e~mergent kiwi

leadership-in-community

Question: How do I cultivate [a] conversation of imagination and hope rooted in the biblical narratives, without manipulating people into a pre-arranged plan? How do I invite people in when I have been thinking about this for several years and they may only be at the beginning?

Response: This is a recurring challenge for all leaders (whether missional or emerging). Our models of leadership are often take change, I know best. We've seen the way that experts take power away from communities. We don't want that.

Yet equally, we are gifted. In the words of Nelson Mandela, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." It is dishonest to us and to a process to deny our gifts and insights.

I wonder if a way forward is then to ask ourself: what were the key stories, insights and questions that shaped my journey? In other words, not what are my answers, but what were my questions.

And then use the questions with others. In other words, think about what shaped you, and then invite others to be shaped by those processes. Out of that shared learning comes leadership-in-community. This is a different type of leadership, that lies in contrast to the "what you need to do is ...." style of leadership.

As part of this type of leadership, it can be also helpful to reflect on how we all learn differently. You might be a book learner, while others might be more hands on. So this type of leadership-in-community involves thinking about the different ways people can gain insights. (For more on this, see my post about building onramps here). So in my missional leadership coaching clusters, I am exploring using doing, hearing, watching, thinking. Offering a whole different range of access points.

so what should a pastor be doing?

What should a pastor be doing with their time? It was a question I asked myself on Wednesday. It was evening and the church carpark was full.

Side door is one of our 5 congregations and they were at worship. They have brought a whole lot of plates and were going to throw them at the cross as a way of exploring the place of anger in Christian faith. Is that where a pastor should be?

In the foyer a block course was starting. How to read the Old Testament for all it's worth will spend 7 weeks exploring tools to read the Bible better. Advertised across our 5 congregations, this is most likely to appeal to Sunday morning where we are doing the Old Testament minor prophets. Is that where a pastor should be?

Across the road the youth group are meeting. Most of the youth group are local community kids from unchurched families and they're just back from a weekend camp. I have organised for them all to be getting prayer postcards from our Sunday morning congregation, who had prayed the pastoral prayer on Sunday by hand writing prayers for every person who went on camp. Is that where a pastor should be?

At a nearby home, a group are gathering to start the planning for a church camp in February 2008. Is that where a pastor should be?

Well, I'm the pastor and I'm at none of these. I'm in my office doing pre-marriage preparation with a couple. Not regular Opawa church goers, I've built a good relationships with the family and so have been asked to marry them. So that's where the pastor is. Is that what a pastor should be doing? What sort of message is my absence sending to each of the other activities?

leadership in zones of change

I spoke for about 2 hours recently to a group of ministers. My topic was "Mission with a Kiwi accent" and I explored a number of mission stories as they have emerged for us at Opawa, mixed in with some reflection on Scripture and change dynamics and cultural engagement. It seemed to go well, with a good deal of energy in the room and some good interest in some of their churches entering into the Missional Leadership Coaching course I run.

Toward the end I showed them this diagram; view image - 96K from Al Roxburgh and Fred Romanuck.

The diagram describes the life of an organism from one of rapid development (green zone), to organisational efficiency (blue zone), to death. This is a healthy and natural life cycle and can be applied to church life.

Each zone requires a different type of leadership to move to the next stage of the life cycle and it normalises and legitimises all stages of life. On the spur of the moment, without really thinking, I asked the group of gathered clergy to self-identify. How many were in a green zone church? And a show of hands. A blue zone? And another shows of hands. Red zone? And a further show of hands.

It was an interesting exercise to do, and a way of gaining insight into a group of churches. And then on the way home for me to reflect on the different leadership and change challenges generated, say, if the grouping was mainly green, or mainly blue, or mainly red.

what is Kingdom leadership in the midst of change?

Note: this post has been churning in my head for 18 months and has nothing to do with any current circumstances. It was helped by this comment on the Allelon site.

