During my graduate program, I was introduced to a concept called the Contingency Model of leadership. Popularized by a guy named Fred Fiedler, the model stated there is no single best style of leadership. Instead, he believes results are largely determined by what he calls “situational favorableness.” The more favorable the situation, the better the results. And the less favorable the situation, the worse the results.
Fiedler noticed certain leadership behaviors and approaches tend to be effective and work in some situations and not in others. The leader in Situation A who realizes tremendous results may find that same approach does not yield the same results in Situation B—in fact, those behaviors may create obstacles and hardships. While the principles of effective leadership do not change, some behaviors and approaches are more effective, and yield more results, in some circumstances. By the same token, progress in other situations will likely require a different way of conducting oneself.
That said, I believe there are also distinct seasons of pastoral leadership—i.e., not every situation is going to be marked by abundant momentum, expanded community impact, and dramatic numerical or financial growth. Sometimes the calling is to do some of the unseen but absolutely necessary things that eliminate obstacles and pave the way for growth.
In one of my pastorates, I served in a small town located in the middle of farm country—a very far cry from the setting and surroundings in which I was raised. One of the things I learned from living in that environment is there are distinct seasons—windows of opportunity—that must be realized if the farmer is going to realize a fruitful yield. In many ways, the various seasons that accompany the movement from planting to harvest align with the uniquely distinct seasons of pastoral leadership. For instance, in ministry …
There is a season of planting. Some seasons of ministry involve a lot of sowing seeds and starting things that are new—initiatives that you, as the leader, may not be around to see the full benefits or fruits thereof. For instance, in one of my pastorates, I stepped into a church that had been in decline for around twenty years. When I arrived, we had sixty or so people swimming around in facility designed to house four or five times that many folks. We were a church that was functionally invisible because not much was going on. Much of my pastorate was spent sowing seeds—helping our neighborhood by hosting watch meetings with the local police … making our space available for community gatherings … developing a preschool to provide a valued service for the community … updating the facility to where it looked more attractive … addressing the deferred maintenance that sent a terrible message. Although significant numerical growth didn’t come, the seeds planted during that season helped the church move on from its somewhat checkered past and embrace a new day.
There is a season of watering. Some seasons of ministry are about developing systems that allow progress to continue. Tony Morgan, in his book The Unstuck Church, talks about how every church must make a shift from doing things intuitively to doing things intentionally—putting structures and strategies in place that are aligned with the congregation’s values that will allow it to continue to grow. Seasons of watering are about thinking strategically … building and empowering healthy teams … identifying those things that are so important we develop standardized approaches so we can hopefully get it right on a consistent basis … and developing appropriate boundaries.
There is a season of pulling weeds. Some seasons of ministry are about solving problems and finding workable solutions. Perhaps this is the most challenging season, as it may involve making hard changes … restructuring … addressing the elephant in the room that’s been allowed to remain in place for quite some time and grown comfortable. Maybe it has to do with the church’s financial practices … a staff member, or lay leader, who exerts a great deal of negative influence and needs to have their platform reduced … a beloved ministry that has outlived its season of effectiveness, or is siphoning off too many congregational resources, and needs to be put out to pasture or, at the very least, modified. I had a couple of pastorates where the church was very much in need of revitalization. As I look back upon my service to those congregations, my time there involved a lot of weed pulling. And it was hazardous, precarious duty … as some of those weeds had once been plants placed in the ground by some folks who were still around and could not see that, over time, what they’d planted had turned into a detrimental and undesirable weed.
There is a season of harvest. Finally, some seasons of ministry are such that you get to see the fruition of the harvest. In one of my congregations, we realized a sustained season of fairly constant, uninterrupted growth. As I tried to understand why, I realized I was the same guy and was not doing anything innovative or new that was fueling it. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and benefit from the planning that those before me had invested. I had the good fortune of capitalizing on the work that had been done before I arrived on the scene. Looking back on it, I realize I had what Fred Fiedler called “situational favorableness” working for me. It was an exhausting and busy but, in many ways, gratifying and enjoyable season.
Granted, there’s a sense in which each season is not mutually independent of, and totally separate from, the others. During the season of harvest, there will be some weeds to pull and some plants to water—in fact, we must spend considerable and concentrated energy on watering and weed-pulling if there’s going to be a long-term harvest. But there is also a sense in which each pastoral setting, in retrospect, falls primarily into one, or maybe two, of these four seasons—depending upon the length of pastoral tenure. The point being is we shouldn’t be frustrated or bummed if we’re not experiencing a season of harvest. For the other seasons are indispensable and necessary if the harvest is going to come. And ministry is about doing what we do with an eternal mindset and the big picture in view.