Constituent Confusion (Part 1)

confusion! There is often tremendous overlap between those who contribute financially, those who do the ministry (as staff and volunteers), and those who benefit from the ministry. And it’s often not easy to segment this last category into different groups. The frequent result is confusion and collisions between constituencies. One of the most troubling collisions occurs at the intersection between “old guard” contributors and new approaches. This happens when an older congregation needs to make changes to reach a new generation. It happens when a denominational body needs to cut a program that has lost effectiveness but runs into resistance from its loyal core. It happens when a parachurch ministry embarks in a new strategic direction. In each of these cases, the people who are “paying the bills” may not understand or embrace the changes that are being made. In some cases, they are directly affected by the changes, such as the member of a church that is changing its worship style or the board member who is replaced by a younger leader. In other cases, they just feel that their financial support gives them a right to approve or disapprove of the ministry’s direction and priorities. These are frightening moments for any leader. Will he/she move ahead with the changes that are needed? If so, at what cost? How can they minimize the damage? Simply recognizing this confusion will help a leader to wrestle with the issue, but there is more that you can do. That’s what we’ll explore in the next blog. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here. My newest book, In Pursuit of Great AND Godly Leadership, has more thoughts on the application of business concepts in ministry settings. ]]>