What I’ve Learned about Leadership

After many excuses, I finally said yes to becoming a Stonecroft Regional Administrator. The peace, enjoyment, and excitement followed. The area of my administration includes more than 77,000 square miles. By God’s grace, much prayer, and through tasks learned from previous management positions, I began implementing ideas on how to connect with Stonecroft volunteers in my area. I started hosting *conference calls and created a *newsletter for leadership. Also, there was great joy in visiting and training many volunteers in the months to follow.

Here are some insights I’ve learned along the way:

1. Leaders regularly rely on God. 
Prayer is key. Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) reads: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” God desires that we are willing. He does the rest. God always picks up the slack. This certainly keeps me humble.

2. Leaders don’t have all the answers. 
Begin with what you have; using that knowledge is the best place to start. For example: the new or newly revised Stonecroft handbooks, the faithful volunteers with a passion to serve, and the Stonecroft website. A successful leader is willing to listen and learn.

3. Teamwork and collaboration are a must.
Because a leader doesn’t have all the answers, it’s important to work as a team with another leader to create a stronger support. Now, Stonecroft leaders in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota work together.

4. Leaders are team players.
Don’t be afraid to let volunteers know you’re there for them. If you don’t have the answer, seek it out.

5. Leaders use the resources available.
There are many resources on stonecroft.org. Yes, it does take time to review them, but it’s worth every minute.

6. Leaders acknowledge the importance of loving, listening, and praying.
Leaders take time to know the ones they lead – and the potential leaders.

And, here’s some special encouragement related to your leadership position:

Love your volunteers!

Listen to them! And, most of all:

Pray for them!

Helpful reminders:

• You’re not in this alone. You have regional leaders and Stonecroft’s Home Office team to support you. Contact Ministry Support at [email protected] or 800.525.8627.
• Consider inviting someone to come alongside you to co-lead in your position.
• Get to know your team members on a one-to-one basis. Learn their roles and how you can assist them in being successful. Communicate with them!
• Have a Stonecroft Bible Study with your team. Use Who is Jesus? to learn and reinforce the Gospel.
• Every person within your sphere of influence can learn how to lead someone to the Lord.
• Always cast the vision to your team of why Stonecroft exists. Say something like, “We are here to see women reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Or, “We do all this work to plan these events so that women who know nothing about God can meet Him personally!”
• Always encourage your team to invite women to your Group!

One final encouragement:

As a volunteer, I ask myself, “Am I doing this for God or am I doing it for Pam?” When I’m serving in this position for Him, there is joy and peace even in the midst of difficulty. When I’m doing it for me, there are feelings of pressure, burnout, and frustration. When that happens, it’s time to refocus and turn my thoughts to the Lord.

As a leader, my constant prayer is, “Lord, help me to do this as unto You!”

Please join me in making this your prayer today.

*Editor’s Note: For organizing and hosting conference calls with your volunteers, Pam recommends a free app called Conference NOW. For enewsletters, she suggests Constant Contact, an email marketing program. You also might want to search the internet for other conference-call and email-marketing programs and ideas.