In every church, there are leaders who help everyone feel connected and loved. Among other things, they are on the front foot of serving and making sure that other people find it easy to become integrated into the church family.
These leaders serve the church community with kindness and integrity.
We recently got to speak with a church leader who served on our Campus Connect arm. In his final year as an undergraduate student, he served as the campus Connect leader.
Now that he’s a graduate (big congrats, by the way), he serves on another team.
In this interview with him, we unwrapped his journey of volunteering and leadership and learned what helped him excel and make a real impact through the years.
If you’re in a leadership space or you are contemplating volunteering or taking on a leadership role, then you will find our conversation really helpful.
Let’s get started. And in case I forget to mention it, please share this article with people in your world who can do with some more wisdom on how to lead with excellence. Or you can just share it on your WhatsApp status. T for Tenx.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Tolulope: I am Tolulope Ayantayo, I joined Sycamore Church in 2017. I studied Law at the University of Ibadan and I now work in the social impact space, mainly around the SDGs. I currently volunteer with the creative shows team in church.
Tell us about your experience as a leader in church.
Tolulope: It was a new space for me, having to lead so many people, but it was a beautiful one. It was one where I got to grow my leadership through the leadership meetings we had and one when I could put into practice all that I had learned.
How did you overcome challenges while leading in the church?
Tolulope: Having a strong support system definitely helped me overcome challenges I faced in leadership. Being able to pick someone else’s brain, talking to someone, and learning from them goes a long way.
Also, knowing you have people praying for you or sometimes just people you can rant to about your leadership challenges – and who would take their time to help you solve them – is very relieving.
What lessons did you learn from leading Campus Connect?
Tolulope: You can’t (and shouldn’t) do all the work on your own. The point of a leader is not just to do the work but to also empower and raise other leaders that can dream the vision and contribute to what you are building. I realized that there were times I wanted to take up the responsibility of doing everything and being everywhere by myself, but as you might have guessed, it did not work out so well.
That’s so true. We don’t always have to do it all on our own.
Tolulope: There is only so much I could have done by myself.
ACCEPT HELP.
I think that’s something I’d have to remind myself of. That it’s okay to let others help me out.
So Campus Connect has so many different types of people attending weekly. How did you effectively communicate and collaborate with such a diverse group?
Tolulope: For collaboration honestly, like 1 Cor 9:20 “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews” Campus Connect is filled with diverse people and they see things in different ways.
I remember that there was a point where I was trying to get some kind of people to attend, so in the safest way possible, I dressed somewhat like them. I wore big pants and big shirts to attract them. It worked to an extent. So it is recognizing that there are different types of people and helping them serve.
You’ll enjoy this: Meet the Cast Behind the Sycamore Creative Show “Bent”
What qualities do you believe are essential for leaders, and how can we develop them?
Tolulope: A genuine relationship with Jesus is of utmost importance. As much as you are pouring out into people to make an impact in their lives, you must ensure that you are being refilled (taking time to read your bible and receive new strength and help from God).
A Christian leader should also be able to communicate clearly – whether it is tasks and responsibilities or whether it is the vision.
Also, we hear a lot of #CCdeyForYou. What inspired that hashtag?
Tolulope: We wanted to create a sense of belonging for our people and assure them that we have their best interests at heart. So we came up with that hashtag and it stuck. It helped create a sense of community and belonging and I loved it.
Can you share a successful leadership experience and the key factors that contributed to its success?
Tolulope: There was a point in the connect when we were trying to increase our numbers and have more engaging events. A lot of planning went into that with my core team as well as the content team. Gradually, we started achieving our goals.
One of the events I can’t forget is a movie night and the book swap event. It was amazing that we got our desired result and I had people reach out to me about the books that they read.
I was privileged to have led an amazing team of dedicated people who put in the work to ensure that it worked. Also, my oversight was always there with me through the process.
Well, you know what they say – teamwork makes the dream work.
Tolulope: Oh nice, well put.
Thank you so much, Tolu. This has been a really eye-opening conversation.
That concludes the conversation we had with Tolulope Ayantayo. BTW, follow CC on Instagram here
It is worth mentioning that you don’t necessarily stop being a leader just because you completed your tenure in a leadership position. And you don’t need a leadership position before you can exemplify the qualities of a true leader.
So, don’t let anything hold you back from leading with the qualities you’ve just read about. And if you don’t have the leadership qualities yet, here is a great place to start developing them!
Ah! I almost forgot again. Please share this article with your friends or just post the link on your WhatsApp status. Thanks!
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Written by Oluwadamilola Odunfa
Oluwadamilola volunteers with the Content Team at Sycamore Church.
(Blogposts are creative expressions generously provided for Sycamore Church. The ideas and thoughts do not necessarily represent the position of Sycamore Church)
