Manhandling OR Sharing

Is your Ministry Vision dependent on you individually to maintain its course and development?

Let me ask you this:

'if you disappeared for a year on sabbatical would you return to find the Body passionately fostering continued and innovative growth within the context of your collective vision OR deterioration, discouragement and a burden to maintain and manage your baby?'

In Scripture we find both individually empowered leaders paving the way for the Spirits work in a Body AND we also find more and more in the NT collective groups of Overseers being chosen, called and stepping up to lead the local Body as need and opportunity arises.

Whatever the context, are you singularly man-handling your vision and keeping it from: wolves, detractors, innovators, co-partners and other qualified and called leaders who might also be called to run the race alongside you in your local sphere? That may have been necessary in the beginning but as disciples are born and the body grows, is your shared top-tier Overseer leadership growing as well to form a greater more holistic vision for the Body?

What if you shared the burden?

What if Paul is right to call out a handful of leadership roles in the Church (Eph. 4 apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers) and so expect Jesus to remain the Head of the Church while these called leaders share in the work here on the ground?

What if...what if you and your APEST co-partners discerned the vision for your context and then created a platform: common purpose, language and paradigm for disciplemaking to move and breath and carry the Gospel beyond your knowledge and capacity. What if you release the vision to grow and simply personally model what your vision casts?

Are you man-handling YOUR baby OR are you fostering APEST vision while letting Jesus handle His baby?

The Modern Church Leader

I recently rediscovered my StrengthsFinder results. I hadn't attended to this information in nearly two years after much life change and that relating to these findings and their outworking (or not) in my life and ministry. Wow.

So I've been reading a book on leadership loaded with 25 Principles for Leadership that Matter (subtitle). There really is some fantastic stuff in there. Much of which resonates within my 33 year old, white, North American, small town, 2014 time and space, middle-lower class cultured experience.

Catch that? I didn't either until somewhere around the 14th principle. His incredible experience and wisdom on leadership totally makes sense if the the Church is to function like a modern day Non-Profit Org with a CEO. A leader who is great at:
- Preaching/Speaking
- Managing
- Administration
- Finances
- Politics
- Counseling
- Writing
- Media Leveraging
- Reading everything under the sun (and Scripture too)
- Visioneering
- Sole-decision making
- Carrying the weight of an Organization...alone.
- The singular-appointed Torch-bearer of the mission

Oh yeah, and the leader totally manages his/her Time well. They disciple their families with the best of 'em, are home for birthdays and anniversaries and manage to make it to every single meeting and event and program the Church offers, fosters and convicts the body to partake in...

So I recently discovered my StrengthFinder results and found it refreshing that I'm not even remotely wired to function as a CEO in the modern day local church. Not that this test defines who I am but it's amazing how it confirms what I've been relearning and rediscovering about the Church as it unfolds and takes shape in the Scriptures and so in my own life.

In Acts the Twelve gathered their disciples and so instituted another level of leadership in the Body. Maybe this was the Deacon, maybe it was the Elder, doesn't really matter, what does matter is what the Twelve decided was most important in their role in fostering the first-fruits of The Movement of the The Way.

"It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables (finances, politics, media-wrangling, Microsoft Office...). Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (sharing the burden of leadership with trustworthy brothers and sisters in Christ, differently gifted and full of the Spirit). We will turn this responsibility over to them and give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word." Acts 6

I'd say we've added a few things to the list of 'leadership' wouldn't you? Culture and Context aside, we've heaped an unnecessary mountain of burdens onto one man...no wonder burnout is epidemic in the Church.

Listen, if we are the Church and we are first and foremost His family, as I tell my kids on a daily basis, then it is up to us to re-claim the culture of the Church back from the mindset/attitude of Corporationism. My immediate family is not a business, nor is it an organization, and my extended family (the Church) is to be living out His mission in like manner. Yes in unity and in organized form but we have to ask ourselves if our current forms look and act more like business' than families?

What if. What if we did totally reevaluate and reestablish norms in the Family of God?

This would begin with those called and so Gifted to lead the Church. If leaders aren't willing to change the language and dynamic of the Pastor who singularly holds the reigns on the vision for the untold number of believers living in the cracks and crevices of our culture and so equip all believers to live according to their appointment as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers (beyond paid and degreed staff) and each with a local vision for their family, neighborhood and workplace...if we aren't willing to equip and release our disciples to cast their own vision in Christ then we will continue on receiving the very same results that has brought the American church to it's present small place in culture.

So I found my StregthsFinder results and realized that being filled with a healthy dose of Rebellious Visioneering in the Church today is probably a role that lends itself to the Early Church movement more than we lend credit.

