I've been reading a lot about leadership the last couple of weeks in preparation for a class in NT leadership that I will be taking in December.
Servant-Leadership has been a focus.
One of the thoughts that I've come across that really intrigues me is the idea that a servant-leader is more concerned about the person or people that he is leading than the organization itself. I've really given this a lot of thought.
How can I be more concerned for the individual when my primary responsibility is leading the organization? How can I be more concerned about a staff person than the well being of a congregation that I'm leading? Wow, that's something to really think about. Who would Jesus have been most concerned about.
OK, I know this could lead to a deep philosophical discussion about the 99 sheep verses the 1 lost sheep, or dialog about the best thing for the many verses the interest of only one. Is it a truth that the servant-leader should be concerned about the welfare of one over the welfare of the entire group?
Hmmm. After pondering this I've come to some conclusions that I think will help me grow.
First of all, in God's plan, if something is best for His Church then it is also best for the individual. If a staffer is not functioning in his zone...his sweet spot...then there's a pretty good chance that they may not be in the best place for them.
Cutting to the chase--I am called and compelled to be very concerned for individuals that I have a responsibility to lead. If I approach situations where an individual is causing detriment to the organization I demonstrate servant-leadership if I approach the situation as a growth opportunity (or a transitional opportunity) for the staffer who is struggling--not for the sake of the organization but for the sake of the individual.
If I can separate out the individual from the global perspective while ministering to that staff person then I can truly look to the best interests not only of the organization but the genuine self interests of the individual.
Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Leaders must be Learners
On the way to Atlanta today I read a little bit from Missional Leadership by Roxburgh and Romanuk. A quote from p. 117 says,
In my prayer time yesterday one of the Bible passages I read was Proverbs 3:19-20
One of my core values is the pursuit of the manifest Presence of God. I want God's Presence to propel my life, my decisions, and my direction. I want my encounters with God's Presence to be the origination of all of my actions. I also want to learn and increase in my abilities, in my knowledge, my understanding, and to grow in wisdom. I want the origination of my growth to be my relationship with God but I want to grow in wisdom and understanding so that I can be effective in the creative work that God has sown into my passion.
I have a passion to see church leaders relying upon the Presence and power of God but I am also passionate that they learn and grow in their pursuit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Gotta have both!
When you stop learning you stop growing, when you stop growing the people around you stop growing through your influence, and when that happens the revelations that we recieve from God ring hollow because they don't find their fulfillment in transformed lives.
"In our experience, many congregations are in trouble because their leaders don't know the most basic principles of leading people, forming effective staff, developing teams, or communicating processes. Crucial to forming missional communities, these skills are aspects of leadership that can be learned in other settings."My experience tells me this is a very true statement. I must say that I've leaned a little toward entrepreneurial leadership models in my leadership and I am swinging back toward a missional leadership model. The thing about this quote that captured my attention is that simple, basic, universal people leadership skills and just plain old "smarts" are required in leading a church and leading people no matter how missional our focus is.
In my prayer time yesterday one of the Bible passages I read was Proverbs 3:19-20
"By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew."I know that God knows everything but I never thought much about Him doing the work of creation through His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. I just always saw this picture of massive power shooting forth and...BOOM... everything was in place. This scripture says that it was an exercise, not only of power, but of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
One of my core values is the pursuit of the manifest Presence of God. I want God's Presence to propel my life, my decisions, and my direction. I want my encounters with God's Presence to be the origination of all of my actions. I also want to learn and increase in my abilities, in my knowledge, my understanding, and to grow in wisdom. I want the origination of my growth to be my relationship with God but I want to grow in wisdom and understanding so that I can be effective in the creative work that God has sown into my passion.
I have a passion to see church leaders relying upon the Presence and power of God but I am also passionate that they learn and grow in their pursuit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Gotta have both!
When you stop learning you stop growing, when you stop growing the people around you stop growing through your influence, and when that happens the revelations that we recieve from God ring hollow because they don't find their fulfillment in transformed lives.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Atlanta and Grassroots Leadership
Networking with some guys today about starting and leading a school of ministry. We've got to start finding new and non-traditional ways to train church leaders. Everyone isn't going to go to seminary or even relocate to pursue an undergraduate degree but yet there is a leadership challenge that churches are facing. There's a lot of rural communities that have had churches for years...they are not exactly on the cutting edge but in their own God intended way they are impacting their little town.