People respond to change in different ways. Most change theory draws a bell curve and notes that if you suggest a new idea, some love it, others hate it, while the majority adapt, but at varying rates.

Leadership tensions emerge when those who hate change start to dig in, actively resisting change. A common leadership response is to leave them behind. This can be done in a variety of ways: stop listening, manipulate, change leaders, change constitutions, play power games, etc.

Another common response is to simply give in to those who dig in. This means that a minority are dictating the future of the majority.

At our most recent AGM I told the story of taking my 2 children for a holiday walk to a nearby river. One child (no prizes for guessing which one) decided she was "the leader" and strode off ahead. The other dawdled behind, then hurt her knee trying to cross a fence. She decided she could no longer walk. Effectively, she was simply going to dig in.

This is exactly the situation many change processes find themselves in at some point or another. Should "the leaders" stride off, leaving some behind? Or should we let those who are "dug in" dictate the pace, meaning we are never likely to get back to camp?

The task of leadership demands getting both the strider and the dug in back to camp, because that is where healing is.

To achieve that required helping both sides to sit in each other's shoes for a moment. The "strider" needed to listen to another's pain, while the one in pain needed to see the big picture.

I am struck by how often simply the act of listening to people is followed by a shift in attitudes and understanding. Perhaps this is the real task of leadership in transitional churches, to remain aware that God can speak through any and all, to help people keep listening to each other, to keep articulating a shared reminder of the big picture.

there's a sheep in our church

Michael won the Opawa Baptist Leadership award today, for an act of outstanding leadership in our community.

It started with a sheep. The Biblical text was Luke 15:1-10, and involved 3 stations themed around lost and found. On Friday I joked to one of the worship leaders that we needed a sheep. "Oh," he said, "my father is a farmer. Let me check." Later he left a message. "Sheep will be at church at 9 am on Sunday."

I arrived, planning for the sheep to be outside. You know, one lost sheep outside the church. Would have worked well. But the sheep was already inside, on stage, installed in a wooden pen, tarpaulin on floor, hay scattered around, sitting quietly. So much work had already been done. Such a quiet sheep. I didn't have the heart to suggest a move.

All went well until the second song. I think it was the violin, but suddenly the sheep has his feet on the edge of the pen and is staring wildly around the church. The eyes of the gathered children are on stalks. One brave boy inches forward. I shake my head, but the boy doesn't get my body language. He grabs some hay and tries to feed the sheep. The sheep goes nuts, and jumps clean out of the cage.

Boy jumps backwards and I jump forwards. Afterward someone says they have never seen a pastor move so fast. I grab the sheep and press it against the wooden pen.

I am wearing my Sunday clothes and I have to preach in about 10 minutes. I am wearing a cordless microphone. If I try and get the sheep back into pen, I risk losing the microphone in a flurry of hooves. If I try and take the microphone off, I risk losing the sheep. I am stuck.

I am holding a sheep, in my Sunday clothes, in front of a watching congregation. I am about to go down in history as the pastor responsible for a sheep lose in Opawa church. I am starting to refresh my CV.

Suddenly Michael is beside me. Local teenager from the community. Middle finger bandaged after a rugby game that week. Calmly Michael picks up the sheep. Together Michael and I place the sheep back into the pen. No-one else in the congregation has moved. But young Michael has stepped forward, taken initiative and saved my day.

One of my beliefs is that we are all leaders. This is based on my understanding of leadership as influence. We all influence people, so by definition we are thus all leaders. You don't need to have a position or a title, to exercise influence. You might exercise influence for good, or for bad. But we all influence others and we are all leaders. Michael earned the Opawa Baptist Leadership award today, for an act of outstanding leadership in our community.

leadership resourcing

I met monthly with a group of leaders at Opawa, each tasked with providing leadership of an area of the church: from community ministry to facilities, from spiritual growth to children.

