COVID Leadership Lesson (part 1): Resilient Leaders Build Resilient Ministries

Have you ever had to take your vehicle to get a tune-up? To get fixed? To replace a part? Of course, you have!

In fact, we get our vehicles regularly maintained to get the most out of them. WHY? So we extend the life of our vehicles for our everyday needs.

In the same way, resilient leadership works this way. The emotional dashboard starts to beep at us, we feel the fatigue, the leadership vehicle starts to sputter AND we need a personal “tune-up”. This is an example of personal resiliency.

AND, in a COVID culture, a leadership lesson(s) I have observed is around resiliency; personal and ministerial resiliency.

You may ask, “What is resiliency?” Well, resiliency is the art AND science to bounce back, to recover, to have capacity to adapt quickly; personally and corporately. Resiliency is NOT about protectionism or reactionary or fear-based decision-making. Resiliency is about innovation, creativity, discernment, and leveraged influence.

Have you experienced this? Personally? In the ministry/organization that you lead?

In any case, here are three signs of ministry/organization/community resiliency WHEN ministerial leaders are resilient:

Generosity Flourishes

People are willing to step up to the plate when leaders share the need. This can be financial generosity but it can also equate to time and resources. How have you seen generosity thrive in your organization/ministry/community?

Discipleship Pivot

There is a shift, a pivot, from program-based to people-need(s) discipleship. People are looking for felt-need discipleship rather than curriculum-based programming. Not saying program-based discipleship is dead (yet), but there has been a pivot. People are looking for:

  • Spiritual care (prayer, community, pastoral care, relationships),

  • Biblical answers to the times (good Biblical teaching + training),

  • Practical discipleship to walk out their faith in everyday life (finances, marriages, digital discipleship, journey-based (real life) discipleship, family-based),

How are you resilient in your discipleship process? Have you pivoted your discipleship process to meet the needs of your community/ministry/organization to be resilient during these days?

Online Community

We all know there is an ONLINE fatigue setting in. People are sick of the screen. With that said, resilient communities/ministries/organizations have been able to NOT just produce online content or services but ways to STAY engaged online. This is the ability to offer intentional community, digital discipleship, and leveraged influence ONLINE and OFFLINE.

How has your community done this? How are you engaging (not just producing content) online?

In the days ahead, we will continue to NEED resilient ministerial leaders leading resilient communities/ministries/organizations.

If leaders are not resilient, they will NOT lead resilient communities. People will become fearful rather than faith-filled. People will shrink into protectionism rather than bring Hope to the world around them. Organizations/ministries/communities will NOT seize the day, and/or offer hope, and/or become redundant because of interia.

How have you seen resiliency rise in your leadership? In your ministry/organization/community?

***JOIN DUCO Leadership for a FREE and complimentary online video conversation on this important subject here.***

Emerging, Faith, Kingdom, Leadership, Ministry, Monday Morning Hangovers, Success, Priorities, PotentialAndy Gabruchleadership development, Leadership, resiliencyComment