If God is One as Paul notes in Ephesians, and We, the Church are One with Him as Paul notes in Corinthians, then it stands to reason that it takes more than one man to carry a local vision for a local Body. Yes we need a King to follow, and last I checked that is most notably Christ, while our local kings in the Church possibly ought to look more like heads of families, elders of the community who are banded together and so gather to lead, innovate, brainstorm, pray, study the word, struggle with community sin and struggles, make disciples and invite more and more into that inner-circle of leadership. Co-CEO's if you will.

Are you willing to put your form of 'church' on the table and evaluate in light of the early movement? Are you as a leader willing to truly exegete your culture and change your life as a missionary accordingly? Are we as the Church willing to tear down those forms that model Corporationism while our mouths preach disciple -making?

Read Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 once again - leadership in the Church and the movement of the Body truly is a beautiful thing that needs to be reevaluated in the context and rhythm of our current systems and forms and definitions of the Church.

Albert Mohler, The Conviction to Lead

5 Responses

When I hear a coach, specialist, guru, entrepreneur, leader or pastor I admire offer ways of evaluating beliefs, values, motivation, risk and the like - I tend to respond in one of the following ways and I assume you do as well:

1. That's What I'm Sayin': I fall in agreement as though they beautifully stated how I feel/think about the issue at hand and can now confidently move forward as one supported and sent. Besides, I was already thinking it.
2. I Didn't Need to Hear That: I find myself challenged beyond my comfort zone, understanding or even belief system and so delete, toss out, burn and if necessary defecate on the leaders disagreeable and most likely blasphemous article.
3. I'm All Set, Thanks: These are great thoughts on the topic, I might even recommend them to a friend or two, but I'm good to go. I'm patiently running my race, values in place, vision on hand and need no new encouragement, information or guidance. Thanks.
4. Where Am I: While I don't have a plan, goal, vision or set of values already guiding me on said topic, and while what the specialist is saying challenges me to nearly rethink my current status and trajectory I'll just wait this one out. One of these days I'll write my own article inspiring millions and millions of...what was I saying?
5. Now That's Good: This is a relatively new way of viewing the issue. I need to explore this a bit. I need to see what Scripture says on the issue and how it works into my context of life if at all. This is a timely personal challenge.

As I was listening to a recent TED Talk about changing leadership principles in our culture I took note of the changes of my own response as the speaker continued on. I went from incredulity (#2), as if her 25 years of experiential knowledge and worldwide investigation were worthless - only to find myself traveling onward to #4. Not landing there I continued tracking with her revelation a bit and so on to #3. Now realizing that we have some thoughts in common (she must be intelligent after all) I moved to #1 where I attempted (quite arrogantly I suppose) to land.

The talk ended. I was left with my thoughts on her thoughts. Now realizing that I really didn't have a coherent series of thoughts of my own on the topic leaving me to admit that this new teaching was actually refreshing and enlightening in my current situation, thus propelling me on #5.

While you may not traverse through each in one sitting you will most likely land on one of these general emoti-thoughts.

The Question I Asked Myself Was, am I landing on the one that appropriately challenges my current disposition OR am I simply responding robotically?

The Danger of Self-Sufficiency

I recently taught on Self-Sufficiency at LakeView Church. Very challenging topic and passage (2 Samuel 24).

David acknowledged his self-sufficient sin - repented.
He shifted gears in his attitude towards God - (re)reliance.
He then owns the consequences in his restoration - responsibility.

This is an individual heart issue that if ignored becomes a communal or corporate failure of Christians to actually be the Church. Spirit-dependency must replace self-sufficiency.

'May the Lord your God accept you.' He has. He will.

Cakewalk Leadership

After watching Ace of Cakes reruns with my wife we noticed something interesting, overwhelming projects and short deadlines seem to always be coupled with ridiculous amounts of fun. Why? How do they do it? Are they mixing something 'special' with the cake batter?

Some Observations About Duff (owner/chef/boss):

1) ridiculously upbeat

2) looks forward to new and challenging projects

3) hired talented people who saw his vision (though he is the only trained chef)

4) trained his team well and trusts their decisions, creativity, abilities

5) listens to his customers and creates specifically for them

6) creates a relaxed environment with joking and what's that...laughing?

7) handles stress well

8) stands behind his team 

About the Team:

9) excited to be working together and with Duff 

10) believe in the quality of their product: sweet flavors & stunning visuals

11) trust Duff

12) own their work - personal style and responsibility on each project

13) celebrate a hard days work together

(Obviously we only see what happens on camera, so we'll assume that off camera holds the same)

While this list is by no means definitive of good leading and team building it is encouraging. Building and maintaining a healthy team requires work, personal gifting, time, talent, discipline, a clear vision and ultimately faith...leaders need to be aware of their strengths and weakness' and build their teams accordingly.

Whatever the situation, if you believe God is in control and the Spirit truly guides then maybe you can have your cake and eat it too...especially if you work with...cake. And a really great team.