In February 2020, Grantham Church reached out to Rising Sun with concerns about team dynamics and staff cohesion. Senior Pastor David Flowers shared, “We faced growing pains and struggled to maintain a healthy culture before and during the pandemic.” As an organization, they realized some of their practices were hindering effective communication and conflict resolution. Despite their best intentions, the church knew that good intentions alone weren’t enough. Given Pastor Bob’s familiarity with Robert Greenleaf’s work on servant leadership, it was essential to Pastor Bob that the organization supporting this effort would help leaders grow in a way that reflected biblical values.
Pastor Bob Beaty, who served as the bishop of the conference at that time, reflected, “After interviewing several organizations, we chose Rising Sun to walk with us through that season because they had a track record of moving into situations that required both immediate care and a deep understanding of the breadth of the pain.” Rising Sun was chosen for its expertise in clarifying responsibilities, establishing healthy processes, and fostering trust through intentional communication. Over the next year, Rising Sun worked closely with the leadership team through group and one-on-one sessions. Weekly meetings addressed immediate concerns while laying the foundation for long-term growth. The engagement focused on these areas:
- Guiding the church board to gain clarity on the mission (why we exist), vision (the ideal result of our work)
- Establishing and clarifying organizational values (how we go about doing that).
- Restructuring roles and responsibilities to create clarity and support.
The approach placed a strong emphasis on healthy communication rhythms and coaching for Pastor David in his leadership role. While simple, these practices are critical. As we often remind our clients, being clear is kind. A critical component of the process was building accountability into the system by embracing the principle, inspect what you expect. By regularly reviewing goals, responsibilities, and processes, the team ensured that alignment with the mission, vision, and values was not just aspirational but fully operational.
“Their emphasis on servant leadership and their care for our pastor and leadership proved to be instrumental in bringing restoration and growth.” – Pastor Bob Beaty
At Rising Sun, we are committed to the development of servant leaders, engaged employees, and healthy organizational cultures. We are also encouraged by Pastor David’s comments regarding his coaching with Rising Sun: “I’m more present with people, show more genuine concern, and am less anxious. I no longer look to my team to meet my emotional needs. I’m more patient and thorough in the hiring process.” We seek to be truth-tellers who balance candor and care. Two years later, Pastor David noted that the team continues to thrive. Attendance and giving have increased, and Grantham is preparing for a vision process that could lead to a capital campaign.
If your organization is grappling with challenges in trust, communication, or leadership, Rising Sun can help guide you toward a season of health and growth—just as we did for Grantham Church.
