Collaborative leadership for SCBA 

The Southern Counties Baptist Association has called Clare Hooper and Hayley Young as its Regional Ministers Co Team Leaders.
 
Following a thorough discernment process, the proposal to call Clare and Hayley and embrace a different way of leading was passed with a clear majority at an Extraordinary General Meeting on Wednesday (8 March).

 
The pair succeed Colin Norris, who stepped back in January after serving as the Association Team Leader since 2017. Colin is moving to a portfolio ministry offering mentoring, spiritual direction and church support.
 
Clare is the Association's regional minister with a particular remit to support churches and pioneers in their mission with children, young people and families (CYF). She also co-ordinates the CYF input at Bristol Baptist College as one of their tutors.
 
She has been Acting Team Leader since Colin left.
 
Hayley is the current Baptists Together president, and has been serving the Northern Baptist Association as Transitional Strategic Leader (Regional Minister) since 2021. Prior to that she was a Regional Minister in South Wales Baptist Association.
 
They will co-lead the team with Clare taking responsibility for the children, youth and families, and Hayley taking on the support of 50 churches. Together they will collaborate on ‘all the aspects, duties and joys of being the Team Lead,’ said Judith Wheatley, interim moderator for SCBA.
 
'This is a most exciting appointment and one that will help us as an Association move forward together as we share the good news of the gospel,’ she said.
 
‘The interview panel were unanimous in their decision to propose Clare and Hayley for the role. They recognised the energy, the passion, their wide and varied experience, the self-awareness and the exciting possibilities for this new style of leadership for future ministry.
 
‘The trustees met to pray, review and offer accountability for the decision reached. All were in agreement that this was the proposal to make.
 
'Thank you to all the delegates who came to the EGM to pray together, question the trustees as they considered the proposal to appoint Clare and Hayley.
 
‘Thank you to everyone who took part in the discernment process. It has been thorough and robust, soaked in prayer. 
 
'We thank God for His clear guidance.'
 
In a joint statement shared for discernment at the EGM, Clare and Hayley emphasised how they are both committed to collaborative working.
 
‘We believe that it is this type of leadership that will enable both the team leader, the team that they’re leading and SCBA to flourish. We believe that together as co-leaders we are stronger.
 
'Our differences are a strength that complement rather than compete. We think that this would benefit not only the culture in SCBA but also within Baptists Together; we would be modelling a style of leading which resonates with a demographic which traditionally churches have struggled to engage well with.
 
‘In our presentation on the day of the interviews we shared about wanting to facilitate connecting, enabling greater participation but always being aware that perhaps there’s more that God is inviting us to.'
 
Both emphasised their sense of call in personal statements.
 
Clare said, 'God has done an amazing work in my life this past year. It has felt like he has given me opportunities to say yes to invitations that were way beyond my comfort zone. And with each step I’ve had to trust in Him, and my confidence has grown.
 
'The sense of call to the role of co-leader in SCBA has been gentle and is one that I definitely didn’t see coming, I would describe it as an unfolding call where God has called me one step at a time.'
 
Hayley added, 'After two years of leading the NBA transition - having moved the Association to being value led, appointing a new team based on the NBA’s priorities, and securing investment for pioneering and mission - I felt God was clearly calling me to conclude the transition period and to seek a new Regional Minister for the NBA who will build on the foundations that have been laid.
 
'My heart is for collaborative leadership so upon seeing the role description for the position with SCBA it felt like a nudge from God. SCBA’s desire for a collaborative approach was clear. I know that the experiences I’ve gained will help us towards us embedding the strategy of SCBA.
 
'I love that there is a genuine sense of team in SCBA, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Clare, the SCBA team, SSG and all the churches, ministers, leaders and missional communities that are in our association.' 
 
Judith requested prayer for both Clare and Hayley; for the team at NBA who will be sad to see Hayley leave them; and the Regional Team as they work together to serve the churches and pioneering initiatives of the Association.
 
Clare and Hayley will begin serving together from 1 July 2023.