We gather for an hour to catchup, pray, evaluate and support each other. This year I wanted to further ground us in Scripture with a particular focus on wanting to let Scripture resource what are very unique and different roles. 1 Corinthians 3 and 4, are for me, wonderful leadership texts, offering 6 images of leader - as servant, gardener, builder, resource manager, cross carrier and parent.

So at the end of each meeting I have given our leaders a "takeaway" - a concrete symbol, with the Bible text attached and the questions - what challenges you, what encourages you. They are invited to sit with that symbol over the month, and return to share what it means for their leadership. (The attached photo is of a towel, representing leader as servanthood, and seeds, representing leader as gardener.)

The first round worked brilliantly, with great discussion and really honest sharing. It takes very little of our meeting time, and yet sits with people over the month, inviting them to apply the Scripture to their leadership living.

I blog this, wondering if the use of symbols as takeaways for ongoing group work, might be of some help to readers.

leader as gardener goes global

I am a very proud lecturer. One of my students, Jocelyn, has just had a piece of work; titled Leader as Gardener, published in The Officer, a magazine that goes out to Salvation Army leaders all around the world.

Jocelyn was in my Pastoral leadership class earlier this year. As part of the class I invited students to explore 6 images of leader in 1 Corinthians 3 and 4;
- servant; 3:5; servants who waited on you
- gardener; 3:6-9; you are God’s garden
- builder; 3:9-17; I laid a foundation on which others
- resource manager; 3:18-4:7; Christ’s oikonomos [estate manager]
- cross carrier; 4:8-13; we are fools for Christ
- parent; 4:14-21; "fathers" to help you grow

Each student was given practical tasks - like to garden, to serve, to play with a child, to build something - and then invited to blog about what they learned about leadership from these practical experiences. Jocelyn blogged about leader as gardener (here).

She must have then re-worked the piece, because she bounced sort of Tiger-like into Bible College yesterday, beaming, with a September edition ofThe Officer magazine open. Jocelyn is a very gifted student and a very creative and able writer. Well done you.

bi-vocational realities

Si Johnson writes: I would also want to suggest that it might be right for that person to opt out after 5 years and live ‘a life more ordinary’ so that a.n.other might step into that place for a season ... I think our new terrain for mission requires a serious look at the training grounds for leaders, the growing of new streamlined infrastructures for supporting less full-time leaders which in turn must be coupled with a pro-active move towards ‘bi-vocational leadership’ for more people. Link

Reading this, I suddenly realised that I have been bi-vocational for all of my (11) years of church ministry life.

Year 1-3: Planting Graceway 2.5 days/week while studying at Seminary.

Year 4-5: Pastoring Graceway 3 days/week and househusband to our first born daughter, Shannon.

Year 6-8: Pastoring Graceway 3 days/week and doing my PhD.

Year 9: Co-pastoring Graceway 1 day/week and completing my PhD.

Year 10-today: Pastoring Opawa 3 days/week and lecturing 2 days/week.

Some observations 11 years down the track:
I am richer for the experience. The reality though is that I have a unique skill set and I am not sure I want to make my skill set the norm for everyone.

My community is richer for the experience. Six months after I arrived at Opawa, one of the church leaders said, "Steve, you're like us. You work outside the church too." At that retreat we adopted a core value: a workplace reality and a worship that engages with life 24/7: And we decided we would seek part-time staff as the church grew. Now we have 7. The reality is that it is really hard for me to now effectively build relationship and I don't feel I'm doing all that well being team with 7 people, let alone 10 ministry leaders.

I am richer because I feel less owned. Church is not my life. I have to walk away, to close the laptop and move to another employer. It has made it easier to build a team and has freed me from a number of traditional church minister expectations. But the reality is that serving two masters is hard, hard work. I rarely do less than a 50 hour week.

The worst time is when both demand a bit extra. Like last week. It requires a pretty flexible family. I know that most workplaces demand more than 50 hours. But I worry that all I am doing is modelling the "hey, I'm important because I'm busy" culture rather than a Kingdom culture.

the good old days: yeah right

I am working on some notes for my Leadership class tomorrow.

