I’m reading Leonard Sweet’s book “I am a Follower”.
It turns leadership on its head, which feels a bit ironical to have it as a textbook this 9 weeks in my Master of Arts in Christian Leadership course. But, then again, I didn’t expect to learn leadership ordinarily. We’re working from the ground up here. We aren’t learning to be bosses, we’re learning to be like Jesus, and influence others in the fashion of God’s Kingdom, not man’s (courtesy of the Sermon on the Mount, I might add)
It’s a challenging message for us.
Here are some noteworthy bits I’ve gleaned:
1. Jesus wasn’t looking for leaders…he was looking for followers. Instead of worrying about finding and keeping followers, we follow him.
2. The seduction to apply a secular business model has infected churches but has been a remarkable failure. Spiritual depth doesn’t come from this model. (Willow Creek’s self-assessment is an honest but damning example.)
3. God’s strength is made perfect in human weakness, and this will be illogical in a worldly model. God’s power is how we do well.
4. God will prune us, for our own good, so we may be more fruitful and glorify him more.
5. Strategy and planning common in many church models today can superseded the focus on the work of the Holy Spirit.
6. There is a going myth the technology and innovation are answers to our leadership and church problems.
7. God calls us to do something bigger than ourselves.
8. The Church’s obsession with leadership reflects our cultures values which usually center in ego and self-interest.
I will follow up with more from this intriguing and entertaining book. The man does not shy away from plays on word.
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I do agree with this Lisa. Being of ana-baptist leanings I always like to start with prayer, when the local church has an issue to decide, i tell others they need to pray about an issue for days/weeks/months then make a decision through whatever process they want. Just this week our missional group was asked for a decision by the larger church immediately and then given a couple of days. I told them to go away, that we need to pray as a group for a couple of weeks. I hope that the Holy Spirit will speak to those in prayer.
If they want to use some mgmt process to make the decision after that, to me it is an administrative process, or at least the minority investment. I actually think churches don’t use professional decision making or technology, they pretend to, but it very laughable at times.
What is interesting between those two steps is the psychology of the those involved as a group, most of the time I see the weak/foolish catered to. The effect, From Friedman’s “A Failure of Nerve”: A regressive, counter-evolutionary trend in which the most dependent members of any organization set the agendas and where adaptation is constantly toward weakness rather than strength
this appears to be the norm for christiandom churches, though dramatically less in the paras
Further interesting is Friedma’s view on leadership and changing people, following your discipleship motif: “The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. If you want your child, spouse, client, or boss to shape up, stay connected while changing yourself rather than trying to fix them.”
I am in a leadership position where I work. The best leaders don’t shy from making decisions, but they lead by loving and caring for their people. They have a goals and agendas, but don’t let them drive their leadership.
well said, Larry. It seems like you are speaking of a servant leadership style. Am I right?
That last quote! Whoa. so potent with meaning and depth. I may need to chew on that for a bit. The bit about connecting seems so key!