Transforming Followers Into Leaders

June 1, 2018

Recently I witnessed an unfortunate incident. A very successful church that had experienced rapid church growth lost its founding pastor. After increasing turmoil he was asked to leave. It created quite a stir, because many within the congregation thought highly of this pastor. The conflict didn’t emanate from any moral failing; it came from disagreements about leadership style.

Unfortunately, the church’s governance structure didn’t help matters. The staff the pastor hired and supervised were also made elders. Certainly there were complaints from employees that the pastor freely admits were shortcomings. Some felt they were being directed more than led; others alleged the pastor was somewhat despotic.

However, all of this seemed a bit extreme and probably could have been avoided. The players needed simply to understand their roles and communicate in a manner consistent with Matthew 18:15-17. I’m sure I don’t have all the details, but when organizations begin to falter, it’s usually because leaders and/or followers aren’t willing to communicate effectively.

Transformation over Exploitation

First, the leader-follower relationship is more about transformation than exploitation. Specifically, leadership is the intentional transformation of people and organizations for the better, which implies two-way communication. However, that concept sometimes gets lost in pursuit of individual agendas, like they did at this church.

A Lesson from Dickens

A Christmas Carol, offers a good example of transformational leadership. The main character Scrooge was led (by spirits of Christmas past, present and future) through purposeful and sometimes painful experiences that transformed him. When they were done, Scrooge clearly understood his own selfishness and the needs of others around him. He used his resources to transform lives of others because he himself had been transformed. James MacGregor Burns defines this as transformational leadership, where leaders recognize and act on higher needs in followers (love, hope, esteem) and engage them fully. According to Burns,

“… transforming leadership raises the human conduct and ethical aspiration of both leader and those led. Leadership occurs when one or more persons engage with others (so) that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. Their purposes, which may have started out as separate transactions, become fused.”

In other words, though leader-follower relationships begin transactionally, they shouldn’t end there. As leaders earn credibility through transactions with followers, they gain power to elevate followers in transformational ways. As Burns says, transformational leadership moves followers “to higher levels of motivation and morality.” However it also implies loyalty and commitment towards the leader. In the case of the church those characteristics were lacking. In fact, their unrealistic expectations never allowed them to get beyond the transactions.

Jesus – A Model Leader

No leader has influenced more people or changed the world more profoundly for good than Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus, we have arguably the best example of transformational leadership.

Jesus understood the intrinsic value and human needs of followers. Initially He engaged in transactions that He initiated. For example, He filled their boat with fish, thereby gaining credibility and their allegiance. Throughout all of His interactions, Jesus related to followers in ways that demonstrated genuine regard for them. That regard was manifest in multiple acts of love, kindness and service He performed, and it transformed them.

As a result, His disciples deepened their commitments both to Jesus and the common purpose they shared. Specifically, by teaching, challenging and loving these followers, Jesus transformed them into courageous and committed leaders. His mission became their mission. So powerful was their transformation, that they boldly followed Jesus in ways that cost most of them their lives. Yet, the power to lead and transform came not through Jesus’ positional power. Instead it came through relational power that Jesus built with His followers. As nonprofit fundraising consultants, we see that churches and other organizations excel when they follow this same model.

“I really support The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process because their approach encourages staff-based support with board buy-in, and I felt that was important given what we were trying to achieve. The outcome is an effective plan that builds consensus and provides a clear sense of direction.”
- Jennifer Scott, Director of Development - The Cabbage Patch Settlement House

“The Covenant Group is highly competent, very experienced and knowledgeable. They provided a broad perspective by equipping us with useful data…and best practices in the field. All in all, they are excellent.”
- Dan Jones, CEO - 21st Century Parks

“The campaign has truly been a miracle. People were committed from the beginning, but…even raising $650,000 seemed like a stretch. To nearly double that amount is incredible! When the plan they developed allows you to hit a goal like that, it builds such a sense of community. The momentum built by the campaign is spilling outside the walls of our church and benefiting others in the process.”
-Father John Hollowell - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church

“For those of us who don’t do this everyday, The Covenant Group instilled confidence in us. They helped us get through the fear and apprehension by providing us with a process, training and motivation. They taught us and helped us plan in a way that was for the better. We have built lasting relationships with donors and we will continue to steward these relationships long into the future.”
- Sue Finke, Director of Institutional Advancement - Covington Catholic High School

“No one anticipated we could raise this amount. Even the Archdiocese is surprised. The funds raised represent about 15 times our annual giving. But it’s not just the financial results. People stand around talking more than they did before the campaign. There is also a renewed and energized spirit among the parishioners. It’s the most exciting thing to happen in our parish in the last 100 years.”
- Gary Libs, Campaign Co-Chair - St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church

“The Covenant Group’s process involved a lot of people in our congregation doing small tasks … that built ownership. They took our vision and put it into a concrete plan. They helped us understand the importance of making our vision clear and laid out the steps to make the vision a reality. Their process built consensus and showed people how they could help. Their methods are based on a solid theological foundation that includes key documents, prayer support, and requisite training … all of which were invaluable.”
- Daniel Montgomery, Pastor - Sojourn Community Church

“Everything The Covenant Group did to help us…in the initial stages was helpful…the development of the case statement; our materials; the training of our Board members; strategies; all these steps laid the foundation for eventual success. They brought such a high level of professionalism, a wealth of experience and a strong track record of integrity and success… just being associated with The Covenant Group helped us.”
- Nancy Doctor, Development Director - Wellspring

“The structure The Covenant Group provided was excellent. It allowed our members to use their God-given talents to benefit the church community They helped us develop a plan and identify key leadership candidates to chair the effort, as well as engaging between 80 to 100 people to carry out the work of the campaign. It was truly a whole congregation effort and The Covenant Group helped facilitate that. They helped us reach our full potential as a congregation.”
- Ron Poisel, Pastor - Christ Lutheran Church

Transforming Followers Into Leaders

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