CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACKET - Ryan Fields

before all others so that they can more effectively care for the flock and serve the church. My approach to leading teams like these might be best described as “leadership from below,” following Jesus’ teaching (Matt. 20:24-28) and example (John 13:1-17) that in the kingdom leadership and greatness means service and humility. Strong, effective leadership isn’t hard- nosed and doesn’t run roughshod over others; rather it is convictionally soft-hearted, doing the difficult but important work of hearing from others, and building consensus rather than ram-rodding or abdicating. Perhaps one of my strongest convictions about leadership is that it is relational to the core. God has created us as relational beings in his image (Gen. 1:26), and thus relationship is vitally necessary for the senior pastor to lead the elders, staff, and congregation in God’s transformative purposes. In the midst of executing vision, implementing systems, and cultivating leadership development , I must never forget that the foundation of success on these fronts is building personal relationships where trust is at a premium. This conviction stems from my own life experience, for the people who have had the greatest impact on me had that impact because I knew that they cared about me, that they longed to see my transformation and not simply acquire another notch on their belt. I thus strive by God’s grace and the Spirit’s empowerment to practice servant leadership that seeks to know others, love others, and lead them toward greater maturity and flourishing in Christ. What do you believe is your greatest personal strength? My primary strengths as a pastor include a passion for clearly proclaiming and teaching God’s Word, a capacity for intimate and authentic relationships, an ability to counsel people through various life circumstances, a proclivity for facilitating ministry teams and small group discussions, an impulse to enter deeper into people’s lives while inviting them further into my own, a giftedness in encouraging those I work with and providing them the needed administrative support to further our ministry goals, and a desire to care for the marginalized and ensure that there are no segments of a church community which are neglected or ostracized. I see these strengths as all relating to the calling of the pastor- teacher to be a shepherd of the flock, someone who doesn’t just preach and teach or administer programs or conduct weddings and funerals or visit the sick or administer the sacraments, but rather someone who does these things through the lens of caring for and overseeing the precious flock of God that has been entrusted into his pastoral care (Heb. 13:17). My wife would say that I remain calm and composed amidst conflict and that, when given the opportunity, I facilitate conflict resolution with wisdom and diplomacy. She would also say that my empathetic capacities help me to relate to "both sides" of the conflict and to help each party better understand the other. I also think my wife would say that I am gifted in working toward consensus; it is my default mode (vs. strong-arming or abdicating) and I have been blessed not only with excellent training in this area (e.g. I was blessed to take an excellent counseling class at TEDS on conflict mediation and have been exposed to the wonderful work of Peacemaker ministries) but also with numerous experiences resolving conflict and building consensus on staff and with ministry teams of the local church. How might your wife characterize your conflict resolution skills, and abilities at building consensus?

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