The eCrozier

Earlier this week, diocesan clergy gathered for our spring clergy conference. While the primary focus of the conference was God’s commandment to: “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), the clergy gathered on Monday evening to listen to one another; to hear what we liked about our ministry together in the Diocese of Georgia; to hear from one another about wishes we each had; and, to share our hopes for the future. For me, it was grounding and gracious. It was grounding in the sense that I can’t be a faithful and effective bishop unless I know what’s on the hearts and in the minds of my clergy colleagues. And it was gracious in that our time together created in me a deep sense of gratitude for the privilege I have to serve with such wonderful people. It also gave me a “reasonable hope” (as the Book of Common Prayer calls it) for our future together in this Diocese.

Let me explain a bit more why I feel that way. Over the last eight years in the Diocese of Georgia, we’ve embarked upon an experiment of sorts. While we never proclaimed it as an experiment, I think it’s safe to call it that. We’ve operated under an educated and informed “hunch” that if we invested broadly and deeply in training people in the practical skills of parish leadership, human relations, emotional intelligence, conflict management, all supported by peer coaching, then we’d see long-term results in the competency and effectiveness of those leaders. From my perspective, we’re a little over halfway through that experiment as it takes (if those who study such things are correct) about 15 years or so to significantly change any organization’s culture and its underlying expectations for those who lead in it. I believe we’re over the hump toward that change, but the follow-through is still crucial.

What have we learned so far from this experiment? Well, it’s probably more appropriate for me to relate what I’ve learned and let others speak for themselves. So, I’ve learned that relationships of trust are the foundation of building good leaders in any healthy organization. I heard so many clergy at our conference talk about their relationships with one another; how they could talk candidly with one another about challenges they were facing without fear of ridicule or shame; that they knew they could go to a colleague to collaborate and not be threatened by an unhelpful sense of competition; that they fundamentally trusted one another. This has come primarily from the work they’ve done together in these various training programs. So, while the content of what they learned as they trained together has been important, so too has been the trust they’ve developed with one another as they’ve done so. This “spillover” benefit, if you will, has been a grace received that wasn’t necessarily planned, but we now enjoy.

We’re now building on this foundation of trust with one another. Yet, we humans don’t trust easily. It’s earned through experience after experience with one another. And it can be so easily broken early on because the relationships aren’t strong enough yet to endure any hiccups along the way. But once it’s solidified, it can withstand those hiccups. This is all to say how profoundly thankful I am that I have the privilege to serve with the clergy of this Diocese. Together, they’re the finest and most faithful people I know.

+Scott