Temporary Leaders Never Are

I often hear of churches that place leaders into a temporary position to fill a need. “We’ll replace them with a more permanent person later” is what they often say. The problem that can occur, however, is that both the temporary leader and the church staff are thinking about two different outcomes.

Staff Expectations

Whenever church staff place temporary leaders, their thoughts and goals are:

1. How can I relieve some of my daily/weekly pressure by putting in someone in my place? Translation: How can I defer this decision in a way that removes my pain but doesn’t solve the problem?
2. I can’t find a leader to fill the spot, so I chose to put in a person for a few weeks. Translation: I just put someone into a leadership role that I normally wouldn’t.
3. I’ll search for a qualified leader while the temporary one is helping out. Translation: The temporary leader is a volunteer team member with responsibility but not authority.

Temporary Leader Expectations

Whenever a volunteer is promoted to temporary leader, their thoughts and expectations may be:

1. This is only a temporary position. Translation: Why worry if I’m one foot out the door anyway?
2. This is a chance to prove myself as a leader. Translation: Starting next week, I’m large and in charge, so don’t expect the team to stay the way it is.
3. They’ll never find anyone to fill my shoes. Translation: I’m not moving from my new spot.

What to do?

So, as a staff leader, what are you to do when you can’t find a leader for one of your teams? Here are some options:

1. Appoint a temporary leader, but before hand, establish the ground rules for authority and responsibility, duration (or you may never replace them), and possible goals that would allow the leader to take the position in a more permanent basis
2. Leave the vacancy to motivate you to locate a more permanent solution faster (great option for procrastinators)
3. Assess the need of the team and act accordingly. This may mean doing away with the team or giving the team a hiatus.

Whatever you decide, prepare both yourself and your potential temporary leader for what is ahead. Set expectations for both of you, and decide on a milestone date to review those expectations with reality. This will help both you and your temporary leader to continue growing the team without harming them or others in the process.

[tags]church leadership, volunteer leaders, volunteer management[/tags]

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