Listen Up!

Listening is the heart of pastoral leadership. While this insight may seem obvious around practices of pastoral care, it is significantly undervalued as a leadership strategy. Listening deeply to the story of another person’s life builds connection and trust. It is also builds relational power and leverage desperately needed to navigate situations of congregational change. Most pastors take the time to listen for the sake of caring for their members and do not realize the relational power they possess. This power, if built strategically, can be utilized to effect transformational change in congregations.

Congregational listening can be employed by pastors at any time during their call but can be particularly helpful when beginning a new call. At my current call, I conducted 135 one-to-one listening sessions in my first three months. While this may seem like an extreme and unrealistic exercise, it allowed me to build power and trust in three months that would have taken years to build otherwise. It is also key to conduct your listening one-on-one. Focus groups or town hall meetings do not generate the kind of vulnerable or trusting-building conversations needed to build relational power. This listening allowed me to move quickly to institute needed changes that allowed the congregation to gain new focus and energy. Some things to consider:

1. Approval Rating: Your congregation will never be more excited for your ministry than when you first begin. If this is coupled with a strategic listening campaign, you will be well positioned to have relational power to make changes and deep knowledge and insight to make wise decisions. The old adage of waiting a year to make any changes is not only defunct but also dangerous as many congregations do not have the luxury of waiting.
2. Own the Story: A listening campaign at the outset of your new call that is strategic will allow you to hear from representatives of each demographic of your congregation. This is a time to ask questions to get to know people but also to probe around any recent conflict or trauma. Done skillfully, this will allow you to “own the story” of your congregation because you have heard in depth from all sides and know fully where things stand and where pain still exists. After concluding your listening campaign, find a time to share your learning and insights. This will position you as the most authoritative voice and leader in your congregation.
3. Power Analysis: Power is often perceived as a dirty word in the church. In reality, power is simply the ability to move. If leaders want to move their congregations toward transformative change, they must get more comfortable building and utilizing power. One of the best questions to ask in the listening campaign is: “who else should I be talking to?” This question not only gives referrals for future one-on-ones but also allows you to see the relational networks that exist in the congregation. Knowing who is connected to who allows you to navigate power alliances and to distinguish between those who have a following and the lone voices. One key learning has been to understand the loudest voices or resisters are often those with little congregational support.