I swear at son.

Son calls me a hypocrite.

Don’t you hate it when your imperfect, incomplete self shows up

just when you should be coming up with some gems of

wisdom about Christian leadership to share with the blogosphere…

Thanks for keeping me real son!

JK

I’m not much of a globe trotter, never have been. Even as a young adult when given the opportunity to head across international borders in the development work of the church the farthest I chose to go was the east coast of my home land, St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. My brothers went to Brazil and France.

Leaders get to do things that they don’t always want to do. Yes we’re aware of those things in our work that aren’t any fun to do but there are also times when we don’t want to do what others see as the fun stuff. We have our reasons and people around us may not understand, “You’d rather officiate at a funeral than a wedding? Really?” “Seriously, you aren’t looking forward to seeing a fascinating part of God’s creation?” Yes, seriously. 

I’m going to a strange exotic land not because I want to or have to go but because I need to go. One of my disciples needs me to be in his homeland. It is what he needs from me so that his credibility and ministry can grow. It is for this relationship that I’ll sit on a plane for 15 hours straight, eat questionable ‘delicacies’, suffer jet lag for too many days and dance with Montezuma’s revenge. Leaders know when they need to say “Yes” to an invitation to lead even when they don’t want to. – BB

~ Genesis 50.20

Leadership does not always have a happy ending.  Sometimes, the price of leadership is that our brothers leave us for dead or sell us out, just as Joseph’s brothers did.  No matter how hard we try to make sense of it, the stink of betrayal hovers around our soul, and sticks around for a long time.  Simply put, there are times and occasions when being a leader will result in taking a hit.  Our instinct is hold back in those moments – to soften the blows and do whatever is expedient to lessen the impact of our leadership.  In those moments, self-doubt can reign and our leadership wavers.

Joseph’s story has often been read to us as the story of an arrogant young man who got his come-uppance, then when he hit bottom learned to “turn it over to God” and receive his just rewards.  However, maybe another way to read the story is of a young leader who told the truth and let that truth take him on a journey.  Not always an easy journey and certainly not a pain-free journey, but Joseph’s life is testimony to a leader who tells the truth. 

Max Dupree once defined leadership as “the ability to define reality”.  Defining reality is telling the truth.  It isn’t easy, nor is it for the faint of heart.  At some point in your life and ministry, defining reality will cost you – guaranteed.  Nevertheless, it is in defining reality, in telling the truth, that God does good and ushers in a new result.  Don’t hold back.  Go ahead and define reality.  Tell the truth.  God will do good. - JW

I am drawn towards entrepreneurial opportunities. I’ve worked for young businesses and churches. When I’ve worked for an established company or congregation it has always been on new projects, new divisions. But new starts always require lots of work with few resources and, most often, by fewer people. It can be tiring but its the kind of work I’ve found I love and thrive within. But I’ve also burnt myself out on many such endeavors. Along the way, I’ve learned to say a simple phrase that is inspired by Ecclesiastes 3: “I can do anything… for a season.”

To be an effective leader you need to be able to see the end of the “season.” When we can’t see the end we burn out, burn others out and, sometimes, we break things that are irreparable… on this side of eternity at least. If we want to be healthy people and cultivate healthy teams and worthwhile projects or products we have to be able see the end. Sometimes thats a deadline that only you can establish. Sometimes its knowing when its time to give up or quit before you self-destruct. Sometimes its knowing when to “pass-the-torch” or hand things over to someone else after having modeled how something was to be done for a period of time. This is what separates the delegators from the megalomaniacs; the loved from the the feared leaders. Which will you be?  - JE

All I can do is listen attentively to these anabaptist leaders and pray that the few words I choose to share will bring encouragement to their spirit.

At times I fantasize about what it would be like to hand these leaders a road map with all the twists and turns, breath taking peaks and soul sucking valleys already mapped out. In my car I managed to navigate these two world class cities without taking one wrong turn. Even where all signage is in French I didn’t get lost, not once. Although there were a few times when my GPS quietly, non-anxiously said “recalculating”.

Leaders don’t get to have detailed road maps or a GPS. Instead perhaps the best we have to offer the leaders in our sphere of influence is a listening, understanding ear and a heartfelt non-anxious word of encouragement. It’s what leaders and I suppose the GPS get to do. – BCB

Johnny is a close friend of mine who lives in South East Asia.  He frequently shares stories of his displaced friends living on the Thai-Burma border.  Johnny is an ardent promoter of just peace making.  This deeply rooted belief has put him on various government target lists.  He has been prohibited from visiting dear friends and places and even spent time in prison for this belief.  As he watches his displaced friends on the border continuing to suffer, he asks me (his institutional administrator friend), “as a leader, how often do you consider how your decision impacts the poor?” 

