Becoming the Presbytery Owl

 

Lately, I have been putting effort into writing vision and job descriptions for the Presbytery Owl…which, it turns out, is one of the roles I have been asked to play for the presbytery.  Writing vision descriptions is necessary, because the presbytery voted in October to reduce my work to 10 months per year.  It has become necessary to define which roles the executive presbyter will play in presbytery leadership, and which he (I) will not.  Since the first of those blocks of time away from the office will be this month, it is high time to decide on what ministry roles the executive presbyter shall fulfill. That is the role of the vision description.  A job description describes the duties included in fulfilling that vision. 

According to the Presbytery Leadership Team the executive presbyter is called to play two roles within the life of the presbytery.

First, the executive presbyter is to serve as pastor to the presbytery.  This means that the executive presbytery is to serve

·      as pastor-to pastors,

·      as first responder, along with the stated clerk, to crises and problems as they arise in the presbytery.

·      as the “face” of the presbytery, showing up in each region and helping interpret the mission of the presbytery,

·      spending two weeks out of eight on-site in the villages pursuing specific goals.

·      and as holder of the presbytery vision when staffing committees.

It is when we talk about the second role the executive presbyter plays that we find ourselves describing the Owl to the Presbytery.  The executive presbyter is not caught up in one congregation or community, or even just in our presbytery.  The executive is to rise up and look at the big picture, as if from an altitude, and asked to challenge the presbytery to not lose its own perspective on what God is doing. 

Some scholars [like Ron Heifetz] call this “leading from balcony space.”  However, the Joint Parish members commented in February that “balcony space” was truly not descriptive in a land with almost no balconies; they wanted a better definition for this role than that.  As that conversation progressed, one person finally spoke up and said this is more like the owl.  It hovers over the tundra with sharp eyes and sees with wisdom.

Since then, different groups have thought about the executive presbytery filling the role of Owl to the Presbytery and have shared some creative thought on how this image helps the presbytery.  I want to share some of that creative thinking. \

Before I do, though, let me share one personal thought:

I have never really liked the title executive presbyter.  I always have to explain what it means, and the explanation is not very exciting.  However, given the two roles the Leadership Team has asked me to play, I have been toying with the title Pastor and Owl to the Presbytery.  Now that is a fun title!  Anyone want to add it to our personnel list?