27.5.05
Blogger is being fickle today!
My friend Dan and I are trying to get our church website up and running. He has done excellent work for us but blogger is being uncooperative. This is a test to see what I can post. Hope it works. Sorry you all had to read this boring and useless post. Bye.
The Slacker Leadership Model
And just when I've all but written off the emergent movement, they go and produce this little gem of an article!
THE SLACKER LEADERSHIP MODEL
by Casey Tygrett
I admit it, I’m a slacker. I do nonsense things like have two-hour conversations with friends or church members when I should be up and about doing “administrative” things for the church. In the eyes of some Christian leaders, I’m not quite the type that should be leading a healthy community of believers. From the previously celebrated leadership paradigm, I would have to agree with them.
Can a case be made that the best perspective on leadership and ministry for the emerging church will come from “slackers?” By “slackers,” let’s from now on understand that I mean those who do not fit the CEO/Type-A mentality that was the hallmark of American Christian leadership a decade ago. Leaders who are driven to see productivity and efficiency increase within the Body of Christ, ultimately culminating in a new facility or national recognition. I realize this stereotype is laughably general, but the core of it is still taught as normative for Christian leaders. Me, I’m not that guy—I’d rather spend my time talking to our people about what kind of music they like or who they most admired as a child than working on flow charts and organizational development models. What does this say about leadership for the emerging church?
We are in an age of transition, especially in the area of rethinking faith and ekklesia, where we are hard pressed to find models by which to do ministry and leadership. Christ’s model of ministry seems to have less to do with motivating people and “coaching” (as one egregious leadership book recently suggested) and more to do with wasting time involving himself in the life of the people who surrounded Him. In the last few months, I have discovered that the things my seminary leadership profs taught as normative actually take me out of the culture and society that exists in my community. Now, I am not advocating “laziness” or “passivity” in ministry because there is still a drive and passion for those of us involved in leadership ministry to see the Kingdom grow. The key question is: Have we set up a personality model that is incongruous with the model of leadership and ministry set by Christ?
The “slacker” mentality for leadership, I believe, has some distinctive characteristics:
Life is holistically present in “slacker” leadership. We lead with our whole life and existence, fresh and on the surface of who we are. The illusion of “having it together” for the sake of vision and mission momentum is a false notion because it is not a normal human life. Figure heads have starved the Kingdom of leadership that is real and tangible in every sense, even in the daily failures and struggles of life. Instead of actively putting on a front of professionalism, let the energy of protection slip in lieu of authentic personhood.
People are the “process.” It is difficult to come to the realization that as a leader you have used people simply to effect the change or execution of an organizational plan. The parables of lost things should show us that each life is invaluable to God. The “slacker” leadership takes seriously each person’s life and circumstances above their own plans for organizational advancement. In this case, working to have everyone “on board” takes on a whole new meaning: it now means a level of respect and relationship that comes with time wasted in conversation and shared experience.
Personality has little to do with leadership. In our effort to line up spiritual gifts, we have lost the focus that if leadership is “influence,” then we are all leaders in our lives. Everything that we do and don’t do influences someone, somewhere, somehow. It appears from the ministry of Christ that He was attempting to slow down the pace of life and center people’s attention on the Kingdom. “You don’t need the corporate-driven mindset to lead people. Slow down, hang out with me. Let the afternoon slip by while you and I get down to business about who you are and what you’re doing with my kids.” Slackers have an insight into life because their personality enables them to stop and look at it without feeling like they’ve wasted their time.
There is a sense that I might be wrong, or that this may not make sense to anyone else. Yet as we look toward the future of the Kingdom in the “already” stage, what do we need more of: organizational structure and professionalism in ministry, or leaders who are humble enough to let down their guard and value wasting time with people for the sake of Christ? I think there is insight in the slacker mentality toward leadership, and if nothing else it helps us slip the driven and professional paradigm that seems to inexplicably lead to burnout and frustration. As a leader, take today and waste it with someone. Be a slacker for the sake of the Kingdom.
THE SLACKER LEADERSHIP MODEL
by Casey Tygrett
I admit it, I’m a slacker. I do nonsense things like have two-hour conversations with friends or church members when I should be up and about doing “administrative” things for the church. In the eyes of some Christian leaders, I’m not quite the type that should be leading a healthy community of believers. From the previously celebrated leadership paradigm, I would have to agree with them.
Can a case be made that the best perspective on leadership and ministry for the emerging church will come from “slackers?” By “slackers,” let’s from now on understand that I mean those who do not fit the CEO/Type-A mentality that was the hallmark of American Christian leadership a decade ago. Leaders who are driven to see productivity and efficiency increase within the Body of Christ, ultimately culminating in a new facility or national recognition. I realize this stereotype is laughably general, but the core of it is still taught as normative for Christian leaders. Me, I’m not that guy—I’d rather spend my time talking to our people about what kind of music they like or who they most admired as a child than working on flow charts and organizational development models. What does this say about leadership for the emerging church?
We are in an age of transition, especially in the area of rethinking faith and ekklesia, where we are hard pressed to find models by which to do ministry and leadership. Christ’s model of ministry seems to have less to do with motivating people and “coaching” (as one egregious leadership book recently suggested) and more to do with wasting time involving himself in the life of the people who surrounded Him. In the last few months, I have discovered that the things my seminary leadership profs taught as normative actually take me out of the culture and society that exists in my community. Now, I am not advocating “laziness” or “passivity” in ministry because there is still a drive and passion for those of us involved in leadership ministry to see the Kingdom grow. The key question is: Have we set up a personality model that is incongruous with the model of leadership and ministry set by Christ?
