Leadership development back in focus

It has been said that ‘everything rises and falls on leadership’, and in my experience, I think this has a ring of truth to it.  The trajectory of our nations, organisations, businesses, sports teams and churches tend to be inextricably linked to the quality of leadership that is being exercised. 

The New Testament is quick to point out that the gift of leadership should not mean that leaders have any more status or privilege than any other believer. In fact, they should have a greater weight of responsibility and accountability for their influence.  The gift of leadership is so critical to our progress because the gift of leadership catalyses and mobilises all of the other gifts.  Great leaders get us moving and build momentum by engaging the rest of us to play our unique roles.

As part of its project plenty work, the Queensland synod has established a working group that is dedicated specifically to finding ways to identify, form, train, and release leaders.  The group has been meeting for almost 12 months now and has developed a series of initiatives and actions that will allow us as a synod to create a vibrant culture of leadership across all areas of the church.  In recent days, we have been hearing about leadership development programs that are already underway through our congregations, presbyteries, schools, agencies, and synod-wide through our Plentiful Mentoring Program. This gives us valuable insights into what is currently available to create pathways for individuals that connect them to leadership training regardless of their role, place in the church, or level of funding.  We are actively working with the Board of Christian Formation towards a day where every leader we can identify will be able to access training that helps them take their next step in terms of developing as a leader within the Uniting Church.

If you are currently engaging in some form of leadership development in the Uniting Church, or you know people ready to develop as leaders, we would love to hear from you.  You can join the conversation by contacting Steve Drinkall at steve.drinkall@ucaqld.com.au