Collaborative Leadership

Preface

In late 2002 I received an invitation from Dr. Anne Marie Winters to offer a continuing-education workshop to the faculty of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute (LPMI) from the diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida. Specifically, the subject to be addressed was the development of core competencies for lay ministry leadership through adult-learning techniques. The research conducted in preparation for this workshop, the workshop materials presented, and the comments and observations of the faculty present at that time constitute the origins and foundations of this book. 

This book has been designed for researchers, scholars, directors of lay ministry institutes, directors of graduate and postgraduate research centers, and lay leadership course developers who in one way or another direct their efforts towards the formation of the laity in the United States. Said in more detail, the intent of this work is to stimulate meaningful research that can further the cause of lay leadership formation in the Church, attempt to establish ministry leadership as a leadership discipline on its own, assist in defining effective collaborative leadership principles supportive of the current trend of collaboration in the Church, and caution against potential threats that may be detrimental or even contrary to Church teachings and traditions. These objectives justify the intense academic orientation of this book, which is formal in style and rich in supporting citations.

One of the most remarkable and promising discoveries of researching this project deals with an apparent convergence of secular leadership theory and trends in lay ministry leadership. The dissatisfaction of business leadership constructs across the nonprofit, government, and Church settings, along with the inclusion of spirituality as a viable concept within mainstream leadership discourse, has narrowed the gap between secular discourse and ministry leadership. Additionally, the emergence of collaborative theory and its proven value in many sectors, such as business, nonprofit, and government, has also recently been seen as a development that has its applications for the laity and lay leaders in the Church. In fact, many Church documents have traditionally used the term “collaboration” to best characterize the contribution and the mission of the laity in the Church. Yet collaborative theory then was not the mature and appealing a concept as it is today.

These, as well as other developments, present a unique opportunity not only to bridge the gap between leadership discourse among the secular and lay ministry sectors, but also to establish lay ministry leadership as a new leadership discipline on its own. In addition to the well-known theoretical contributions attributed to the business, government, and nonprofit sectors within leadership discourse, there is also a potential for ministry leadership to eventually become a major contributor, primarily as a consequence of two inherently dominant themes in ministry: spirituality and building community. It is conceivable that leadership discoveries associated with these two concepts may also find applications in the other sectors. As core competencies are developed and the conceptual convergence continues, it is plausible that ministry leadership may indeed play a more prominent role in the business, government, and nonprofit sectors.

The present work is not intended to compete with the many efforts already in progress. Instead, it is offered as academically founded alternative. In presenting the competencies suggested in this book, national, diocesan, and academic institutions, as well as parishes, may become more actively interested in the objectives of this work, specifically, the need to continue research in lay ministry leadership. Accordingly, this book is intended as a means to promote continued research, to reinforce coherency and to add focus in the formulation of lay leadership principles consistent with Church teachings and traditions and effective in the current secular environment within the United States.

In sum, this work is a culmination of research and discoveries made during the months before and after the diocese of St. Petersburg faculty continuing-education workshop conducted in late January 2003. While directly applying secular constructs in the ministry sector presents some risks, its value opens a window of opportunity, not only to augment the effectiveness of Church programs, but also as a way to deliver the Church’s message to the world. Hopefully, the risk taken here to reach out and alert the academic and research communities will eventually benefit lay leadership development, and therefore, enhance the laity’s ability to fulfill its mission in the United States.