We often assume that the pastor, president, director, or other leader leads the meeting. But depending on your setting, letting others lead can be good.
I just finished the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. The subtitle, “The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect,” applies to employees and teams as well as customers and clients. Though the author describes the restaurant business, his concepts apply to any aspect of organizational life.
Inviting or requiring your employees or team members to present topics in your meetings is one of the best ways to give them opportunities to grow as leaders. When you invite team members to share something in your meetings:
- The team gets to know each other better.
- The people who prepare presentations learns their topics more fully and gain experience in public speaking, which is an important leadership skill.
- Team members begin acting like leaders in everyday action after having opportunities to share their experience or knowledge with the group
Imagine the endless possibilities for how these concepts might work in ministry. For example:
- Pastors inviting people to preach in the pulpit or share their visions for ministries in the community or region could produce fruit in the lives of the speakers and congregations.
- Worship Pastors inviting team members to lead devotions, testimonies, or songs during worship could create a sense of ownership, creativity, and leadership development.
- Turning over time for others to share their expertise about particular topics or situations could model sharing leadership in the body of Christ.
- Leaders could be motivated and encouraged to build a culture of shared leadership in bite-sized moments as they turn over some of the reigns for ministry.
This book also plays into the hospitality aspect of ministry, both the practical aspects of welcoming guests and building leaders with vision. More ministry will get accomplished as the staff, key leaders, and the church catch hold of the feeling (and burden) of helping to connect people on a discipleship path toward Jesus.
Look for ways to invite people to speak and share during your meetings.
