After yesterday’s blog went live, I received a phone call from another former parishioner — one of those wonderful souls who seemed to have served in every possible capacity in parish including the Altar Guild but short of the Junior Choir. (And truth be told, if she’d had a good soprano voice, I suspect she’d have done that too.)
She said, “I read your blog, and when you talked about setting people free to do what they were called to do, I thought — that’s exactly what you did with Committees in the Church! That always really impressed me.”
I confess I was momentarily taken aback. To be praised for one’s work with committees is a rare and curious compliment — something like being congratulated for surviving an encounter with a bear. Still, I knew what she meant, and she was right: there was a principle at work there.
The principle was simple — and yet, in the Church, almost revolutionary: pick good people, and then get out of their way.
When a job needs to be done in the parish, we are often tempted to fill the space with whoever’s handy. The reasoning goes something like this: “We need someone to chair the Finance Committee. Fred owns a calculator. Fred will do.”
But that’s not discernment — that’s desperation.
Ministry, in its healthiest form, isn’t about plugging holes in a leaky ship. It’s about calling. It’s about prayerfully asking, “Who has God prepared for this?” — not simply, “Who’s available Tuesday nights?”
And that’s not just for clergy or those with titles before their names. Every single baptized person has a calling. Some are called to lead; others to bake, to teach, to count, to garden, to visit, to encourage, to repair, to sing (even if they really shouldn’t).
The Holy Spirit does not hand out identical job descriptions. But the Spirit does equip each and every one of us to build up the Body of Christ in our own way.
When I think about leadership, I always try to take time — sometimes too much time — to discern who might best lead a ministry. And when that person is found, and they take up that work, I make a point of retreating (as graciously as possible) into a support role.
The real joy comes later, when an executive summary of a committee meeting crosses my desk, and I realize — with quiet delight — that the meeting happened entirely without me.
There it is: a paragraph or two reporting decisions made, ministries expanded, and plans laid for the future. I read it with the same satisfaction one imagines a parent feels watching a child take their first solo bicycle ride. There’s that mix of pride and relief — and the pure joy that nobody got hurt.
For me, that’s the essence of parish leadership. It’s not about controlling everything. It’s about cultivating the confidence and faith to let others thrive.
If you’ve chosen good leaders, if you’ve discerned wisely, then your best contribution might just be to stand aside, cheer them on, and say a prayer of thanks that God has once again provided exactly who was needed, at exactly the right time.
And if you’re ever in doubt, remember the first rule of holy committee work:
“Where two or three are gathered together in Christ’s name… someone should take minutes — and the rector doesn’t have to be there.”
A Prayer for Letting Others Lead
Gracious and ever-faithful God,
you call each of us to serve you in the ways you have equipped us —
some to lead, some to support,
all to build up your Church in love.
Give us the grace to recognize the gifts in others,
the wisdom to call forth those gifts,
and the humility to step aside
so that your Spirit may move freely through your people.
Bless those who lead in quiet faithfulness,
who organize, encourage, and inspire,
often without notice or fanfare.
Let their joy be in your service
and their strength be in your presence.
And teach us all, Lord,
that the work of your kingdom is not ours alone to manage,
but yours to complete —
through the many hearts and hands you have called together in Christ.
Amen.