Getting Traineeships Going
By Pete Hughes
We’ve recently been re-watching episodes of the West Wing. It’s one of our all-time favourite shows and it has a lot to say about how teams work. The President’s team is very diverse, high capacity, and there’s lots of healthy conflict as they work together loyally to support and extend the leadership of the President.
There’s an insightful scene in season 1, episode 12, when the President is about to deliver his State of the Union address. He’s briefing the designated survivor, the Agriculture Secretary, on what to do should something happen to the President and the Cabinet.
President Bartlet: You have a best friend?
Secretary Tribbey: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: Is he smarter than you?
Tribbey: (chuckles) Yes, sir.
Bartlet: Would you trust him with your life?
Tribbey: (serious again) Yes, sir.
Bartlet: That’s your chief of staff.
The second chair role is one to be valued and invested in within churches. Most church leaders are second chair leaders! When it’s effective, the second chair role can supercharge the leadership of the senior pastor and the health of the whole church.
As we’ve been looking around the Australian church scene, apart from the occasional book or article, we’ve noticed a huge gap in equipping second chair leaders. And we’ve been spending time thinking about what second chair leaders really need to be effective and to thrive.
Bonem and Patterson’s seminal book Leading from the Second Chair defines it as –
“A person in a subordinate role whose influence with others adds value throughout the organisation”
This might be the second-in-charge, someone who directly reports to the first chair, or someone who’s in the broader leadership team and has a relationship that allows influence. In fact, a second chair leader can be any person who has a trust-based relationship with the key leader, and has an opportunity to influence others and add value throughout the organisation. They might be associate pastors, ministry directors, children’s ministers and executive pastors.
It’s a challenging role to fill, which involves drilling down deeper into specialist areas, as well as adding strategic value across the whole team.
Effective second chair leaders work with the senior leader to translate God’s vision for the church into reality. They share the vision with others and expand the foundation of committed leaders and followers. They also add value across the team and the church. They are resourceful in solving problems, and in seeing the needs of the organisation and acting on them. Effective second chair leaders are servant leaders at their core.
The role often requires insight and wisdom not always available to the senior leader. In their position they might see things the senior leader doesn’t or cannot see, or tell the senior leader something they might not want to hear or aren’t being told. They always have the leader’s vision clearly in their mind, and are concerned for the leader’s welfare. Often they are entrusted with the leader’s innermost thoughts. They can lift the leadership burden from the shoulders of the senior leader without usurping their authority. Trust is key to this relationship functioning well.
We see this role in different contexts across the Bible, in ways that demonstrate the importance of and challenges of this role. Some examples include Joseph and Pharaoh, Miriam and Moses, Caleb and Joshua, David and Saul, and Priscilla and Paul.
In Leading from the Second Chair, Bonem and Patterson outline three paradoxes of this role. It’s essential to really understand some of the tensions and challenges of this role before they become problematic. We’ve all heard some horror stories of relationships between seniors and associates that turned sour. If it gets messy, this impacts on the wider team and the health of the whole church.
This recognises that second chairs are called to lead, but they also answer to the authority of the senior leader. They know that two heads are better than one, and that the first chair is not an adversary. Being in the second chair there can be tension, when there is disagreement over a decision or the lack of one. You don’t have the freedom and autonomy to change things. But that frustration can also work both ways – it often takes two to tango. Effective second chair leaders are able to lead without being at the top of the pyramid. But most importantly, they know that their authority and effectiveness as a second chair stem from a healthy relationship with their first chair.
In West Wing, you’ll regularly see the President’s team sharing their insights and perspectives, often disagreeing or preferring to go in a different direction. But when it comes down to it, you’ll regularly hear them say –
“I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States”.
