Leading Ideas – Lewis Center for Church
Leadership – Wednesday, 4 December 2013
-------
Quotable Leadership:
Although many things may change, God will
make a way for the church to be the church in this present day. The church can
go along with God’s plan, or she can fight that plan with her last breath. (Dottie
Escobedo-Frank)
---
Leadership is Always about Others by
Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
There are many, many things about
leadership that we do not know. However, there are a few truths about which we
can be sure. One of the most important of such certainties is that leadership
is always about a group, not the leader. The group may be a sports team or a
congregation, a youth group or a nation. The group will have a leader, but it
is the group itself to which we must give attention.
That is one reason why Scott Cormode’s
definition of pastoral leadership is so helpful: “helping God’s people take the
next faithful step.” Leadership is not
simply doing your job well — though it is better to do it well than poorly. But
the performance of distinct functions does not in any way mean that the group
being led is taking its next faithful step.
One popular model of leadership today
puts the leader at the center of everything. In this view, the vision for the
group comes from God to the leader, who then “casts the vision” and solicits
others in its implementation. Vision is a gift of God, but one that depends on
the discovery by the leader.
A more appropriate view, in my opinion,
is to see the group’s vision as a gift from God, given to the community. It may
be first named by a leader or leaders. But the distinction is critical. This
view assumes that God’s wisdom is found throughout the community and not lodged
in any one person. It also acknowledges the reality that a leader often has
access to more information, spends more time thinking about the visioning task,
and has more opportunities to test out ideas than others in the group. Good
leaders listen well, and they often can help discern — rather than simply
receive — God’s vision.
Ronald Heifetz, who teaches public
leadership at the Kennedy School at Harvard, recently said in a National Public
Radio interview, "The dominant view of leadership is that the leader has
the vision and the rest is a sales problem." Heifetz continued, "I
think that notion of leadership is bankrupt."
The inordinate focus on the leader, more
so than on the group, has not always been the case. In the early development of
the concept of a “professional,” one of the key characteristics was that the
professional is accountable to the public good. To be a professional meant to
serve others rather than to be a route to personal advancement or fulfillment.
The professional succeeded only to the extent that the society succeeded.
But in the church there is still another
step needed. While the leader’s role has meaning only in relationship with the
people served, so the church’s leadership has no meaning apart from the wider
community it serves.
One of the hallmarks of emerging views of
leadership, which draw from a range of cultural traditions, is a renewed
linking of leadership to the community. While he was president of Morehouse
College, Robert M. Franklin asked what it might mean to have “Village
Accreditation of Schools and Colleges.” One could just as easily ask what kind
of report card our churches might receive from their surrounding communities.
Here are questions Franklin suggested
might be used for such an “accreditation” (with “school” changed to “church”):
What does the village think of the
performance and value of the church?
What has the church done in the past year
to enhance the community?
What kind of neighbor is the church?
What could the church do to become a
better citizen in its neighborhood?
These are good questions for an
institution that bears the name of one who asked about water for the thirsty,
food for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and release for the captives. What
if our communities came to understand that our churches do indeed seek the
abundant life for all as God’s wish for them?
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is director of the
Lewis Center for Church Leadership. His most recent book (with Tom Berlin) is
Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance and Bear More Fruit, published by
Abingdon and available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
---
Doing a Christmas Eve Offering Well by J.
Clif Christopher
In our culture, Christmas is a season of
giving when church-goers and non-church-goers alike are inclined toward
generosity. The offering taken at Christmas Eve services is, therefore, an
important giving opportunity, especially for those who don’t regularly attend
church — but only if it is presented in a compelling way.
I witnessed a Christmas Eve service in
which the offering was handled extremely well. I was struck by four particular
things.
For Others. The offering was totally
dedicated to those outside the church walls. Upon entering, I received a
bulletin with an insert explaining the ministry that was going to receive 100
percent of the offering. The church was aware that it would have a number of
visitors who would not necessarily feel comfortable giving to a local church,
especially if they already belonged to another church, as is frequently the
case with out-of-town visitors. Those same persons, however, may want to make
an expression of gratitude at Christmas.
Video. A video was produced to explain
how lives are being changed through this ministry. The video was shown just
before the offering. God sent Christ into the world that lives might be
changed, and this video helped me and others see how that was being done
through this ministry. The video was so good I doubled my intended offering as
a way of saying thanks to this God of love. I could really see in the video how
I could partner with God to change even more lives, and I was excited to do it.
Electronic Giving. A QR code was printed
in the bulletin that anyone could scan with their Smartphone to make a gift. I
watched as the person next to me took out his phone, used his code reader, and
scanned the code in the bulletin. It took him to the church website that had a
large lead-in to the Christmas Eve Offering. He put in his credit card number,
hit send, and made a contribution in less than one minute. I looked around the
sanctuary and saw several others doing the same thing. How ingenious this was.
I had not thought of using QR codes in this way, but it was so easy.
Church Gift. People were told how to make
a contribution to the local church if they so desired. The worshipers were told
to use envelopes in the pew backs if they wished to make a contribution to this
church. The leaders knew that some members would be present who wanted to make
an end-of-the-year gift, so a method was provided to do just that.
This church gave everyone the best chance
to give. Your church can do so as well this Christmas Eve.
J. Clif Christopher is a noted speaker
and writer on financial stewardship and founder of Horizons Stewardship
Company. His latest book is Rich Church, Poor Church: Keys to Effective
Financial Ministry, published by Abingdon Press and available at Cokesbury or
Amazon.
---
The New Welcome DVD/CD Resource Now
Available
Learn concepts and strategies to help you
reach, welcome, and engage church newcomers with the newest DVD/CD resource
from our Reach New Disciples series. This resource features engaging and
informative videos and narrated presentations to help you understand the
changing ways that people enter into the life of churches. Explore these
topics: The New Realities of Engaging Newcomers; How Newcomers Can Renew the
Church; Expanding Your Church’s Entry Points; Getting Newcomers Involved; How
African American Congregations Can Reach New Generations; Responding to
First-time and Repeat Guests; and Welcoming Younger Adults. Learn more, watch
introductory videos, and order today.
---
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must
have the right questions.
The following is a soul-searching
question that helps us explore what others think of us as well as our basic
integrity as a church:
Are there areas in which we say one thing
but do another?
Want more Right Questions? Check out
“Right Questions for Church Leaders: 2013 and 2012 Collections.”
-------
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NorthWest
Washington, DC 20016 United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment