Thoughts on organisational leadership I learnt from my church
Very relevant principles for any organisation
Recently my church held a historic service at the Singapore Expo. I learnt many things relevant to my personal life and many helpful principles that I can apply to my work as well. I believe that these principles will help you in your organisation too.
So, I have been a Christian all my life since I grew up in a Christian family. I made the personal decision to believe from a young age, and since then I have been going to church every weekend.
Heart of God Church (HOGC) is my 3rd church and I have been attending this church for the past 14 years. My youth and young adulthood have been spent here, and needless to say, I have built many core memories with many close friends (in fact, I brought my husband to this church and we even got married here)!
Last Saturday, on 17 June 2023, HOGC Assembled at the Singapore Expo. We ‘assemble’ as an entire church of 5,000 pax once every two years. Our regular weekend services run for 3 sessions as each time our auditorium can only fit 1,600 pax, so HOGC Assembled is always a precious day for the members.
This year, during Assembled, we promoted 4 new Pastors and 3 Senior Pastors.
Although I know who the 4 new pastors are, I shall focus on sharing my thoughts on the promotion of the 3 senior pastors today.
In case the screenshot is too small, the 3 senior pastors are - Pastor Charleston, Pastor Garrett and Pastor Lynette (SP-CGL).
Firstly, there is too much to say about what HOGC is here, so I shall link you to the website if you wish to find out more.
Secondly, Pastor How (senior founding pastor) has written 3 articles to explain the rationale and heart behind the promotion of 3 senior pastors and some organisational principles, so you may read them for context:
I shall therefore focus on sharing my thoughts following Assembled.
Although I have been in HOGC for 14 years, I have only had more personal interaction with the 5 senior pastors in recent years. And even so, I can probably count with both hands, the total number of times I have had a personal conversation with each of them.
You can therefore imagine my surprise when I found myself moved to tears during the promotion of the 3 senior pastors. Pastor How and Pastor Lia founded HOGC, so they are considered ‘first generation’ senior pastors. However, Pastor How mentioned that SP-CGL have been building the church alongside him and Pastor Lia since the very beginning, and therefore they should also be considered as ‘first generation’ senior pastors.
That statement hit me hard. You see, SP-CGL came to HOGC when they were youths. This means that they gave their lives to build HOGC from their youth, and I mean from the age of 13. Their entire lives were poured into loving, leading and building others.
When I think about my youth, or youths in general, how many of us can say that we have dedicated our entire lives to a cause greater than ourselves? To me, I am reminded of Marvel movies where teens are ‘called’ or bestowed powers, and then they are unwittingly thrust into positions of responsibility.
But then, I realised that SP-CGL chose to put themselves in that position of responsibility. I was overwhelmed.
Their dedication and sacrifice even, has built the church, and therefore me, to who I am today. I am grateful and even happier for their promotion.
Excerpts from Why a 3-Generation Senior Pastor Model Makes Sense
Excerpts from How to “Survive” Pastoring a Modern Church
These principles are so timeless and true especially since I am managing a non-profit organisation, Next Gen Investors Endowment. As the only staff running the day-to-day operations, it is not easy to manage so many different responsibilities.
Above all, my heart beats for the university students in the Z Club, both local and international, as I wish to connect with them and help them to achieve their career and investing dreams through the club.
However, I cannot do it alone. I am not alone in my role in the sense that I do have support. Shinya and Tiffany, the founders of Next Gen, are extremely involved in the company and extremely supportive of me.
I refer to the need to raise up leaders in the Z Club, and the need to raise up a consistent stream of next generation leaders even as club members graduate. We also need to raise a ‘Super Team’.
There is so much that we can learn from how Pastor How and Pastor Lia raised up 3 senior pastors and 4 new pastors. It is mind-blowing, to have strong leadership at the highest level. How can we raise such leaders in our organisation? How can we inspire the next generation to take the baton and run with us?
Right now, we do not have the answer.
As I am in the process of building, alongside Shinya and Tiffany, I guess that is why HOGC Assembled this year resonated so much more with me. I am grateful to have such role models to learn from, and I certainly hope to be able to create similar patterns of leadership and organisational structure within the Z Club.