Storytelling Leadership-as

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is keeping the mission and values of the organization in front of their leadership.  These days most churches have a mission statement hanging on the wall somewhere.  Most have a list of values printed in an employee handbook.  But how do you keep that kind of information in front of your key leaders?  More importantly, how do you know that they have actually bought into the mission and values of your ministry?

One thing that we have found to be extraordinarily effective at North Point Community Church is to begin leadership meetings by opening up the floor for storytelling.  Every Monday morning at our staff meeting, I open our time together with this question:  What happened yesterday (Sunday) or last week in your area of ministry that made you feel as if you had made progress leading people into a growing relationship with Christ?  Then I sit back and listen.

This is probably the most encouraging thirty minutes of my week.  About one-third of those in attendance will share a personal story of something that happened in their ministry that is directly related to the mission of our church.

Andy Stanley/Ed Young, Can We Do That:  24 Innovative Practices That Will Change the Way You Do Church, (Howard Publishing Co.), 2002.  pg. 125