For those seeking to effect change, this strong commitment to a core set of values and beliefs in relation to management, governance and leadership can present challenges. Several presbyters and lay members recounted stories about such things as changing the seating in a church, merging two choirs or where to place the candlesticks at Christmas which, it was evident, became leadership tests or challenges, as Naomi explains.
And I’ve never tried to work in an organisation where the roots go down that far and try and get people to change. You’re dealing with emotions, you know, in a way that I think you don’t in a lot of organisations. You know, we can’t move out of this church because I was married here. I kind of understand that at some level but they’re not normally the kinds of things that you’d be having in an office move discussion (Naomi)
A respect for the culture, history and roots of the organisation does not, however, mean that change is impossible to implement. Rather it tends to ensure that change is decided and enacted through processes of discussion, dialogue and consensus building and in this particular context high levels of discernment of God’s will is required. Thus change often evolves and is driven incrementally and collaboratively, rather than through large scale, top-down approaches that have been so endemic in much of the public services.
There was a strong preference amongst the respondent presbyters for a participative and democratic style of leadership. Organisational theorists have long noted that there can be a difference between the approaches that people espouse in relation to leadership and how they act in practice (Argyris, 1977) and a limitation of the data is that we were not able to research leadership in action. Nevertheless, those who work with presbyters felt that in general they try to be participative and inclusive. One of the main reasons that many cited for adopting this approach was its fit with the principles of Methodism: indeed it was the lack of hierarchy and principle of shared responsibility that had drawn many to Methodism rather than to other Christian denominations initially.
I think what’s particularly… probably the reason, above all, that I am a Methodist, is the lack of hierarchy in Methodism, and the sense of sharing, and of equal responsibility, and so therefore, any attempt to put a minister on a pedestal, which some congregations still like to do, and obviously was very typical, again, you know, a generation or two ago… I mean, it’s natural for me to resist anything of that sort, and it’s not natural for me to try to impose anything, or even to want to try to impose anything. I think I’ve got a, sort of, natural, sort of, democratic way of working. (Adam)
Sarah and Jacob offer further support that approaches to leadership and management within Methodism are based on notions of collaboration and co-creation. They outline in particular how, in working with other members of the circuit team such as fellow presbyters and lay members, they adopt a participative and non-directive approach to leadership.
I would like to think that I’m not too directive; I like to encourage people, I like to give people space to discuss things. I don’t like to impose things, I like to work collaboratively as far as I can…. (Sarah)
… one, kind of, principle, one, kind of, vision that I would, sort of, be running with, it would be to, sort of, say to everybody, what is the contribution that you think… what is it that you bring to the table to, sort of, do? And then to, sort of, try and find a way in which they can actually use that, which I think, kind of, runs against… I don’t know whether it counts as a management model because, I mean, in my experience of management, it’s about somebody telling somebody else what to do, whereas I think actually it needs to, sort of, run the other way around. This is what I can do. Can you give me the opportunity? Can you help me find the place to actually, sort of, do this? (Jacob)