Experiences In Church Transformation

Called to Lead

I recently was engaged in a series of conversations focused on the changing church.  In the midst of these conversations, I was reminded of a very important concept that deserves serious consideration by those in the church today - Are our pastors called to lead?

Let me start out by saying that I feel that in the original sense of the office of "pastor", the answer would have to be an emphatic YES.  If we attempt to trace the role of "pastor" to its Scriptural origins, I feel we are lead to see this role develop out of the Apostles.  There is very little question that the Apostles were called to be leaders.  They were to be leaders in a spiritual sense and in an organizational sense.  They were to be leaders in discipline and doctrine. 

The problem that I feel we face today is that the term "pastor" has become one that has represented a variety of offices which all require some varied degrees of skill.  It has become intertwined with the word "minister" which adds to the confusion.  Because there has been such a large variety of expectations and perceptions that are associated with the word "pastor", there has been a large degree of frustration and confusion within the church and within the lives of those that have been given that title. 

I strongly believe that it is time for the church to return to the original understanding of the role of "pastor".  I believe that we need to reclaim the Scriptural understanding of the office and that we need to clarify to the congregations and to those that carry the title, what the expectations of that call really are.  I believe that in the Lord's call to those that are "pastors" that there is a strong expectation on the Lord's part that we will be leaders.  This reclamation may cause some anxiety and angst because it would require us to look at the wonderful gifts that those who have the title possess and determine if we should be giving a different title for those who are not gifted in leadership.

As I conclude this post, let me be very clear - I do not believe that an individual that is not gifted in leadership should be precluded from serving the Lord using the gifts and passions that they possess.  I am not advocating removing individuals from their roles in the church.  I am advocating clarifying titles and expectations.  I am advocating that in my understanding, those who carry the title of "pastor" are expected to be leaders with their own style and strengths of leadership. 

Planning For Success

Why is it that many Christian leaders seem programmed to expect failure?  If it were just Presbyterians that I have noticed this trend in, I would attribute it to our Calvin upbringing.  However, I do not feel that it is only limited to a denomination.  I believe that this trend can be seen any many Christian leaders.  Maybe this is a defense mechanism that has been ingrained because so many times we see our hopes and dreams dashed or falling short way too often.

Maybe the reason that we have experienced failure as Christian leaders is that we forget a primary reality of what it means to be a CHRISTIAN leader --- We follow the Lord's lead.  Maybe if we examined where we have found shortcomings, the key thread is that we have pursued our own dreams and plans rather than striving to follow the Lord's dream and plan.  This reminds us of the importance of spending the time to discern the Lord's will.  We must ask the question, "Lord, what would you have me (us) do?"  If we truly are listening for the Lord's voice, I believe that we would find ourselves achieving much more than we often do.

A good friend of mine, Phil Barrett, has on occasion reminded me and others that we need to plan for success within the church.  To me the starting point for this planning must be discerning the Lord's will.  It is great for us to have ideas, dreams, and hopes but if these are not in alignment with the timing and plan of the Lord, we will experience marginal success, or even failure.

Let's plan for success in the church..... always beginning with a dialog with the Lord!

Sabbath

Taking time to rest.  For people like myself who are fairly driven in their lives, taking a break does not often seem possible.  There always seems to be so many opportunities and so many tasks that there is often some level of guilt associated with taking a break.  Yet often it is in "taking a break" that we can find the key to increasing our productivity, attitude, and personal well-being. 

As I sit today typing this blog posting, I realize that my body is telling me that I need to take a break.  I have been fighting a cold for the last couple of days and even the medication that I am taking does not seem to be winning the battle.  I have been chilled most of the day so far and I must confess the thought of changing into a pair of sweats, curling up in a blanket, and reading a book until I fall asleep sounds fantastic.  The only problem is that I just received my new laptop computer and I want to get it set up.  So I am going to strike a deal with myself.  I am going to do the initial setup, finish this post, and then go home for the rest of the day.  Maybe after a nap, I will fill rejuvenated enough to work on my new laptop some more and maybe even interact with some others. 

Besides sharing aspects of my personal feelings today, there is a point to this.  I think that as leaders, we must model wisdom of self-care.  In order to have the energy, the correct attitudes, and the clearness of mind to lead, we must strive to provide ourselves with periods of rest.  This concept was introduced by our Lord at the start of creation and has many merits when you really think about it. 

