Leadership Essentials
Written by Blayne Banting, DMin, PhD
In a co-vocational environment where churches and leaders are struggling with what it means to serve in this new reality for the church, it might be helpful to think for a moment about the essential requirements for leadership. Salary levels, educational credentials, and social media platforms may be helpful talking points, but do not deal with foundational issues of what constitutes a good leader. It is probably simpler than we have made it sound. No one denies the pivotal role leaders play in the life of the church, but the essentials might be summarized in a few non-negotiables.
Character. The person of the leader is the primary qualification. So many needed leadership skills can be learned, but they fall fallow if the character of the leader does not reflect humility and integrity. Leadership can attract all kinds of sweet-talking narcissists who are a mile wide and an inch deep. The recent scandals among high profile leaders may not be novel but they are a dire warning not to put competence above character in seeking leaders for the church. Skills can be learned. Character is earned in the crucible of faithful service.
Calling. No one wants a leader who would rather be doing anything else. In the co-vocational world, calling is multi-faceted but foundational. Co-vocational ministry is not the consolation prize for not getting a church wealthy enough to pay a full salary. Calling is not the same as personality. Calling is initiated outside the particular leader in the mysterious folds of the mind of God. It may be hard to quantify a calling, but we can see the results when it’s not there. Even though a calling doesn’t come with a full vocational trajectory attached, it does manifest itself in a whole-hearted commitment to obey the voice of God in the current environment.
Context. This follows logically from calling. While the entirety of the leader’s calling is not completely revealed at the start, it does require the leader to learn the particularities of their given context. No two churches are the same. The same church can change over time. Smaller churches are different than larger ones. City churches are different than country ones. Churches on the Prairies are different than those on either coast. These are all contextual issues. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for leadership. We know this by watching the spectacular dumpster fires brought on by the leaders who think there is. Co-vocational leaders require a particular appreciation for context because they work in several at the same time. The contextual realities of leadership should crucify our tendencies for comparison and competition, but that might still be shooting a bit high!
Cohort. Leadership is a team sport not only in co-vocational contexts, but especially in them. A capacity to work with a team is more important than ever. If the co-vocational model is going to take root in a congregation, it will require the capacity to share the leadership load. No-one has all the gifts, and the co-vocational leader doesn’t have the luxury to pretend they do. These partners in service will come invariably from within the ministry context, but they may also come from outside it. While it is technically possible to have too many partners, that is normally not our issue. Good leaders welcome partnerships and development partnerships.
So the never-ending search for good leaders might be a little simpler than we’ve made it, if we just learn how to look.
Blayne Banting is Associate Professor of Preaching and Christian Ministry at Briercrest College and Seminary. He teaches in the areas of homiletics, church leadership, and spiritual formation, with a particular interest in creativity and humour in preaching. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Blayne has served as both pastor and professor across Canada. He is the author of several books on preaching, including Taking Up Preaching: The Spheres of the Preaching Life (Wipf & Stock, 2023). Blayne is married to Peggy, and together they have four adult children and six grandchildren.