Church Marketing Solutions

Resilient Leadership

From May 2008 e-Newsletter

by: John Wasem 

     Church planters face plenty of situations in which stress is escalating and the need for flexibility is huge. Why do some leaders remain calm and collected in the face of looming deadlines and unforeseen challenges? Moreover, why are these seemingly unflappable pastors the ones who consistently progress in ministries and personal lives? In my experience as a church planter and coach, I would suggest that planters tend to succeed because they are resilient. What is resilience? Maddi and Khoshaba (2005) explain it this way: “Resilient people turn disruptive changes..."

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"...and conflicts from potential disasters into growth opportunities. They resolve conflicts, turn disruptive changes into new directions, learn from this process and become more successful and satisfied in the process.”

The good news for people who were not born with the resilience gene is that they can learn to cultivate a group of attitudes and skills to help them build on stressful events rather than becoming undermined by them. Here are some tips to help you turn stresses to advantages.
 
Commitment: view your ministry as important enough to warrant your full attention, imagination and effort. Stay involved with what's going on, rather than backing off.

Control: try to have a positive influence on outcomes. Determine which situations are open to change, seek God’s power to facilitate change, and gracefully accept those outside your control.

Challenge: view change as instrumental in opening up new, fulfilling pathways for the church you lead and serve. Be optimistic about the future. Face up to stressful changes and learn from them.
 
Maddi, S., & Khoshaba, D. (2005). Resilience at work: How to succeed no matter what life throws at you. New York: AMACOM Books.