Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Leading
In the Clearing wonders about leadership. (HT: Milt Stanley):
The first is that we care about leadership because, in the church as it operates today, we equate leadership with maturity. That is to say, when you become a mature Christian you lead a ministry. Has anybody besides me noticed that this feeds the church beast, but not necessarily the beast of personal growth and transformation? If we all have different gifts, some of them have got to be something other than leading - and isn't the point to grow into what God has made us to be?
But then, there is an appeal to "leadership" and that is ego. It appeals to our egos to mature into leadership. It appeals to our egos to be in front. Which is why Bob's sarcastic remark about "serving" is so biting. Even those that are called to lead - how much to they really serve? How much do they lead for their own self-aggrandizement?
Christ led - all the way to hanging on the cross, lonely. I wonder how attending a leadership conference would be that taught that as leadership?
I've been to leadership conferences. That's where they sell the leadership books--you know, read this book and become the leader you always wanted to be, or God always wanted you to be, or your wife always wanted you to be. Or something. Everybody says, well, what we really mean by leadership is "serving." Which always makes me wonder, why not just call it that then? Ummm, why not just shut up and serve?Bob has hit on something important here, and I see it playing out in two areas.
The first is that we care about leadership because, in the church as it operates today, we equate leadership with maturity. That is to say, when you become a mature Christian you lead a ministry. Has anybody besides me noticed that this feeds the church beast, but not necessarily the beast of personal growth and transformation? If we all have different gifts, some of them have got to be something other than leading - and isn't the point to grow into what God has made us to be?
But then, there is an appeal to "leadership" and that is ego. It appeals to our egos to mature into leadership. It appeals to our egos to be in front. Which is why Bob's sarcastic remark about "serving" is so biting. Even those that are called to lead - how much to they really serve? How much do they lead for their own self-aggrandizement?
Christ led - all the way to hanging on the cross, lonely. I wonder how attending a leadership conference would be that taught that as leadership?
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