Not only is this important for our personal lives but it is also important for the groups of individuals that we are leading.  As we are actively engaged in transformation, we know that it requires a lot of energy and a lot of wisdom.  We must allow individuals to take breaks as we progress through the various changes that transformation require.  The period of "rest" that we allow will vary depending on the many dynamics involved.  This is not an attempt to advocate for "resting on our laurels" but instead acknowledges that there is a natural flow of items in God's creation and we must be mindful of that flow.

So my encouragement for you this day is to be sure to take a time of rest for yourselves as leaders.  This will provide an example for those that you are leading and set up healthy dynamics within the group.  Also, make sure you are mindful of those points when the whole group needs a little rest and do not be afraid of taking a break from your transformative activities.

Looking Harder

Alright, so life does not happen like we would like it to.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  If something could go wrong it definitely did.  But out of a difficult day, I found something helpful to take with me.  It all came about because of my laptop computer.  Prior to going for coffee at my favorite morning hangout, Espresso Yourself, I stopped by the office and booted up my laptop, feed my fish, and checked my e-mail on my work account.  When I returned from coffee, I expected to go onto my laptop and print off my daily Franklin Covey planner pages as usual.  This would give me my task list for the day and provide the building blocks of a productive day.  Upon sitting at my desk and touching the mousepad of my laptop to "wake it up", the unthinkable happened.... IT DID NOT RESPOND.  Now this has happened before and usually all that I need to do is reboot it.  So I pressed the power button and waited for it to reboot as normal.  The first screen came up, the second screen came up, and then it went dark.  OH NO!!!!!! What am I supposed to do now?

Well, I will not bore you with the boring details of all the different steps I took but let me suffice it to say that it seemed that my laptop was truly dead.  Or was it?  After spending a little more time examining the screen, I could make out a faint image of what was supposed to be on the screen.  So then I called one of my friends who is a computer technician, among other things, and sought his advice.  He eventually suggested that I bring the computer to his place on my way to a meeting in Des Moines.  While still on the phone with him and preparing to pack up my laptop, I unplugged the power cable and out of curiosity I rebooted the computer again.  This time it came up as normal.  My friend still encouraged me to bring it by and so I did.  He was unable to fully diagnose the problem while I was still at his place so he offered to drop by with it later. And I headed off for my meeting.

After my meeting I called him and he gave me the news that I did not want to hear..... it would cost too much to repair.  So I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be buying a new laptop computer.  However, I still could limp along with this one by looking very closely at the screen.

What does any of this have to do with church leadership you might be asking.  Well, I believe that it reminds us of a couple important items:

1)  Be sure to take the time to TRULY look at a situation before assuming you have a diagnosis of the true problem.

2)  Don't be so quick to get rid of something, it just might be the very thing you need to get you to the next important point in your work.

I encourage all of us as leaders to look a little harder and then make our decisions.

Following Directions

On a recent trip which required me to fly, I made a disturbing observation --- people often choose to fail to follow directions.  Let me paint the picture for you.  After boarding one plane, we had to be de-iced so we were sitting there quite a while.  The flight attendant made the announcement that individuals could continue to use their electronic devices until we had been de-iced and were ready to taxi once again.  People all around pulled out laptops, blackberries, and other portable electronic devices.  This did not become an issue until we were once again ready to taxi for our takeoff.  The flight attendant made the announcement that all these devices and cellular phones must be turned off and returned to their storage location.  The individual ahead of me apparently perceived that this announcement applied to everyone but himself.  One of the flight attendants came past him and asked him to turn off the laptop.  Again, he did not seem to comprehend that this applied to him.  Another flight attendant came by with the same request and again he did not comply.  We were quickly approach our runway from which we were to takeoff and another flight attendant began to approach the man.  This time he must have decided that he needed to follow directions and complied with all the previous requests.  I sat in my seat becoming angry that most of my fellow travelers were good about complying with the instructions but one individual for some reason chose multiple times not to comply.  This was my first opportunity on the trip to observe such behavior but it would continue with a couple of other situations in the airport --- those passengers that are in such a hurry to board that they fail to follow the seating order as it is called, or the passengers that have the whole flight to get up and use the restroom but wait until we are starting our descent and the seatbelt sign is illuminated before they get up and head to the restroom.