Much Protestant thinking about church leadership is based on the assumption of the "good old days." All we need to do is re-find the vitality of the "good old days" and we will be right.

However, closer examination suggests that the early church might not be as "ideal" as reformers and revolutionaries tend to make out. The "early church" of Acts involved fraud (Acts 5:1-10), misuse of church finances (6:1-7) and racial segregation (Acts 10).

As John Drane helpfully notes;

[We assume] that the [early church] were always 'successful' in the sense of large numbers of people responding to their message. This was not the case, and by including stories of small response [Acts 17:34], as well as of persecution and hardship [Acts 13:50], Luke emphasized that occasions such as the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41) were few and far between, and his readers could expect that evangelism would generally be hard work with average results. Do Christians Know How to be Spiritual?, London, DLT: 2005. Note 32, p. 179.

We need to be wise in how we apply the so-called "good old days" idealism to our understandings of church and leadership today.

women and apostolic leadership

For the last few months, at Digestion, our evening service, I've stumbled on a bit of a winner in terms of participation. Early in August, I did a sermon called my favourite Biblical hero is …

To my surprise, a number of people told me they had a different hero and could they share. So far 5 different people have shared and 2 more are waiting in the wings. There’s been something about the mixing of two stories; the preacher and the hero, that has been rich and interesting.

But it had become a bit male focused, men talking about male biblical heros. So to break things up a bit, on Sunday I talked a second time, about my favourite female Biblical hero. She also happens to be an apostle, and thus for me continued some of my thinking about gender and leadership. I drew heavily on Richard Bauckham’s book Gospel Woman.

After the sermon all the women in the congregation were invited to stand, and two of our current women in leadership prayed for them. If you’re interested, here’s the sermon: my favourite female Bibical hero.

My biblical hero who is a woman first appears is Luke 8:1-3. After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others.

When I was growing up I had this picture of Jesus traveling around with 12 male disciples. You know, 13 men. Doing what 13 men do together – making a mess, farting, eating too much red meat.

That was until I met Joanna and her friends. And this sudden realization that around Jesus were a large group of people, men and women.

Jesus traveling, he’s on the road, he’s with men and women. And to be a disciple is to be with him.

I like that. It makes Christianity so simple. To be with Jesus; to hang, watch, listen, appreciate, learn.

You can be arrested by the Police for "loitering with intent." Joanna, along with the other disciples is "loitering with intent" – intent to a disciple, intent to be with Jesus - hanging, watch, listen, appreciate, to learn to preach, to heal, to love and to challenge.

This is the first reason Joanna is my favourite female Biblical hero; she's with Jesus – loitering with intent.

The 2nd reason she’s my hero is that she’s using her gifts. Her primary role is to loiter with intent – to be with Jesus. But this strange thing happens, when you are with Jesus, you get to use your gifts. Look at Luke 8:3. Mary (called Magdalene); Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Now this is not men around the barbeque, farting, making a mess, while the women are inside doing the dishes. This is not women barefoot and in the kitchen.

The word "support" – "women were helping to support" - appears in Acts 11:29. There was a famine and the disciples, as each one was able, decided to support the believers in Judea. The same word appears in Acts 6:1, apostles were supporting the poor, which included distributing food.

So Joanna is not washing dishes. She’s got the gift of organizing; of being fair and just and making sure the resources for the mission.

Joanna is a reminder that following Jesus isn’t just spiritual. It’s not just about coming to church and enjoying some music. Joanna joins a long list of people who realise that following Jesus must include our time, talents, our financial resources.

Joseph of Arimathea, who has land and uses it to bury Jesus body; Zacchues, who upon meeting Jesus gives 50% of his bank balance and repays 400% anyone he’s ripped off; For Joanna, to be with Jesus, to loiter with intent, will mean using her gifts and her financial resources.

