Leadership Essentials

Rev. Frank Thomas has written, “Leadership is the spiritual process of discerning what one believes (clarity), acting on that belief in the public arena (decisiveness), and standing behind that action despite the varied responses of the people (courage).” Systems thinking reminds us that when one of its parts changes, the whole of the organism is affected. Congregations are organisms that have grown into organizations. Change is a natural result.  Organizations (congregations) manifest structure, purpose, stories, sub-systems, pattern replication and a place among multiple contexts. These systems components require skilled management competencies so that leadership can be exercised.

This seminar, designed for 21^st century congregational leaders, explores the pathways to adaptive leadership where technical fixes do not apply. Self-awareness on the part of leadership team members is defined and examined as essential to authentic leadership. Shared vision, personal mastery, mental models and team-learning are examined as essential to effective congregational leadership.