Grand Rapids, Mich., June 1, 2007 - They would put it on their billboard, if they had one: "No Lone Rangers Here."
The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) doesn't want "lone ranger" pastors - or lone ranger leaders of any kind, says its executive director, Rev. Jerry Dykstra.
"We want our CRC culture to say no to go-it-alone, follow-me-at-all-costs pastors, and yes to pastors who lean on one another for support and growth even as they lean on God in daily trust through prayer."
With funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., the CRC has been encouraging pastors to join peer learning groups and to increase their participation at continuing education events, with considerable success. At the same time, the church is helping pastors look at their identity afresh: to see their role through a biblical and theological, not marketplace, lens.
The message is that they are preachers and pastoral counselors, not salespersons or master managers. They take time to pray and meditate, to rest and reflect, and to listen, always listen - to God first, and then to parishioners and colleagues. This learning, listening approach makes their leadership much more effective, Dykstra says.
Is it working? Is the CRC creating a culture of pastoral excellence? There are signs of change, through peer learning groups, continuing education events and a stronger mentoring program for pastors. The participation rate is high. The buzz is positive. Pastors are feeling supported.
But not until results of a survey of pastors and church councils come in at the end of 2007 will the church know whether some of the key outcomes have been achieved.
Meanwhile, there's work to do, Dykstra says. The CRC would like to strengthen the communication between pastors and church councils, so that congregations better understand and support their pastors.
And it is launching two initiatives in 2007 to sustain the "no lone ranger" model of pastoral excellence for years to come: a new CRC leadership institute and a "sustaining congregational excellence" program to nurture health in churches and their pastors.
For more information, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-224-0832 or Michael Bruinooge, director of denominational planning, at 616-224-0770.
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Henry Hess
Director of Communication
Christian Reformed Church
To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church visit us at www.crcna.org <http://www.crcna.org
"It is a serious waste to let a day go by without allowing God to change us."-Richard Rolle, The Fire of Love