Campaign Leadership

I am working with a client has just finished a great Planning Study and is ready to recruit the team that will lead the campaign. The first step in that process is to discern the names of of the chairpersons of the campaign.

The Chairs inspire the committee, speak for the campaign, invite support, handle conflict, and set the pace of the project. Their influence is wide and their commitment is crucial. My best campaigns had amazing stewards serving in the role of Co-Chair and my most difficult campaigns had leaders who really could not fulfill that obligation. 

These days, I recommend that campaigns have Co-Chairs that represent three households (I call this the tri-chair model) in the congregation. It would be wise if the diversity of the congregation to include relationship status (meaning inclusion of single or widowed people), age group, ethnicity and one more variable, were represented in the tri-chair model. Please, if your congregation has multiple worship services, include chairs who represent those services. I once met a church that had recruited their cabinet prior to my arrival. All the chairs were from the largest service. There was no one from other services. If left as it was, this would have sent an unintentional and problematic message. 

These leaders will moderate meetings and be the face and voice of the campaign. They serve as an extension of the pastor for administrative purposed in the campaign and can offer unique testimony to the congregation about the importance of generosity and stewardship.

Careful selection of this level of leadership is crucial to the success of a campaign and will pay dividends in the spirituality and success of this transformational effort.