As I witness the transformations taking place in our churches I've noticed a common pattern. The pastors of these churches have stepped up to a higher level of leadership. They've become more focused, full of vision and bolder. You might say they've become "audacious". They are willing to go out on limbs like never before. Their churches are changing because their people are going out on those limbs with them.
Because of fear some people never go out on a limb. Their fear is understandable. There have been more than just a few limbs that have broken while the leader was standing out there all alone. Falling out of a tree hurts. On the other hand there are many instances when the limb has proven to be strong enough to bear the weight. It takes faith to crawl out on a limb, even when you are convinced it's the limb God is calling you to dance on. There is no guarantee the limb will hold. Faith, then, is the hallmark of the audacious.
But some would disagree. They would say that ego is the hallmark of the audacious. In some instances this may be true. We've all witnessed audacious people who's boldness stems from an overdose of narcissism, or even stupidity.
There is an audacity which is courage. On the negative side there is a courage marked by impudence and temerity.
There is a short paragraph in The Radical Leap that distinguishes between the two, "The difference comes down to love versus ego. Love-inspired audacity is courageous and bold and filled with valor. It's the kind of audacity that's required to change the world for the better. Ego-inspired audacity is just a pain in the a**. In other words, some people are audacious just for the purpose of drawing attention to themselves; they're not concerned about anything other than their image."
As Jesus followers we are called to be audacious out of love for Christ and His Gospel. The Spirit of Christ leads us to be daring and courageous so that people's lives will be changed, the church will grow and the Kingdom will advance. Audacious leaders are finding success in church transformation because of their inspiring and courageous love, along with the daring leaps that are expressions of that love.
On the other hand, there is a type of church leader that pushes hard for church growth and change, because they want to be a success in the eyes of others. They strive for bragging rights. Seldom does such motivation lead to lasting church transformation or growth. We can all be prey to this temptation, and we should guard against it.
Temptation to be audacious out of wrong motives will dog leaders, but that is no reason NOT to nudge the audacious quotient up the scale in our leadership styles. Leadership by definition means getting out in front of the pack. In itself, that can be daunting for some pastors. Yet, when motivated by deep love, for people, for Jesus, for the Kingdom, we will find the courage to make some audacious moves. So, get out there and bust some Holy Spirit inspired moves for the Kingdom! Even if your feet get a little tangled up in the effort, you will make Jesus smile!
Showing posts with label church leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church leadership. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Popularity Is Overrated
I was listening to a recent podcast by Mark Driscoll today. He was speaking about pastors, using 1 Peter 5:2-4 as his text. In the message these words jumped out at me:
Many years ago I participated in an Alban Institute seminar focusing on the long-term pastorate. At the time I had been the pastor of my congregation for ten years. I instinctively knew there were both opportunities and dangers in long tenures. One of the dangers is “going native.” Or, another way to describe it is “becoming domesticated.” It’s another way of saying that over time the pastor is inclined to take fewer risks in leadership. During the course of the long tenure certain strong personalities wear down the pastor. The pastor learns what topics must be avoided and what paths have a roadblock sign permanently placed on them. It’s easier to just go along with the flow. It’s more popular to start wearing wool and emit an occasional bleat. Going native by throwing in the leadership towel becomes the standard operational procedure.
Here are some tell-tale signs that you have become domesticated: You no longer cast vision. You avoid conflicts. You fail to lead the charge to take the next hill. You choose not to preach on difficult subjects. You find yourself always asking the church what they want to do, and you have no idea yourself. You quit counting attendance, conversions and baptisms. You dream only of finding a nice place to sit and read a Clive Cussler novel. And, worst of all: You love to hear people tell you how much they appreciate how peaceful the church is under your leadership.
The only approval we should be seeking is that of Jesus, who is the Head of His church. All of us should be constantly praying and listening to be certain that we are leading the church in the direction that the Chief Shepherd dictates. There is plenty of material in the N.T. that gives us clues as to what that looks like. The last thing it looks like is a flock of aimless sheep, without a shepherd, scattering across the hills in a myriad of directions. I think it looks much more like the church in Antioch, pulling together as one team, under a band of visionary leaders, seeking to take the Gospel to the entire Gentile world. That may not be popular with some, but it makes Jesus smile. And, that’s the thumbs up we should seek.