Not many leaders fresh out of seminary are anxious to move to a town of a thousand or two and find a job in the town so they have the privilege of ministering and leading a group of people not quite able to pay them enough to make payments on their student loans.
Leaders are going to have to be trained and raised up from the grassroots and inspired and equipped to do the job.
This thing (the Kingdom of God) started out as a grassroots response to a divine plan. If we are going to hit the ends of the earth we are going to have to think of ministry and ministry leadership in different ways.
Not many leaders fresh out of seminary are anxious to move to a town of a thousand or two and find a job in the town so they have the privilege of ministering and leading a group of people not quite able to pay them enough to make payments on their student loans.
Leaders are going to have to be trained and raised up from the grassroots and inspired and equipped to do the job.
This thing (the Kingdom of God) started out as a grassroots response to a divine plan. If we are going to hit the ends of the earth we are going to have to think of ministry and ministry leadership in different ways.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Corporate Evangelism
Here's a clip from a U.S. News & World Report web article about corporate evangelists:
The words "Evangelism" and "Evangelist" are words that I've heard and used all of my life. They are words that have been used in the "church world" for a couple of thousand years. I find it interesting that progressive corporations, largely in the tech sector, are using terminology like "evangelist" and "evangelism teams".
It's interesting how you can learn a little more about words and actions that you've employed for decades when you see the words and concepts used in a different setting.
Look at some of the phrases from this USN&WR article to describe corporate evangelism and evangelists:
Jesus built an evangelism network with people who were just as passionate (well, almost) as he was about the news that he carried. In fact, I am a part of Jesus' extended network of disciples.
I am an evangelist. I am deeply passionate about the transformation that has happened in my life through my faith in God.
It's not up to me to persuade people to believe something. The work of the evangelist is to feel the message to the core and to believe that people will have a better life by hearing, understanding, and applying the message.
“But the job of a corporate evangelist is about way more than preaching the wonders of a company to customers and clients. "Evangelism is about selling your dream so that other people believe in it as much as you do," says Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for Apple Computer and one of the key people responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. "Those people then, in turn, get even more people to believe. Just like Jesus was an evangelist who recruited 12 more evangelists."”This is a great article and this is just a small excerpt. I encourage you to read it in its entirety...after you finish reading this blog, of course.
The words "Evangelism" and "Evangelist" are words that I've heard and used all of my life. They are words that have been used in the "church world" for a couple of thousand years. I find it interesting that progressive corporations, largely in the tech sector, are using terminology like "evangelist" and "evangelism teams".
It's interesting how you can learn a little more about words and actions that you've employed for decades when you see the words and concepts used in a different setting.
Look at some of the phrases from this USN&WR article to describe corporate evangelism and evangelists:
- "Evangelism is about selling your dream so that other people believe in it as much as you do"
- "Those people then, in turn, get even more people to believe"
- "Just like Jesus was an evangelist who recruited 12 more evangelists"
Jesus built an evangelism network with people who were just as passionate (well, almost) as he was about the news that he carried. In fact, I am a part of Jesus' extended network of disciples.
I am an evangelist. I am deeply passionate about the transformation that has happened in my life through my faith in God.
It's not up to me to persuade people to believe something. The work of the evangelist is to feel the message to the core and to believe that people will have a better life by hearing, understanding, and applying the message.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Things Keep Changing
Change is an important part of our lives and an important thing to consider in spiritual leadership.
I recently read somewhere that the knowledge bank of humanity doubles every 2 years and that by the year 2020 it will be doubling every 73 days. I've heard a few variations of the rate of change but the statement is accurate enough to challenge us with the impact of change on our culture. This is not simply a technological explosion but it is an information explosion that leads to constant flux and change in our lives and in the organizations that we lead.
Remember the Oldsmobile television commercial from a few years ago... images of vintage tank-like Oldsmobiles were replaced with racy and sleek new Oldsmobiles. The voice over said, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile." I think that was a couple of years before they stopped making Oldsmobiles so the advertising strategy could hardly be considered a success. You can't change an image that has been impressed upon generations just by saying something has changed.
