Leadership Doesn't Need to Be a Lonely Endeavor: We’re Here to Help

In many parts of the country, August is a time to restart our engines after the slower, lazy days of summer. As parents, we’re getting our kids back to school and as synagogue leaders, we’re preparing for the High Holidays. To those of you who took on new roles in your congregation during the summer, whether for the first time or as a veteran leader in a new post, Baruch haba (Welcome)! We’re delighted to have you among the Reform Movement’s leadership ranks.

As we read several weeks ago in Parashah B’haalot’cha, even Moses, a “leader’s leader,” often became overwhelmed by the responsibilities inherent in leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. At one point, after they had whined and kvetched, demanding meat in place of the plentiful manna God regularly provided for them in the wilderness, an exasperated Moses tells God, “I cannot carry all this people by myself, for it is too much for me. If You would deal thus with me, kill me rather, I beg You, and let me see no more of my wretchedness.” (Numbers 11:14-15)

Of course God doesn’t do as Moses asks. Instead the Eternal One invites Moses to “[g]ather 70 of Israel’s elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people,…and let them take up their place with you [so that] they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone.” (Numbers 11:16-17)

Like Moses, you are not alone in your role as a leader. Just as the 70 experienced elders shared the burden of the Israelites with him, so, too, does the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) offer many resources, learning opportunities, and support that will help you gear up for 5777 and beyond.

I remember times in my own congregation when lay people hesitantly accepted positions of responsibility with streams of disclaimers about their lack of experience. Knowing them to be smart, creative, and dedicated, I knew, too, that once they got their bearings and a clear sense of what was possible, the openness and freedom from the status quo that came with their inexperience would make them tremendously effective leaders. With information about where to turn for input and guidance when they happened upon unfamiliar territory – but not too many expectations or predetermined outcomes – they were destined to do great things on behalf of our congregation.

I encourage you to explore all of these tools and how they can help you and your team lead your congregation to success in all its endeavors. You may wish to start with these two fundamental resources:

• The Knowledge Network, the first-line, primary URJ contact for congregational leaders, is a hub for information and connections. With a phone call to 855-URJ-1800 or an email to urj1800@urj.org, you’ll receive timely and accurate answers to questions, links to print and online resources, and access to URJ staff, fellow congregational leaders, affiliate organizations, and Reform Movement partners to help you navigate all aspects of congregational life.
• The Tent is the communication and collaboration platform for leaders throughout the Reform Movement, providing entrée to groups and conversations that can help you guide your congregation not only to thrive, but also to be a central and important place in the lives of your members.

There are many more tools where these came from. In her post, Amy Asin, the URJ’s vice president of Strengthening Congregations, has compiled a comprehensive list of additional networks and opportunities that will be especially useful to you during the coming year and throughout your tenure as congregational leaders. I hope you will become familiar with them, turn to them often, and, rely on them for guidance and support, just as Moses relied on the 70 elders to aid him in leading the Israelites.  

Have something to say about this post? Join the conversation in The Tent, the social network for congregational leaders of the Reform Movement. You can also tweet us or tell us how you feel on Facebook.