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2-3
“Wolves have high approval ratings. If your whole goal is to be liked and known, to have nobody upset, nobody leave the church, nobody to speak ill of you. Nobody gets their feelings hurt. Everybody gets their way. A really small church with a really enabling leader maintains peace and popularity at the expense of conversions and fruitfulness. Everybody’s happy because everybody gets what they want. And that’s not faithful to Jesus because that means He’s not always getting what He wants. We serve an audience of One, we live for an audience of One. We live in submission to godly authority. If you are a leader you have to do what’s best for the whole flock, not for just a few loud disgruntled sheep. Furthermore, you can’t just follow the applause. Sometimes decisions need to be made, things need to be done that are painful and unpopular. People will leave the church. Some people will feel as though they were not heard and accommodated... Leadership in ministry is not a popularity contest. It’s a hard lesson, but exceedingly important.”I don’t buy everything that Mark teaches, but this comment is right on the money. Far too many pastors either never lead, or quit leading, because they discover that to lead means giving up the quest for popularity. Leadership requires sticking your neck out. Leading necessitates taking a stand. Both postures place the pastor in target position. Someone will take a shot at you, try to take you down, or, they will oppose you. And, that’s always painful, unless you are a pastor with absolutely no feelings. If maintaining a high approval rating is a high value for you, you will resist getting out in front of the sheep to lead them. It’s easier to hang out among the sheep, and just become one among the many.
Many years ago I participated in an Alban Institute seminar focusing on the long-term pastorate. At the time I had been the pastor of my congregation for ten years. I instinctively knew there were both opportunities and dangers in long tenures. One of the dangers is “going native.” Or, another way to describe it is “becoming domesticated.” It’s another way of saying that over time the pastor is inclined to take fewer risks in leadership. During the course of the long tenure certain strong personalities wear down the pastor. The pastor learns what topics must be avoided and what paths have a roadblock sign permanently placed on them. It’s easier to just go along with the flow. It’s more popular to start wearing wool and emit an occasional bleat. Going native by throwing in the leadership towel becomes the standard operational procedure.
Here are some tell-tale signs that you have become domesticated: You no longer cast vision. You avoid conflicts. You fail to lead the charge to take the next hill. You choose not to preach on difficult subjects. You find yourself always asking the church what they want to do, and you have no idea yourself. You quit counting attendance, conversions and baptisms. You dream only of finding a nice place to sit and read a Clive Cussler novel. And, worst of all: You love to hear people tell you how much they appreciate how peaceful the church is under your leadership.
The only approval we should be seeking is that of Jesus, who is the Head of His church. All of us should be constantly praying and listening to be certain that we are leading the church in the direction that the Chief Shepherd dictates. There is plenty of material in the N.T. that gives us clues as to what that looks like. The last thing it looks like is a flock of aimless sheep, without a shepherd, scattering across the hills in a myriad of directions. I think it looks much more like the church in Antioch, pulling together as one team, under a band of visionary leaders, seeking to take the Gospel to the entire Gentile world. That may not be popular with some, but it makes Jesus smile. And, that’s the thumbs up we should seek.
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2-3
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Jesus @ the Center
This morning I continued reading in the LLC book for March, The Relational Way by Scott Boren. Often I read chapters out of order. I will read the last chapters to get to the bottom line, and then later go back and read the rest. Today I was doing just that, reading Chapter 2, "Gathering Around the Presence."Boren makes the point that we often subcumb to the temptation to organize small groups around a particular good thing, and then we expect them to thrive. In doing so we miss the true dynamo that creates Christian community. Jesus Christ is that power. Groups need to be centered first in Jesus Christ. The things that eclipse Christ's centrality can be "excellent curriculum", "dynamic group leaders", "the perfect small group organization system", and "the right group model." (He explains each of these in the chapter.)
As I thought about it, we can get tripped up by this temptation at any level within the church. We can "organize" our hopes for church transformation around great worship, attractive programs, charismatic personalities, tasty lattes, and the latest church growth techniques. We can become disillusioned and even embittered when none of these produce the results we were expecting, e.g., stopping decline, inreasing attendance, attracting young families, improving the finances, etc.
Consider the corrective to this expectation in the following quote from Boren. I've replaced the word "group" with "church." See if this doesn't have great implications for us:
"The job of the church leader is to take people to Jesus and to take Jesus to people. Jesus is the authority and only his keys matter. At the same time, Jesus provides practical ways to improve the church. He uses books and seminars to highlight activities and tools that work. However, these things are not the starting point. Jesus is. The books or seminars on church leadership describe the keys, but they do not provide them. A leader can only get these keys directly from Jesus. The keys are based upon the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus is the one who brings life to a congregation. He is the one who causes people to share honestly. He is the one who touches lives and changes people. He is the one who moves through the body to reach out to the unchurched. He is the one who raises up leaders who begin new ministries and new churches. Jesus is the key." (pp, 60-61)
Increasingly I am convinced that church vitality and effective disciple-making, will never happen until we experience a deep renewal in our love and devotion to Jesus Christ. He is the Center. Of creation. Of life. Of salvation. Of discipleship. And, of the Church. Apart from His life-giving vitality and presence, all of our efforts, even the good ones, are only so much hollow strivings. In His presence there is life, hope, joy, energy, direction, creative ministry initiatives, and dare I say it, FUN! (Read Boren's chapter and you will see why I put that last one in....)
