Discovering Your Power to Act
In Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block, an expert on workplace learning and performance, wrote:
“Most sustainable improvements in community occur when citizens discover their own power to act… when citizens stop waiting for professionals or elected leadership to do something, and decide they can reclaim what they have delegated to others.”
That quote has stayed with me because I’ve experienced it firsthand.
When I was in high school, our youth minister left unexpectedly to take a job in another state. For a couple of years, our group went without a formal leader. At first, things felt aimless. But my friend Bethany and I quickly realized that instead of waiting for someone to lead worship or plan activities, we could do it ourselves.
So we did. We called people individually to invite them to events. We gave rides when needed. When we learned new songs at camp, we brought them back and taught them to others. It was a time of real growth for all of us—not just spiritually, but in how we showed up for each other. We learned how to take ownership of our community and each other’s sense of belonging. In fact, when a new youth minister was eventually hired, it was hard to make space for someone “in charge” again. We had built something together, and it meant a lot to us.
This kind of experience didn’t stop with high school. After college and during grad school, I often found myself stepping in when leadership was missing. It started informally—gathering a group of students during orientation and beyond, organizing hangouts and conversations that made space for real connection. Eventually, it turned into a more formal leadership role in our department’s student association, and then serving as Vice President of the graduate school’s student body.
I share all of this not as a humblebrag, but as a reflection on what it looks like to discover your own power, voice, and agency. These were not moments of certainty or confidence. They were just small steps in the direction of connection and care.
And honestly, that’s something I need to remind myself of now. It’s easy to feel powerless, especially with everything happening in the world. The news is overwhelming. Politics are exhausting. And sometimes it feels like there’s nothing I can do that would actually matter.
But I’ve seen that even small actions can shift something—if not in the world at large, then at least in the communities closest to me.
So I’m asking myself—and maybe you, too:
➡️ Where is something missing that you might have the courage to step into?
➡️ What’s one small thing you could do this week that would bring people together or create a little more belonging?
Let’s stop waiting for someone else to “do something.” Let’s reclaim what we’ve delegated—and see what might grow.
