Strong Lay Leadership in a Small Congregation

Yes!  The small congregation really is the work of the people who are part of it.  A minister can help, sometimes in crucial ways, but the congregation must "belong" to its people.  Without active participation of a broad spectrum of members and friends, the small congregation cannot maintain itself.  There is no staff to take care of things no one wants to do, so commitment at a deep level is key (for sure, the minister does not want to be stuck with those tasks, either).

The trick is for the small congregation to allow the leaders to lead, and not to get bogged down in theoretical discussions on what is required for the strong lay leadership to maintain its place in the order of things.  When it is new to have strong professional leadership, this is a particularly touchy matter.

In my experience, the focus of the lay people's concern is strongly focused on Sunday mornings.  They worry about the Sunday service more than anything else. Will the minister "take over" everything so they end up dying of boredom, silenced in the pews? Speaking from my own experience, a minister who can work with the people to make sure there are a variety of voices heard on Sunday mornings can proceed to lead assertively in other areas, because those are not what everyone is watching.  I'd love to hear what others have experienced!

The minister in a small congregation can provide a kind of "glue" that is hard for even the strongest cadre of leaders to provide on their own, the glue of talking to people, sharing social media and email, even putting people in touch with one another. Generally, leaders get so involved in the work of leading that they talk mostly with other leaders, rather than reaching out to the entire congregation.  This creates an in-group feel that is uncomfortable for newer people who want to be involved.  Someone needs to be in touch with everyone. An administrator or religious education leader sometimes does this when there is no minister, but it really is one of the minister's important roles in a small congregation.

Systems need to be put in place to help new people move toward leadership, if that is their bent, or to deepen their background through adult classes, or to reach out in social service or social action.  The lay leadership needs to lead on many of these, and it is the minister's job to encourage them and point them in helpful directions.  Collaboration is key. Improved sense of purpose and higher energy are the result.

Of course, the key to successful collaboration is mutual trust.  The people need to trust the minister's professional expertise and experience; the minister needs to trust the people's experience in their own community and the many skills they bring from their lives and work.  So at first, everyone involved is cautiously feeling their way. As an interim minister, I am pretty much always at the beginning, but still, trust is where it starts. I feel that being trustworthy is one of the foundational practices for small church ministers.  Everything depends on people coming to trust, and you are only able to lead the way through example. Sometimes it works, and other times, not so well.  The only way is to keep trying until good things start to happen.  I love small congregations, and doing ministry with the ones I have served has been a real blessing!