One last quote to close this out: "If Jesus is the head of the church (Col 1:18), then the church is only the church of Jesus Christ when it is living in vitality with the head." (p, 47) Amen, and amen!
(If you would like to know what the Leadership Learning Communities are reading check out the book list at http://abcnw.org/pastors/llc-reading-lists/.)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Anxiety in the Church System
Leadership insights may come from surprising places. After watching the movie The Changeling I was checking out the bonus features on the DVD. John Malkovich, who played the social activist Presbyterian minister, complimented Clint Eastwood's directing. He said, "[Clint] doesn't give you his panic and his pressure. A leader has to sort of keep that to themselves and find a way to help you keep your eye on the prize." Wow. Right on!
Family systems theory reveals that anxiety in any social system can effectively block progress. As a church journeys through transformation conflict increases, and along with it anxiety. It's not unusual for the pastor to unnecessarily increase tension in the body by processing his/her own anxious thoughts among the church members. In this way the pastor unwittingly acts as an anxiety accelerator. This increase in anxiety can manifest itself in strange ways. Often they are subversive. For example, the pastor may take the lead in a new initiative, which in itself may be benign. But the push back from some is so intense that the pastor will wonder, "Where did that come from?" The pastor will have little idea that he or she helped set the stage for it.
Conflict in the church is a normal part of transformation. It should be expected. In fact, an absence of conflict is a certain indicator of little forward movement. So, how should a pastor and the leaders process their anxious feelings which are a normal part of leading change?
Certainly not among the general church members! This is the first rule. Learn to bite your tongue. Externalizing one's pain without discretion is a mistake many pastors make to their regret.
Self-discipline is required to process anxiety in a safe place. This leads to the second rule. Pastors must select carefully with whom they will process their pain. A trustworthy covenantal group of ministerial colleagues is one best place. This is one of the primary functions of the Leadership Learning Communities (LLC). Not only can the LLC listen and empathize and pray, the group can coach the pastor to take appropriate responsive action.
A third rule is to increasingly pour out one's worries and anxieties to God in prayer. This is one of the good things that can come from conflict as the tension reinforces motivation for pursuing spiritual disciplines. Personally, I am more consistent in prayer, meditation and scripture memorization when I am dealing with conflict. I recommend applying what Paul commanded, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7)
And, fourthly, follow the example of Clint Eastwood (I never imagined I would be giving this advice) and become a non-anxious presence for the congregation. Concentrate on avoiding defensive reactions. Lead by continually refocusing the church on its God-given mission of reaching the world for Christ. These steps will help reduce tension in the system, providing a more conducive environment for discernment and forward movement.
Family systems theory reveals that anxiety in any social system can effectively block progress. As a church journeys through transformation conflict increases, and along with it anxiety. It's not unusual for the pastor to unnecessarily increase tension in the body by processing his/her own anxious thoughts among the church members. In this way the pastor unwittingly acts as an anxiety accelerator. This increase in anxiety can manifest itself in strange ways. Often they are subversive. For example, the pastor may take the lead in a new initiative, which in itself may be benign. But the push back from some is so intense that the pastor will wonder, "Where did that come from?" The pastor will have little idea that he or she helped set the stage for it.
Conflict in the church is a normal part of transformation. It should be expected. In fact, an absence of conflict is a certain indicator of little forward movement. So, how should a pastor and the leaders process their anxious feelings which are a normal part of leading change?
Certainly not among the general church members! This is the first rule. Learn to bite your tongue. Externalizing one's pain without discretion is a mistake many pastors make to their regret.
Self-discipline is required to process anxiety in a safe place. This leads to the second rule. Pastors must select carefully with whom they will process their pain. A trustworthy covenantal group of ministerial colleagues is one best place. This is one of the primary functions of the Leadership Learning Communities (LLC). Not only can the LLC listen and empathize and pray, the group can coach the pastor to take appropriate responsive action.
A third rule is to increasingly pour out one's worries and anxieties to God in prayer. This is one of the good things that can come from conflict as the tension reinforces motivation for pursuing spiritual disciplines. Personally, I am more consistent in prayer, meditation and scripture memorization when I am dealing with conflict. I recommend applying what Paul commanded, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7)
And, fourthly, follow the example of Clint Eastwood (I never imagined I would be giving this advice) and become a non-anxious presence for the congregation. Concentrate on avoiding defensive reactions. Lead by continually refocusing the church on its God-given mission of reaching the world for Christ. These steps will help reduce tension in the system, providing a more conducive environment for discernment and forward movement.
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