a different kind of leadership
Daryl Dash linked up this great quote a little while ago, and I am posting it here to remind myself of it for the future.
“We want ministry to be explained in terms that allow us to function as technicians, managers, or building contractors. We want a blueprint to build from and a list to check off as we accomplish each item.
I want something different.
I want the leadership of our church to be about creating an atmosphere, an environment where people can fall in love with Jesus. I don’t want technicians who can run a program. I want agents of love who will spread the life of the Spirit through the church.
This desire drives my engineers and accountants nuts! They want plans; I want an atmosphere, an environment, a community where people can live a new way. Fish can’t swim in the desert of programs. I want living water to create an ocean where beauty thrives.”
July 7th, 2007 at 5:37 am
exactly… The technicians and the people who are used to technician run churches seem to have a problem with atmosphere over production. Make that atmosphere that has nothing to do with productions. Most churches are savvy enough to have a “move of god’ wihtout god moving.
Lights! Camera! Action! .. the SHOW MUST GO ON!!!
July 8th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I read this and got a different message. This guy has a very traditional hierarchical view of leadership - “I want …”, “I want …”, “I dont want”, “My engineers”. The engineers and accountants belong to him and they must do what he wants, because he has the position of leader.
While staying in that mold he is trying to tinker around the edges, with the “atmosphere”. Obviously although you can have church programs without love, its very hard to have love without some type of church program. Whether its preaching, praying, singing, coffee or statues and stained-glass, you have to have something to draw people together and that means some type of program.
The only way you can “lead” as agents of love is to lead by example. It cant be done from the top down, its the servant leadership that everyone talks about. And if you are doing that would you be driving people nuts? Maybe. Sometimes. But you probably wouldn’t be writing books about driving people nuts.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:32 am
I got a similar vibe as Warren on this. Admittedly I’m a “technician”, but why is there an assumption that technicians and accountants don’t want to be agents of love in the church? Or outside it in the community for that matter?
Just because Mr. Kallam was in a church full of people who don’t want to change, must he narrowly label them as managers and accounts, denigrating a large proportion of people, not to mention professions that are important in our society (even if many of the practitioners themselves could use improvement)?
As with most things worthwhile in society, it takes a range of people with a range of different skill sets to pull it off. Too many dreamers with their heads in the clouds and you’ll have a small group of people feeling really happy about their small group, never actually accomplish anything of lasting value, and who should probably get off the kool-aid and switch to decaffeinated. Too many ultra-practical people and you’ll have the best run group you’ve ever seen, who never actually accomplish anything of lasting value, and could probably try a Red Bull at least once in their lives.
The hardest jobs are finding the right balance, being brutally honest with yourself when something is not working, and accepting of the fact that not everybody ticks the same way you do, and this is a good thing, even if it is damn frustrating at times.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Way to use Signposts as your own personal scrap book!
July 10th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
what is mine is to be used as mine - lol
July 11th, 2007 at 8:37 am
oops that last comment was from me Phil on Dan’s computer