Perhaps if we are trying to catch the attention of a generation that thrives on change we should embrace true change instead of just trying to point out that we are somehow new and improved. I suppose that if you have to call attention to the fact that you have changed then the change is probably not all that remarkable and it definitely isn't organic.
After the Oldsmobile commercials gained popularity I heard people cutely modify the phrase and saying it with that deep announcer-like voice... "This is not your father's church." The inference being, "Hey, look at us, see how much we've changed." You've seen it and it's kinda pitiful. A church that does everything just like they always have but they tweak a couple of insignificant things and start touting their relevance. Oh my.
Constant change is a part of our culture like never before in the history of mankind. We shouldn't force change just because we want to be trendy but change comes when we realize our effectiveness is waning. We open ourselves up to change when the things that we value most are starting to slip away. Change is, or should be, an organic response of our passion to reach people that Jesus loves.
I'm glad that some things never change. That is a comfort to me. There are constants that keep us anchored. The core of the message itself does not change but the methods are constantly morphing.
So, how does an organization or church face the inevitable need for change? Well, a lot of complex discussion could be had on this topic but I'd prefer to just make a simple statement about it.
If the organization that I lead needs to change to be effective, relevant, loving, concerned, or reflective of Jesus...then I must change first. When I embrace deep change in the ways that I respond, the ways that I lead myself, the fervency with which I pursue God, the reflection that I am of Christ, then and only then will I be able to lead the kind of organic change necessary to effectively minister to this generation and the ones behind it.
When I become, as a leader and as a person, unwilling to embrace organic changes that are clearly and obviously necessary for the fulfillment of the mission then it's time for me to step aside.
May I (we) be continually transformed by the renewing of our minds.
I recently read somewhere that the knowledge bank of humanity doubles every 2 years and that by the year 2020 it will be doubling every 73 days. I've heard a few variations of the rate of change but the statement is accurate enough to challenge us with the impact of change on our culture. This is not simply a technological explosion but it is an information explosion that leads to constant flux and change in our lives and in the organizations that we lead.
Remember the Oldsmobile television commercial from a few years ago... images of vintage tank-like Oldsmobiles were replaced with racy and sleek new Oldsmobiles. The voice over said, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile." I think that was a couple of years before they stopped making Oldsmobiles so the advertising strategy could hardly be considered a success. You can't change an image that has been impressed upon generations just by saying something has changed.
Perhaps if we are trying to catch the attention of a generation that thrives on change we should embrace true change instead of just trying to point out that we are somehow new and improved. I suppose that if you have to call attention to the fact that you have changed then the change is probably not all that remarkable and it definitely isn't organic.
After the Oldsmobile commercials gained popularity I heard people cutely modify the phrase and saying it with that deep announcer-like voice... "This is not your father's church." The inference being, "Hey, look at us, see how much we've changed." You've seen it and it's kinda pitiful. A church that does everything just like they always have but they tweak a couple of insignificant things and start touting their relevance. Oh my.
Constant change is a part of our culture like never before in the history of mankind. We shouldn't force change just because we want to be trendy but change comes when we realize our effectiveness is waning. We open ourselves up to change when the things that we value most are starting to slip away. Change is, or should be, an organic response of our passion to reach people that Jesus loves.
I'm glad that some things never change. That is a comfort to me. There are constants that keep us anchored. The core of the message itself does not change but the methods are constantly morphing.
So, how does an organization or church face the inevitable need for change? Well, a lot of complex discussion could be had on this topic but I'd prefer to just make a simple statement about it.
If the organization that I lead needs to change to be effective, relevant, loving, concerned, or reflective of Jesus...then I must change first. When I embrace deep change in the ways that I respond, the ways that I lead myself, the fervency with which I pursue God, the reflection that I am of Christ, then and only then will I be able to lead the kind of organic change necessary to effectively minister to this generation and the ones behind it.
When I become, as a leader and as a person, unwilling to embrace organic changes that are clearly and obviously necessary for the fulfillment of the mission then it's time for me to step aside.
May I (we) be continually transformed by the renewing of our minds.
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