Missional Leadership

November 13, 2009

For the past four years our congregation has placed a major emphasis on leadership development. I’m not sure we always thought of it in those terms. We didn’t announce after a board retreat: “We will focus for the next four years on leadership development.” Instead, our commitment to being a missional congregation—that is, a congregation that sees itself as sent for the sake of the world—simply demanded a different kind of leadership and leadership structures. In that sense we’ve been building the bridge as we walk on it.

I often tell people that when I first came to Hollywood to be the pastor and people would approach me wanting to “help” I would tell them, “There’s nothing you can do to help.” What I meant was that the challenges were much greater than that. We didn’t need helpers at that point as much as we needed leaders. We’ve worked hard at creating an environment—even a structure that sometimes doesn’t look very structural—in which leadership can emerge in the right places, where it’s needed for the challenge at hand.

Mireya was one of the first people to approach me about helping. She was the first one I told, “I don’t need your help. I need your leadership.” She didn’t see herself as a leader. Two years later she was in our first group of recipients of the Emerging Leader Award. We created this award to recognize the leaders that have emerged in our congregation in the past year or two. It’s purpose is both to show appreciation to those leaders and also to lift up the qualities of leadership that we want to see more of.

The Emerging Leader Award is given to members of the Hollywood Adventist Church who have demonstrated leadership in mission in the context of the Hollywood Community and the Hollywood Adventist Church. In most cases, these are individuals who saw a need or an opportunity and responded to God’s call on their life without waiting for someone to ask them to help.

So today we celebrate the gifts and passion that God has stirred up in four of our members. The growth and development of our congregation is in direct proportion to their willingness to be used by God in ministry.

Grace and Peace,

Ryan

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