The 3rd reason Joanna is my favourite Biblical hero requires a bit of a jump.

Romans 16:7 Greet Junia, my relative who has been in prison with me … outstanding among the apostles, and in Christ before I was. When I first read this verse, it blew my mind. The original Greek language is feminine. Junia is a woman. "Greet a woman, Junia, who was outstanding among the apostles." A woman apostle, who preached and who led and who started churches.

When I was grewing up, people use to point to 1 or 2 Bible verses and tell me women couldn’t speak in church. That’s why Junia blows my mind. Junia tells me that using the Bible isn’t that simple. Junia is a NT woman apostle. Who speaks. Who teaches.

There are too many blokes speaking in this church. Where are our Junia’s?

Consider this: Joanna is a Jewish name. And Joanna is very hard to pronounce in Greek, the language spoken of Rome and in Romans. But Joanna has a nickname in Greek. And that nickname is Junia. Junia in the Greek, means Joanna.

Romans 16:7 - Greet Joanna …. outstanding among the apostles, in Christ before I [Paul] was. So this woman apostle could also be named Joanna. And this Junia/Joanna was following Christ before Paul was.

Consider this: Back in Luke 8, Joanna is a manager in the house of a King. King Herod. Joanna’s got connections. Joanna’s used to high Roman society. So if you’re sending a person to start in church on Rome, wouldn’t it make a lots of sense to send someone who’s got connections?

A woman, called Junia and Joanna, who was a very early Jesus follower (before Paul), and who’s got the connections in Rome to help start a church.

Hmm. I wonder what happened to Joanna (nickname Junia) in Greek after Luke 8? I wonder what happened to a woman who’d been on the road with Jesus; hanging, watching, listening, learning, how to preach and minister to people. I wonder what happened to Joanna after she met Jesus after the resurrection, after she received the great commission? I wonder what she did with Matthew 28:19?

Joanna, nickname Junia is my favourite female biblical hero.
1 - She’s a disciple, loitering with intent.
2- She’s a disciple who uses her gifts and her resources.
3- She could well have become an apostle, a female apostle, an outstanding female apostle.

gender and leadership

Venture Capitalist and author Guy Kawasaki wrote in the Art of the Start that a major problem of many start-ups is that they are dominated by men and that is a problem. Men are by nature too aggressive and want to defeat and kill things ... In companies he funds, he makes them hire women if they don't have any into senior leadership positions to help negate the testosterone and learn to build partnerships instead of trying to kill every wooly mammoth that we see walk down the street.

Link

the liberation of a missional leadership text

On Sunday I began a series on leadership (the sermon is available here, along with some discussion questions for study groups). I am concerned that leadership is often reduced to certain styles and personalities. So I find 1 Corinthians 3:5-4:21 liberating. Paul uses 6 different images to describe his leadership.

Paul has planted some house churches in Corinth (done the "apostolic" thing). Now there appears to be conflict over leadership. Paul continues the "apostolic" thing (perhaps working to protect the missional DNA of this early church plant?), by tackling understandings of leadership. He then offers 6 different images of leader; Servants; Workers; Builders; Resource managers; Cross carriers; Parents. To me this is wonderfully liberating and offers a whole new range of leading.

In honour of Al Hirsch, and in some good-natured Tasman-banter, I am calling this the "SWBRCP" model (not as easy to say as APEPT, and therefore unlikely to be as catchy, I know:)). A few weeks ago, when I wondered aloud about the APEPT model, Alan commented back:
"suspect many of you would not like to be part of genuine missional movements because of your reserve on so many things. How are we every going to change things if everyone is so touchy about basic biblical ministry?"

So in honour of being so "touchy" about being Biblical and missional, I offer the "SWBRCP" model; arising from the missional ministry of 1 Corinthians. For in the wonderful diversity of God, some are called to be apostolic leaders as servants; others as workers, others as builders; others as resource managers; others as cross carriers; others as parents.