Why is it that human beings frequently fail to take direction and follow that direction?  This by far is not a new phenomenon, nor is it limited to the airport and airplanes.  Humans have tended to demonstrate this behavior since our creation.  Didn't God tell the first humans not to eat from one specific tree, and yet they did?  I guess there is something about our human nature that resists being faithful to the directions given to us by those in charge.

This tends to run true in the church as well.  We see over and over again that once the leadership of the church sets a direction, there has to be at least one person that challenges that.  While I am not advocating a blind following by individuals, I do think that we need to seriously examine why we fail to follow directions.  Why is that when the Spirit leads us, we choose to head the opposite direction?  Why is it when the Lord provides instruction in the Word, we fail to heed it?  Why is it when a vision is cast and leaders move in that Spirit-led journey, we have people trying to go their own way?

Maybe some day we will finally admit that the directions we receive from the Lord truly are for our benefit.  Maybe some day we will all follow those directions.  Until then, I guess we will all have to keep trying to encourage others and ourselves. No wonder God gets frustrated with us!

Servant Leadership

Recently I asked a group of young people what qualities the expected to find in a leader.  They gave some very good answers - someone who is respectable, someone who is honest, someone who respects others, someone who is able to communicate, etc.  The one item that they left off the list was that a leader needs to be a servant.  That is probably because most people do not view servitude as a characteristic of a leader.  However, people are starting to realized the value of that characteristic. 

I spoke with my congregation about this concept during my message this past Sunday.  My message was based in part on Mark 10:35-45 which reads:

   [35] James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."  [36] And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?"  [37] And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."  [38] But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  [39] They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;  [40] but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 
   [41] When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.  [42] So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.  [43] But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,  [44] and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.  [45] For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."  (NRSV)

Jesus makes it clear that a leader in the Lord's definition is someone who is a servant first.

The corporate world has also taken hold of this concept.  More and more corporations are starting to encourage and provide incentives for employees and managers who participate in community service.  A book from a secular writer that is devoted to this concept is  On Becoming a Servant Leader written by Robert K Greenleaf.  For information about this concept check out Greenleaf organization or Larry Spears. 

A leader in the church must be a servant first.  We as churches should be providing the example in this concept.  Instead, it seems that the corporate world is actually doing more in this area than most churches.

Corrective Action

In his book, The Disciple Making Church, Bill Hull makes the following statement:

"Disobedient leadership avoids the tough corrective issues, because, If we offend them, we lose money as well as all their friends and extended family.  Obedient leaders face criticism, slander, and everything else that goes with doing the right thing in a tough situation.  It's not a question of whether or not leaders are willing to pay the price, because a price will be paid. Rather, they must ask, Which price do we want to pay?

Since I reread this portion of Hull's book this week, I have been giving a lot of consideration to this statement.  I believe that Hull has hit on a point that we all agree is true but it is very difficult to take the steps to address it.  Many of us strive to be accepted, and maybe even liked, by people so we often avoid anything that will paint us in a negative light.

One of the things that I have come to understand as a leader in Christ's name is that I first must be faithful to Jesus Christ.  That means that I may be called upon to say and do things which will not help me achieve a ranking in the popularity contest.  But if I am going to be an obedient leader such as Hull describes in his book, I must realize that I have no business even attempting to be part of a popularity contest.  We need to be like Balaam who when Balak complained that he was not following Balak's request responded, "Must I not take care to say what the LORD puts into my mouth?" (Numbers 23:12)  We must remember what Jesus told the crowd, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." (Matthew 5:11)

I am not advocating that we take a harsh approach or that we are not sensitive to how others are impacted by what we say and do.  I am advocating that we need to realize that when we speak the truth of the Gospel and we move in directions that the Spirit leads, we are going to offend some people and may even cause some to walk away.  As long as we are truly following the Lord in our words and actions, we need to stop apologizing or avoiding and move forward with conviction.  

The only way that we are going to change the negative direction that many of our congregations are going and the negative impact that occurs, is by becoming strong in our leadership.  As Hull has stated, a price will be paid, which price are we willing to pay?