The “slacker” mentality for leadership, I believe, has some distinctive characteristics:
Life is holistically present in “slacker” leadership. We lead with our whole life and existence, fresh and on the surface of who we are. The illusion of “having it together” for the sake of vision and mission momentum is a false notion because it is not a normal human life. Figure heads have starved the Kingdom of leadership that is real and tangible in every sense, even in the daily failures and struggles of life. Instead of actively putting on a front of professionalism, let the energy of protection slip in lieu of authentic personhood.
People are the “process.” It is difficult to come to the realization that as a leader you have used people simply to effect the change or execution of an organizational plan. The parables of lost things should show us that each life is invaluable to God. The “slacker” leadership takes seriously each person’s life and circumstances above their own plans for organizational advancement. In this case, working to have everyone “on board” takes on a whole new meaning: it now means a level of respect and relationship that comes with time wasted in conversation and shared experience.
Personality has little to do with leadership. In our effort to line up spiritual gifts, we have lost the focus that if leadership is “influence,” then we are all leaders in our lives. Everything that we do and don’t do influences someone, somewhere, somehow. It appears from the ministry of Christ that He was attempting to slow down the pace of life and center people’s attention on the Kingdom. “You don’t need the corporate-driven mindset to lead people. Slow down, hang out with me. Let the afternoon slip by while you and I get down to business about who you are and what you’re doing with my kids.” Slackers have an insight into life because their personality enables them to stop and look at it without feeling like they’ve wasted their time.
There is a sense that I might be wrong, or that this may not make sense to anyone else. Yet as we look toward the future of the Kingdom in the “already” stage, what do we need more of: organizational structure and professionalism in ministry, or leaders who are humble enough to let down their guard and value wasting time with people for the sake of Christ? I think there is insight in the slacker mentality toward leadership, and if nothing else it helps us slip the driven and professional paradigm that seems to inexplicably lead to burnout and frustration. As a leader, take today and waste it with someone. Be a slacker for the sake of the Kingdom.
Calvin & The President
I recently read this article and was encouraged by it. This one sentence resonated with me greatly: "We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology." Read the rest below.
Bush's Calvin College surprise
by Jim Wallis
As I've traveled the country this spring - 82 events, 48 cities, and hundreds of media interviews since January - I've witnessed a new movement of moderate and progressive religious voices challenging the monologue of the Religious Right.
An extremely narrow and aggressively partisan expression of right-wing Republican religion has controlled the debate on faith and politics in the public square for years. But that is no longer true.
At packed book events around the country these days, I often make an announcement that elicits a tumultuous response: "The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has begun!" Smiles light up the faces of thousands of people as they break out in thunderous applause.
That new dialogue was visible recently at Calvin College. Karl Rove, seeking a friendly venue for a commencement speech in Michigan, approached Calvin and offered President Bush as the speaker. The college, which had already invited Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale to deliver the speech, hastily disinvited him and welcomed the president. But the White House apparently was not counting on the reaction of students and faculty. Rove expected the evangelical Christian college in the dependable "red" area of western Michigan to be a safe place. He was wrong.
The day the president was to speak, an ad featuring a letter signed by one-third of Calvin's faculty and staff ran in The Grand Rapids Press. Noting that "we seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere," the letter said that "we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."
The letter asserted that administration policies have "launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," "taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor, " "harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment," and "fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees." It concluded: "Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy...." One faculty member told a reporter, "We are not Lynchburg. We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."
On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.
The events at Calvin, along with the growing crowds at our events around the country, are visible signs that the Religious Right does not speak for all Christians, even all evangelical Christians. What I hear, from one end of this country to the other, is how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith. The students and faculty at Calvin College are the most recent sign of that hunger.
Bush's Calvin College surprise
by Jim Wallis
As I've traveled the country this spring - 82 events, 48 cities, and hundreds of media interviews since January - I've witnessed a new movement of moderate and progressive religious voices challenging the monologue of the Religious Right.
An extremely narrow and aggressively partisan expression of right-wing Republican religion has controlled the debate on faith and politics in the public square for years. But that is no longer true.
At packed book events around the country these days, I often make an announcement that elicits a tumultuous response: "The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has begun!" Smiles light up the faces of thousands of people as they break out in thunderous applause.
That new dialogue was visible recently at Calvin College. Karl Rove, seeking a friendly venue for a commencement speech in Michigan, approached Calvin and offered President Bush as the speaker. The college, which had already invited Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale to deliver the speech, hastily disinvited him and welcomed the president. But the White House apparently was not counting on the reaction of students and faculty. Rove expected the evangelical Christian college in the dependable "red" area of western Michigan to be a safe place. He was wrong.
The day the president was to speak, an ad featuring a letter signed by one-third of Calvin's faculty and staff ran in The Grand Rapids Press. Noting that "we seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere," the letter said that "we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."
The letter asserted that administration policies have "launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," "taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor, " "harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment," and "fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees." It concluded: "Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy...." One faculty member told a reporter, "We are not Lynchburg. We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."
On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.
The events at Calvin, along with the growing crowds at our events around the country, are visible signs that the Religious Right does not speak for all Christians, even all evangelical Christians. What I hear, from one end of this country to the other, is how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith. The students and faculty at Calvin College are the most recent sign of that hunger.
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