"Vital and Faithful: Building Leadership Skills"
Exodus 18:13-27
Rev. Emily Labrecque, Westmoreland UCC
July 19, 2026

[Pray.]

In our text for today, we find Moses in a burned out, overwhelmed state. He had been overseeing conflicts where justice had been needed. This was, technically, his job – to oversee disputes and to illuminate the laws of the Torah for the people. However, he was seeing one case at a time, by himself. We don’t know if this is Moses having major control issues, or if he simply never thought about a more workable, practical system. Moses doesn't have a history of being a supremely talented administrator. Then again, not every prominent figure does. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, is concerned. “Uh, hey Moses? Whatcha doin? This is not good for you – or anybody for that matter. You can’t do this by yourself. I’m not telling you to step out, I’m just inviting you to step back and invite others in.” Jethro wasn't just teaching Moses to delegate – he was outlining a system that would work for the benefit of the whole.

Now, Jethro was a leader himself: a respected elder in the community, the priest of Midian, and a mentor to Moses. Jethro begins this poignant advice by suggesting Moses recruits good people to join him and recommends he train and empower them. Then, he suggests a systemic change: a system of courts for different social units, a ‘high court’ over which Moses would preside, and then the most important reminder: God is in all of it. This kind of system, Jethro suggests, will save Moses from burn out, share power amongst the leaders, and ultimately, follow God’s will for their community.

This interaction between Jethro, Moses, and the newly appointed leaders is an excellent example of what the book "Growing Young" calls keychain leadership: an elder handing off the keys of authority so the next generation can lead.

This is often one of the hardest parts of leadership – knowing when to step up, step back, or step out. In congregations that have had longstanding leaders, especially those in certain positions, it's important to acknowledge that the time does come to loosen your grip on the position and pass on the "keys" to the next generation.

When I was working with the Episcopal Diocese, we hosted a workshop each year with the authors of "Growing Young." The book draws on research from over 250 leading congregations to answer a pressing question: why are churches losing young people, and what can be done about it? It identifies six core commitments churches need to embrace to engage young people effectively – not chasing trends, but making substantive shifts in culture and priorities.

Keychain leadership is one of those six: the idea that vital churches intentionally hand over keys of influence – both physical and metaphorical – and responsibility to younger people, rather than hoarding authority at the top. It's a picture of leadership that empowers rather than gatekeeps, trusting the next generation with real ownership rather than just token roles.

The authors' larger point is that churches who do this well don't just retain young people – they experience renewed vitality across every generation. It's ultimately a book about leadership that shares power, rather than leadership that simply manages decline.

Now, you may look around and say: hand the keys off to kids? Buuut ... what kids? The churches I worked with asked this question at every workshop. "Hi, yes, we really love this idea, but we don't have any kids. Who are we supposed to hand the keys off to?" Totally valid question. What the presenter, Jake, said in response was: in that case, just aim for the next generation. Folks leading in their 80s? Let's pass the keys to folks in their 60s. Folks in their 60s, pass along to folks who are simply younger. It's not ultimately about the ages of the leaders – the goal is to proactively cultivate and empower younger, newer people.

One story that Jake tells with regards to his "Growing Young" work is this: In one church, there was a man who was a long time usher – we’ll call him Henry. Every Sunday he showed up in his Sunday best – a three piece suit, a hat, white gloves, and dress shoes. And every week, a young boy with his family would walk through the doors, take a bulletin from him, be welcomed by him, and then go and sit down in the pews. One day, the little boy tugged at his dad’s sleeve and said, I want to help Mr. Henry. So the dad and the pastor and Mr. Henry worked it out that the next week, the kiddo would stand alongside Mr. Henry to pass out bulletins and greet people. So when Sunday morning rolled around, the kiddo asked his parents to dress him in his suit and dress shoes. He put on a clip on bow tie and asked for white gloves, and went off to church and stood right there next to Mr. Henry greeting people and handing out bulletins.

There was no muss, no fuss. It was a great first step at helping the young boy and Mr. Henry connect in a genuine way that empowered the child and helped Mr. Henry pass the keys onto the next generation. This is what this mark of building leadership skills looks like in practice.

I love that this is one of the marks because focusing on building leadership skills and systems in churches has often been left to the wayside, leaving complicated, burdensome governance structures that hinder rather than further the mission of the church.

We are a church full of really solid leaders. That’s one of the things I love most about Westmoreland. Folks seem to understand what it means to lead with empathy, work collaboratively, lean into adaptability, and support the inextricable link between faith and action. And, unlike Moses, we know how to share the load. Our next step, then, is actually threefold: build relationships across generations, loosen our grip on our power so we can invite others to share that power, and then usher these newer or younger folks into leadership.

But we have to start at the beginning; we have to start by building relationships. (We’ll get to the other two in due time.) We have to know the younger, newer people in our midst and be willing to enter into authentic relationship with them. That way, when we lift up the involvement and leadership of younger people, it won't feel like lip service – it will be rooted in real relationships that lead to creatively supporting, resourcing, and involving them.

This fall, the Board for Faith Formation is going to be kicking off a program called Prayer Partners. Prayer partners are two people of different generations coming together to pray for one another, check in with each other, and participate as partners in quarterly church events. We will do this in a way that abides by safe church guidelines, with most of the check ins happening at church on Sunday or through church sponsored events. However, the goal is to help our younger folks and seasoned folks find a way to connect and build relationships so that we can begin to learn more about each other. From there, so much of our work can flow more authentically.

Because in the end, this isn't just about staffing committees or filling volunteer slots – it's about who we belong to, and who belongs to us. As leadership expert Meg Wheatley writes, “Nothing living lives alone. Life always and only organizes as systems of interdependency.” So let us expand our hearts and minds to invite newer, younger folks as part of this system so we can continue to flourish as a vital and faithful congregation for generations to come.

Amen.