February 20, 2019

Five Resources on Vestry Leadership

Serving on the vestry can be both rewarding and challenging. This month, we share resources that will help you feel more equipped to lead with confidence. Please share this digest with other members of your vestry and clergy, and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and the monthly digest.

1. Have you or your vestry ever said that they wanted to do something, recognize the importance of doing it, but don’t really make any traction toward getting it done? In Overmaking Decisions, Anna Olson suggests things your vestry might consider in “right-sizing” your decisions and moving forward more intentionally.

2. An oft overlooked aspect of leadership is risk management. In today’s changing climate, it is important for church leadership to know how they’ll respond in the event of an emergency or catastrophe. Assessing Risk to People and Property by Barbara Ballenger gives good insight on how churches can be better prepared.

3. How is your leadership addressing the need to be called into relationships of mutual respect? In Leadership Confidence and Confidentiality, Greg Syler shares his thoughts about the all-too-typical “parking lot conversations,” the inevitability of church gossip and how we can do better.

4. In Overcome Being Conflict Averse, Richelle Thompson discusses how common it is for people, both lay and ordained, to ignore conflict. This tactic of avoidance, however, rarely helps resolve it. Vestry teams would do well to come up with a new way to deal with conflict—together.

5. “Let go, let God’ is a phrase many have heard, yet too few actually practice. In Letting Go, Annette Buchanan points out things of which many of our church communities have a difficult time letting go. Let this article serve as some food for thought for your vestry team to ponder.