Hacking into Congregational Leadership

Graffiti artist marking an image of Guy Fawkes among images of Star Wars Storm Troopers

By Renee Ruchotzke

I've seen a disconnect between generations in our congregations when it comes to leadership. Baby Boomers, who populate the majority of our leadership positions, ask me how they can recruit more younger people for their volunteer positions.

Younger Generation Xers and Millennials have a lot of energy and ideas, but often feel marginalized or even invisible because the existing leadership aren't ready to really perceive them as leaders or even to take their ideas seriously. This experience is not unusual, and not limited to young adults. People whose culture or economic status are not in alignment with the congregational norms also experience this kind of marginalization.

I recently attended a workshop with other UUA field staff members: The Vision and Practice of 21st Century Faith Formation. (We are learning to adapt and use technology to curate and share programming and to create learning communities.) Supporting our younger adults as they try to participate in congregational leadership is a concern that we all share. As we were ideating (similar to brainstorming), Ian Evison mentioned the book Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results written for young adults' work lives. We had an aha moment...that is what they are also experiencing in our congregations! We create firewalls but don't offer passwords...thus the need for potential leaders to "hack" their way into leadership. You may not think of our congregations as having "stupid rules" but we often do have some institutional systemic issues that resist anything innovative. Most institutions gravitate toward hierarchical, command-and-control structures that serve to perpetuate the institution. The younger generations are more interested in serving something greater than the congregation itself. It's not that our young adults don't want to serve, rather they want to serve in a way that they find meaningful and that makes a difference in the world. If we can shift our congregations from command-and-control institutions to institutions with a clear mission of serving needs beyond the church walls, we can be more permission-giving and create openings in our faith communities that engage the gifts and passions of those under 40 so they don't need to hack their way in.

About the Author

Renee Ruchotzke

Rev. Renee Ruchotzke (ruh-HUT-skee) is a Congregational Life Consultant and program manager for Leadership Development.

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