Wanda Silvester and Joel Miles are co-leaders at North Park Community Church in London, ON.
It’s a new leadership model for North Park – an Executive Co-lead and a Pastoral Co-lead working together.
There’s the usual nervousness about trying something new but it’s also exciting to see the benefits of two sets of gifts working together.
There’s more perspective, more collaboration, freedom to explore – and ultimately, the desire is for better answers and wise leadership.
It’s a challenge sometimes to figure out how to use both sets of gifts well and the collaboration process slows things down sometimes but they’re experimenting and seeing what works best.
When I talked to Wanda, I asked her what things God was giving her to do her job well these days.
She said her and Joel are good at sharpening each other – identifying distractions, reflecting on why the church exists, keeping each other accountable.
There’s an older woman mentor in her life who offers incredible wisdom with much grace from a lifetime of experience.
Then there’s life coaching – asking good questions and prompting deep thinking.
All good and challenging things that God is using to help her lead well.
The weight of leadership is real but she’s also remembering that it is really God who is leading.
And so, she does her work with a deep trust and confidence in God that God will accomplish what God desires.