crossflame
• Did you know that grape juice, as we know it today, was creat- ed by a Methodist Communion steward, Thomas Welch, who sought to provide an alter- native to wine used in Holy Communion? Read on to learn why United Methodist churches continue to favor the “unfer- mented juice of the grape.”
http://tinyurl.com/winevsjuice
• “We each have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” (Romans 12:6). Do you know your spiritual gifts? Discover them with UMC. org’s online assessment. http://
tinyurl.com/umgifts
• What’s your favorite thing about your church?
• Enjoy learning about your family tree? If there’s a United Methodist minister or mis- sionary among your ancestors and you’d like to know more about them or if you’re look- ing for baptism or membership records, this guide may help.
http://tinyurl.com/umfamily
• Did you know that you may submit a prayer request online at The Upper Room’s Living Prayer Center? Your request will be e-mailed to the Prayer Center, offered for prayer at The Upper Room Chapel, and sent out to Upper Room Covenant Prayer Groups, too.
http://www.upperroom.org/ prayer_center/
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