Council for Health and Human Service Ministries

Word and Deed: Thoughts on Faith-Based Leadership

Shirley Nelson I recently read a prayer that left an imprint on my soul. The first line began with "May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, hard hearts, half truths, and superficial relationships..."

That immediately caught my attention, and as I continued reading I paused again for reflection at another phrase that said, "...may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world..." We are all too familiar with the tension between wanting to make a difference in the lives of others and the frustrations that we encounter in our attempts.

As a member of CHHSM's Walking the Talk team, making a difference in the lives of others is important to me. Our team's intention is to support our members by helping them appreciate their strengths and identify assets within their organization that often go unnoticed or unrecognized. Right now, we are partnering with a half-dozen CHHSM ministries, and we are noticing shifts in their cultures that are directly related to focusing on their assets.

I am one of the Walking the Talk team members who is working with Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (UCAN) an organization that, in their words, "provides support to children, youth, and families in a nurturing environment that can promote healing." UCAN's residential and treatment staff works with boys and girls ages 6-18 who have been abused and neglected; as you can imagine, this is not a responsibility to be taken lightly and it requires a commitment over and above what many of us are required to maintain. Through Walking the Talk, we led UCAN's residential and treatment staff in a process of appreciative inquiry. Our goal has been to help them discover more of their strengths and, in doing so, to better serve their clients.

As we invited the staff to share their stories, I noticed the stress in their faces and bodies begin to dissolve as each one revealed aspects of their work that give them energy. Some learned for the first time that their colleagues had encountered some extremely distressed moments with clients but had grown through the process because they were willing to persevere for the betterment of all. Not one person who told a story displayed a sense of self-centered interest, and some even revealed enormous sacrifice on behalf of the children they serve. Everyone present that day was uplifted and encouraged.

Our work with UCAN continues, as we develop a plan that will enable this staff to create a continuous momentum of gratitude and awareness of their gifts. We look forward to fostering and witnessing their collaborative creation of a culture that results in positive outcomes for young people.

Our Walking the Talk team is ready to help your organization uncover its assets and strengths. If you'd like to know more, please visit the CHHSM website or call me at 866-822-8224 ext. 2254.

Shirley Nelson

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