Why I Support Simplified and Accountable Leadership

This coming Saturday morning at 11:00 we will have an initial training on Simplified and Accountable Leadership Structure (SAS). This is a structure that many United Methodist Churches of all sizes have adopted in recent years and have found it has helped them be more effective in ministry. Still, just because it has worked elsewhere doesn't automatically mean it would work for our church. Why do I believe it will work here?

1) We have great people. In my seven months here, I have never come into a meeting and thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be difficult because of [insert name]." When I previously led a church through this SAS process, it was told to me that if you're just doing it to get a person off of leadership or because the culture of the church is unhealthy, don't do it. We do NOT have that problem. We have great, faithful people who want to do what is best for our church. That gives me confidence in pursuing this model.

2) Our people are managing rather than leading. The traditional structure is meant to help people manage a church. That worked well when churches were full and the church was the center of the community where people naturally gathered. That is no longer the world we live in. While I own my role as the lead pastor as the one who orders the ministry of the church, I want to release you, the members and people of the church, to do ministry and not just be tied up with managing the church on multiple committees. Simplifying processes frees time, energy and mental space to develop visions and dreams so that people aren't just in meeting after meeting.

3) It helps all of us grow spiritually. Part of the reason why I became United Methodist was because of John Wesley's focus on grace and accountability. That's what this model offers. It holds me as the pastor accountable and it also holds the members accountable as well. A culture where we are accountable and gracious is a place where natural growth happens.

There's a lot more that could be shared about this structure, but that's why we have the training Saturday and will likely continue to have conversations.

For now, here's one story about how this structure can simplify the process of ministry:

At one of my previous churches, we had a remarkably faithful custodian who simply could not longer do the physical demands of mowing the lawn (the church sat on a sizeable lot of land). That meant we had to talk to Trustees about bringing in outside help. That also meant we had to go to Finance about a budget request. That also meant we had to go to SPRC as it was a change in a staff member's responsibilities. Six months later, we had it figured out. Six months to decide how to mow the lawn. Great church. Great and faithful people (much like us), but yikes. With SAS, that decision probably would have been figured out within about 15 minutes because all the necessary people would already be around the table. Then we could move on to what was needed to make ministry to and with the community happen.

That's it for now! If there are any questions, concerns or anything else before Saturday, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at either besteele@gmail.com or 269-274-0029. You can also check out more information here.

-Brian

Pastor, Farmington First UMC