Visible Leadership and the Power of Imitation

By Revd Dr Mark Hart, Rector of St Mary’s Nantwich

Put your hand up if you’ve never been to Nantwich! It’s a lovely town — full of historic buildings, cafés, and markets. On your day off, come and visit. Right in the centre stands St Mary’s Church, a beautiful medieval building at the very heart of the community.

I serve just one parish — one church, one PCC, one Lord, one faith, one baptism — but that one church serves a population of about 20,000 people. We have around 450 on the electoral roll, between five and eight services every Sunday, and over 40 different groups and activities. Each year we conduct more than 100 occasional offices and host about 50 concerts or events. We’re involved with eight schools and nine residential homes, as well as a good number of civic commitments. I’m also a trustee of eight charities.

I’m blessed with wonderful colleagues: an assistant priest who works full-time in secular employment, four retired clergy (two relatively recently retired and very active), a Reader, a Pastoral Worker, a full-time youth and children’s worker, music and office staff, and over a hundred safely recruited volunteers — plus many others who help informally. Without them, I’d be lost.

In the last eight years, six lay members of St Mary’s have been ordained (one is now our assistant priest), and another lay person is in discernment. One story stands out. A woman first came to see me about her wedding. She happened to mention previous church service years ago. Following a prompt, she began to contribute to St Mary’s, grew into different areas of service, completed Foundations for Ministry, and is now exploring ordination. None of this was planned — it grew naturally, step by step.

St Mary’s itself began as a church plant from nearby Acton back in the 1280s, when an assistant priest was sent to support a new worshipping community in the growing town. Centuries later, that same pattern of planting, visibility, and growth continues. Our church sits right in the middle of town, its grounds blending into the streets, so people wander in without even realising they’ve entered sacred space. We’re open seven days a week, welcoming thousands each year.

That visibility is key to leadership. If people can’t see you, they can’t follow you. Leadership is about being followed, and human beings are, by nature, imitators. We grow by watching others, by copying, by learning. Paul tells us, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Even Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.” Imitation is built into creation.

So, at St Mary’s, we try to make everything visible — faith, service, worship, community life. We don’t just “do a few things well”; we do many things well enough that everyone in town has some contact with the church. Stories of faith and growth are shared at regular breakfasts and suppers, encouraging others to take initiative. When someone sees a peer start something new, they think, “Maybe I could do that.”

That culture of initiative is vital. I don’t have a grand plan dictating everything that happens. When someone suggests an idea that fits our calling as followers of Christ, I try to say yes. My role is to know people, to listen, and to support them — especially when friction arises. Problems happen; they always do. The key is early intervention, dealing with issues before they grow, so that volunteers feel valued and supported.

The greatest challenge, of course, is encouraging the many who aren’t yet active in service. But even here, imitation helps. When one person steps forward for confirmation, others often follow. Adults are no different from children — we learn and grow by seeing others do the same.

If there’s any secret to growth or renewal, it’s this: be visible, be faithful, and keep Christ at the centre. When others see that, they will follow — and who knows what God might do next.