Second chair leaders have specific roles that are narrower and deeper in scope than the first chair, needing to manage a variety of ministry areas effectively. But they also need to keep an eye on the big picture through a strategic church-wide perspective. They will resist siloing or prioritising the needs of their own ministries, and are willing to make sacrifices for the good of the whole church and their wider team. Effective leaders will identify their church’s greatest opportunities or most pressing problems, and then take initiative in these areas, leading up effectively to the first chair.
Second chair leaders can have dreams even when they’re not in the top position, but they also need to remain content as God shapes their lives and their paths in the present. Their dreams can’t be allowed to compete with the plans of the first chair. This can be particularly frustrating for a second chair leader who sees a trajectory of becoming a first chair leader themselves. Effective second chair leaders seek to align their individual dreams with the broader vision of the church. They remain content with the present without losing a sense of a longer term calling for the future.
With most leaders in churches being second chair leaders, both men and women, it’s important to consider how to equip and support them to last long term in ministry. Given the challenges outlined above, what can help second leaders to thrive in their role?
This means taking time to get to know each other beyond what you’re currently working on. To understand the first chair’s priorities, work style, and what’s happening more broadly for them. This works both ways. An effective first chair leader will also be investing this time in understanding what makes their second chair tick.
An effective second chair will be so bought into the vision, that they won’t be waiting for the senior leader to tell them what to do. That means change and challenge – bringing new ideas, talking about significant issues, and sometimes saying hard things. This needs a relationship strong enough to handle the weight of the challenge, plus learning the skills to do this well. It requires wisdom to know when and how to raise something, checking your motives, preparing yourself to be Ok with a no, and often giving them a heads up beforehand. It means that you challenge privately, champion publicly. The key purpose with any leading up is to make things better.
This role really benefits from specialist and tailored input (such as Reach Australia’s Team Development Program) to be effective, with content specifically designed for second chair leaders. Learning from more experienced second chair leaders about what works also helps, while being inspired by their example. It can also help to have someone to walk alongside you, providing wise and godly counsel to work through the challenges, and help you grow in this role.
Sometimes relationships between the first and second chair become messy. Often they are salvageable, sometimes they are not. This could be due to differences in chemistry, competency, convictions, vision, or just leaving the relationship untended for too long. Some contexts and dynamics are unhealthy and just unsustainable over the long term.
Some second chairs slip into a passive posture because they feel hampered, following the first chair with little enthusiasm and a growing frustration. Others experience constant friction with their senior pastor, taking initiative even when this is beyond their authority. That kind of conflict is hard for everyone involved, and takes significant energy away from gospel ministry.
Take time to work on your relationship together regularly and early, and reflect on what you personally may be contributing to any issues. And be willing to get specialist support involved if things go pear-shaped along the way.
As mentioned, this is the key book most people reference. It provides a good explanation of the context and challenges for second chair leaders in churches, and is addressed to both first and second chair leaders.
John Maxwell is a well–known author in the area of leadership, so he’s always worth listening to. This book considers some of the harder contexts for second chair leaders, with practical advice for improving relationships between first and second chair leaders.
This is a great resource for thinking into the space of leading up or challenging up well in a church context, building a bridge with the first chair leader and not a wall. It’s full of really helpful practical tips and strategies.
Here’s a final comment from Bonem and Patterson:
“Senior pastors, if your ministry is to thrive, you need capable and passionate second chairs to serve alongside you. We encourage you to reflect on the gifts and abilities of your subordinates; but, more than that, reflect on the ways you can change the organizational culture to enable second chairs to flourish. Find them, uplift them, and release them to lead to their fullest potential. As you do, God will bless you and them.”
At Reach Australia we’ve been taking time to think about what second chair leaders need to grow and thrive in ministry. The Team Development Program is designed with second chair leaders in mind.
Over two years we provide tailored content from experienced second chair practitioners, monthly coaching and a community of second chair leaders to learn from and sharpen each other. We think it’s really worthwhile to intentionally invest in second chair leaders.
There are limited spots available for a new cohort starting this November. Get in touch soon to see if it’d be a good fit for you (or second chair leaders at your church).