Now I am not suggesting that this "SWBRCP" model should have books written about it. Heaven forbid. Rather, I wonder, if given that Paul can suggest both SWBRCP and APEPT, perhaps we are being offered uniquely creative leadership for every different context. I find this missionally liberating.

And for the scholars, my key texts were
Peter Cammock, The Dance of Leadership,
Witherington, Conflict and Community in Corinth,
Clarke, Serve the community.

gurus and mentors

This week has been a bit upheaving. This week one of my gurus asked me to speak with them at a conference. I've read the gurus books. I've listened to the guru speak. I've been profoundly challenged by their ideas. And now the guru wants me to share the mic. That's quite destablising.

I've watched someone choose a mentor this week. They are an immensely talented person, and by a random set of co-incidences, they have chosen an immensely talented person. I can see them becoming a leader like the person they have named.

I wonder if I need to see guru's and mentor's in a new light. I've often seen them as people to aspire to. But I wonder rather, if guru's and mentor's call something out of us. Deep within ourselves our creativity resonnates with their creativity, our leadership with their leadership. The aspiration is not in fact us wanting to be like them, but our gift mix being called forth. I wonder if reflecting on the people who inspire us might actually help us name what God is doing in us as leaders.

pastoral leadership skills

Partnering in God's new future requires spaces to listen. It resists programmes and models and hurries from impatience. It requires attentiveness to the unique contours of the cultural now in people's lives. It plays with metaphor and possibilities. It lives within a narrative, not its own yet strangely familiar. It is birthed amid a personal attentiveness to my uniqueness, gift mix and personality.

on the plane again?

It looks like I will be back in Los Angeles, April 27-29, for a leadership consultation in relation to the emerging church. I am sick of travelling, but this looks worth easing my butt back into an airline seat again.

emerging leadership

leadership = i just want someone i can respect

passion
purpose
sensitivity

:: go a long way in leadership

leader as safe or good

Further to my reflection on pastor as chaos agent:

They asked of Aslan, the lion,
"Is he safe?"
Those who knew him replied,
"Safe! No, but he is good."
- CS Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia.

PS The movie, due for release Christmas 05, is being filmed in New Zealand as I blog and you read.

pastor as chaos agent

I am working on a chaos theory of leadership:
the theory is that the role of a pastoral leader is to cause chaos.

this is based on a fear of domesticated religion
on a personal distaste of images of gentle Jesus meek and mild
on a concern that given time, most systems find an inertia of their own
and on my PhD musings that so often discontinuity is the space for growth.

so if the people of God are meant to be pilgrim,
and meant to be growing,
then should not the role of a pastoral leader be to promote chaos?

Leadership exercise

“Modern-day pastors work, whether we know it or not, out of a reservoir of received images of Christian leadership… long list of American leaders… Every time I enter a pulpit or a hospital room as a pastor, for good or ill, I bear memories of those who lived out this vocation before me. Knowledge of their sacrifices and achievements, their stumblings and mistakes, can help inspire and encourage me, correct and judge me in my ministerial work today.” - Willimon, Pastor.

So who are the ministry models that shaped you, for good or ill? How are they inspiring and encouraging you?

PS. This prompted excellent discussion and prayer at our Opawa team meeting today.

praying for all risktakers today

Recognise that it is far easier to criticise than to create – therefore expect criticism.

holding eggs

It was my 1st day at my new church (Opawa) today. I asked the 4 other paid staff to gather.

I gave them all an egg - fragile, yet hopeful. I talked about the church as the bride of Christ ... beautiful ... hopeful ... yet fragile and nervous.

I said that I felt a bit nervous and fragile in this new role. I said I thought people at Opawa were probably a bit nervous and fragile about having a new young minister on board. I said I wondered if the staff were a bit nervous and fragile, wondering how they would fit with this new young minister.

And so we prayed for each other, that in our fragility new life would emerge.