 May
2003
Myth or Ministry? Collaboration
Unmasked
Just give up on collaborative ministry. Stop meeting about
it, stop talking about it, and, for goodness' sake, stop trying to do it!
Save your volunteers and fellow ministers the headache. Drop the idea of
forging partnerships in ministry, and get back to the simple basics of doing
your job. Collaborative ministry, as conventional wisdom describes it,
is overrated. Or is it?
I offer here some commonly held myths. These
myths may at times lead us to oversimplify the challenge of collaboration in
ministry.
Collaborative Myth #1:
Many hands make light work.
People who do church work repeatedly console themselves with this platitude. It certainly seems logical at first; I don't
want to do the work of ministry alone. Let me recruit others to do the work,
and together we will be much more effective building the Reign of God, with
much less struggle.
While the energy of many hands can initially ease the burden of the
minister, enthusiasm often wanes after the initial burst, and the crowd
begins to lose its attention for the task. Many collaborative projects
end after year two or three because of the amount of work needed to
keep them moving.
Have you ever felt like a failure, because some
project you started collapsed after you left it? The reason for this is
simple: Many hands make light work...until the work begins to get hard!
Collaborative Myth #2:
Once your volunteers recognize their gifts and take ownership of the work,
your ministry will practically run itself.
This is rarely true! Volunteers, while critical to
the success of your ministry, will never take the place of someone who is
designated to give their full attention to the task. The more volunteers are
drawn into ownership for a task, the more formation they will need to do the
task effectively. The more cheerleading, affirmation, and encouragement they
will need as well.
Occasionally, to keep the energy in your group,
volunteers will need to experience the satisfaction of their work coming to
completion. Is there a way that you can build tangible accomplishments into
your ministry?
Collaborative Myth #3:
The goal of a successful leader is to work himself/herself out of a job.
Oh, that it were this simple! It takes years to
build programs and processes in parishes and schools, to develop the
"well-oiled machine" that effectively and pastorally performs the tasks
needed. As a "machine" composed of human parts, ministry requires
never-ending maintenance and care. Once certain procedures and tasks become
routine, the organization is free to do more and more complex tasks.
A better way to state this goal might be: "The
goal of a successful leader is to grow as his/her work grows."
Collaborative Myth #4:
Collaborative ministry is the ultimate model for Gospel leadership.
Thinking about this idea surprised me. Despite what many have said, I
don't see a lot of collaborative ministry in the Gospel stories. Most of
Jesus' followers ultimately abandoned him when the going got tough. He did
not minister with them; Jesus ministered to them. He did not
recruit partners; Jesus recruited disciples. And the early Christian
community did the same.
Of course, Jesus did call people to a new life.
He did lead them into a deeper walk with his Father. And, as brothers and
sisters sharing in the love of God, these believers emerged from the waters
of Baptism eager to share the Gospel message with all. Collaboration emerged
as church members were determined to continue the work of Jesus.
Follow Jesus, the Leader
Collaborative ministry is NOT overrated; it is a laudable strategy for work and
ministry. However, it is just that -- work. We must tend to the tasks, and
the work, but all of this will ultimately fall short of our hopes and
dreams.
For all that Jesus gave to his work, he
was rewarded with the Cross! If we look to Jesus as the model for our
ministry, leadership is before all else about authenticity and a profound
relationship with God. How can we inspire all we meet to live in the hope of
the One who died, and now lives?
Chris Weber
Director,
Catholic Education Ministries of Central Maryland
301-447-3707
Copyright © 2003 by the Catholic Education
Ministries Center of Central Maryland, Emmitsburg, MD 21727. All rights reserved.
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