What Position

A colleague of mine made a comment at a meeting this week that has had an enormous impact on me.  His comment was something like this --- "The problem that many of us in the church have is that we would rather be sitting at the foot of the cross than to be on the cross."  This week has had some difficult moments for me so his words have taken on an even greater meaning.  He was making reference to some battles he was currently engaged in at his church.  He went on to explain that he was reminded that Jesus told his disciples that they must be willing to take up their crosses each day to follow him.  But he indicated that he was finding himself sitting at the foot of the cross and marveling what the Lord had done for him there instead of being willing to climb up on that cross and endure the suffering for the sake of the Lord.

How often do we try to take the comfortable path?  How often do we prefer to admire what Christ did on the cross rather than imitate it?  There is nothing pleasant about the concept of being crucified.  We might even be willing to rationalize that since Christ died for our sins, there is no reason for further crucifixion.  But the reality of our Christian walk is that while we might not be physically crucified, we often times will be crucified by words and actions.  It hurts and it is very painful!!  We must turn to the Lord for the strength to endure and the grace to be forgiven for our desire to retaliate.  Only in the Lord can we find the ability to persevere through whatever individuals may throw at us in the form of ridicule, cruel words, hurtful actions, and painful attacks.  We must stay the course and prevail knowing that if we are faithful to the Lord's call, we will be glorified with the Lord in heaven.

So which position will it be?  Are you going to remain at the foot of the cross or as a leader in Christ's church, are you going to be willing to pick up your cross, endure the suffering, and march forward with your Lord?

Starting Point

Many times I think we struggle to decide where we should begin the journey of transformation.  How do we get our congregations to start on such a journey?  The reality of it is that it has to begin with the pastor I believe.  This does not limit the importance of lay leadership also beginning the journey.  In fact, sometimes the original spark for transformation may be found in the laity.  However, if the pastor does not take a crucial leadership role in transformation, then she/he can quickly become one of the greatest stumbling block and/or barrier to congregational transformation. 

The pastor must engage in his/her own personal transformation in order to lead a congregation our the journey of transformation.  Sometimes pastors feel that they do not have the time or the need for transformation in their own lives.  To me, if pastors do not intentionally engage in personal transformation, they become dead in their ministry and fail to continue to be effective in leading the church.  Pastors also tend to struggle with admitting the need for personal transformation because they mistakenly believe that it will cause them to be perceived as weak in their spiritual life.  Again, I believe that this is a misconception.  I believe that a pastor who continues to be intentionally engaged in personal transformation models a very healthy and vibrant spiritual life.

The Lord is not finished transforming the world.  We must all be intentionally engaged in the transformation process of the Spirit.  And it has to begin with the PASTOR.  So let's get started on the transformation journey with the Pastor leading the way.

Disciple Leader

ne of the most important issues in regards to transformation is leadership. Sometimes this leadership is found in the formal structure of the congregation and sometimes it is found in a more informal aspect of the congregation.  In my congregation, I have found leadership for transformation in both arenas. 

Early in my transformational journey, I established a transformation team.  The concept behind this came from my reading of the book, Leading Congregational Change : A Practical Guide for the Transformational Journey by Jim  Herrington. The team members were not chosen randomly  but after much prayer and discernment.  We began by agreeing to study a book together which allowed us to explore what it means to be a disciple.  We strive to meet at least monthly and sometimes a couple of times during the month.  During our discussions, we have found a large variety of ideas on how we can impact the transformation and spiritual growth of our congregation.  New personal spiritual disciplines have been attempted and I have seen a lot of spiritual growth among the members of the team and myself.  This team operates outside the formal structure of the congregation but many of the ideas have floated over into the formal leadership structure.

In the other arena, the formal leadership structure, I have found some exciting events occuring among my leadership.  As I have shifted my focus of leadership development from being organizational in nature to being discipleship in nature, I have seen amazing things occur with my leadership.  There is a definite shift of attitude, a strong spiritual growth, and a strengthening servant leadership approach.  As members of the leadership team have increased their spiritual practices, they have become stronger in their leadership vision and skills.  It has been outstanding to be involved in these changes.  Some of my leaders are truly becoming stronger disciples which make them much more effective in their leadership.  It also helps to create a tone for the congregation which I believe will power transformation in a very positive direction.

All of this has led me to a deep conviction that if you are going to experience positive congregational transformation, you have to identify leaders who are commited to discipleship.  These leaders need to be developed and empowered.  Leadership development (especially in the area of discipleship) is crucial.  Our leaders should be disciples first and then leaders.  We need to be developing disciples!