What happens when you are not around? How well do church services function? How does your area of ministry operate without you?
What goes wrong? What goes right?
Who is leading in your absence? Who steps up when you are out?
When the leader is absent, the wheels tend to come off, and anything that could go wrong will go wrong. That’s when you return from vacation or a long weekend off and think to yourself, “I want to get away more, but when I am gone, no one can seem to run things effectively.”
Of course you know that never taking a vacation is not an option. So what do you do? I want to recommend practicing “Strategic Absence.” Strategic absence is the practice of leading from the back of the room. You are physically there, but you allow someone else to lead the team while you stand back, keep quiet and let them take charge. If you are a high control leader, being present but hands off may be difficult, but being strategically absent may be the very thing your leaders need from you.
For example, if you are a worship director, practice being strategically absent once a month by letting one of your key leaders run the service while you stand silently in the back. This will do a few things for you:
- It will give you a different perspective of worship. Being in the back of the auditorium, you will see things you do not see from the stage.
- If the leader makes mistakes, you are there to witness it happen. Now you can provide even more concise coaching.
- You will also see what that leader does well and be able to praise them for their specific strengths.
That is just one example, but hopefully you can see how this could apply to any area of ministry. You can practice strategic absence by letting someone else lead a meeting, preach, plan an event, counsel, mentor, disciple, lead a training, and more.
Wise leaders teach others to do what they do. That level of development will generate better leaders and ensure things will go more smoothly in your real absence.
Give it a try this year and prepare to enjoy your vacations more than ever.
