Daniel, thank you for your honesty regarding your situation. It is my experience that many churches struggle implementing TSL principles. I have been at the same church for 15 years and although we have had some significant gains there are days when it seems like we are starting at square one.
I appreciate your question, “How do I implement transformational servant leadership in such a short time frame? There are even some appointments that don’t have a mission or a vision and haven’t for years” (Rowe, D., 2018).
Traditionally many churches celebrate leaders who establish vision and direction single-handedly. “This misguided notion that the best strategic thinking comes from a single individual having singularly great insight and expertise is especially problematic in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world” (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014, p. 55). Helping to develop the leaders within a local church and engaging them in the process of establishing the vision for their community will create something that will outlast your leadership. “Organizations need to create more and better ways to make strategic thinking a collective process that engages diverse perspectives and viewpoints” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 56).
References:
Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. C., & Dinwoodie, D. L. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader (2 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Rowe, D., Response to NP1 – Post Leader. LDRS 501 — Strategic Leadership (2018). Retrieved from: https://create.twu.ca/danielsportfolio/2018/10/10/response-to-np1-post-leader/