This question came roaring back to me last week.  Here we were in Lancaster County, USA discussing the merits of the Old Testament wanting to rip pages out of the Bible to suit our perspective on just peace making.  Meanwhile, the displaced in SE Asia find comfort in the arms of a God who is on their side and would be willing to fight and take revenge on those who were continually maiming, raping and killing their families.  So, if we are to truly seek the welfare of the poor, should we be ripping pages out of the Bible or releasing our dogmas to God? - JM

Now, the next few seconds are delicate ones for a leader caught in the act of a minor indiscretion. Responses can range from ignore the incorrigible in your midst through frown disapprovingly, excuse yourself, laugh along, to deny, deny, deny. None of these responses are right or wrong except perhaps the last one but on the whole these surprise encounters in the day do reflect our moods, mindsets and worldviews.

Leaders are not saints so we know that we will make mistakes. Others around us are watching how we deal with mistakes both small and large. Leaders get to set the example even when they are not in a leadership situation; even in the grocery store.

This doesn’t have to be your response but I find a little self-depreciating humour goes a long ways to get me through the day. Not everything can be a laughing matter but my colleagues know that I make mistakes and that I’m willing to own them.

So what are you going to do the next time you are caught in the act of a minor indiscretion or one of those less than saintly little mistakes that occur throughout everyone’s day? – BB

I visited a large church in our community last summer. During the service a new believer shared their faith story and said they didn’t attend church, but knew they wanted to attend this particular church if they would start attending. It was a church that was having a high impact on the community around them. It got me thinking again about something I’ve been brewing on lately. When Jesus said “I will build my church” its clear that building seems to be happening a great deal more at some churches more than others. Or to put it another way, God draws people to certain churches, and people, and keeps others away as well. Many of the churches I connect with get few if any visitors. A few years ago, a woman showed up at our service, and when asked by a greeter how she’d found us, she told them she had a dream where she met a lion in a forest, and she asked the lion what it was doing there. The lion in return said, “What are you doing here? I’m at The Gathering Church and that is where you should be!” “So”, she said, “It took me a few weeks to gather up the courage, but here I am…” It seemed she had clearly been brought to us. (I don’t think she had any idea of the significance of the lion in scripture). Several seeking folks who attend The Gathering now have been brought to us because they sensed clearly they were to attend our church-or a program connected with our church. There are lots of factors as to why that drawing happens more in some places than others, but it seems to me one fact is simply having some kind of a plan for walking with someone not connected with the story of Jesus. The other factor is the culture of the church itself, but that’s for another blog. JLT

I have vivid memories of my extended family coming together at Christmas for the exchange of gifts and sitting down for the turkey feast. Every year the family would turn to my uncle Lester, a pastor, and ask him to say the prayer before the meal. After all he was the Holy man in our midst. Every year my uncle would resist this invitation. As a child I didn’t understand his reticence but I think I get it now. On that festive day with family he didn’t want to be the professional pastor. He just wanted to be Uncle Lester. He didn’t want to be the leader all of the time.

In this season it is important to find rest. Even presidents and prime ministers get away with family and friends. I hope that in those settings they are treated as just one of the crew instead of the captain of the ship. The challenges and the joys of leading will still be there after your retreat from the front lines of leadership.

Every leader needs to escape lest they start to believe they’re indispensible. It’s Christmas so please surround yourself with family and/or friends or perhaps you just need to be alone with a good book. Do anything but lead. Merry Christmas! – BB

To begin, people want to have a voice. Whether the Arab Spring or the Occupy Movement, what we are seeing is a cry to be heard. It is also an accusation: current organizations do not allow them to be heard. To have a voice for the many does not always mean chaos. In fact, there is a lot to be said about the kind of consensus-oriented, coordinated action of these movements. Nonetheless, people, and young people especially, want to know that they have permission to speak up and their input be valued. In the vacuum of such contexts, people create their own and this what we’ve seen happen in these contexts. How can you ensure that people are heard?

Secondly, the plan is to not have a plan. The Occupy Movement, in particular, has been ridiculed for not having  a cohesive message, demand or… plan! But part of this is sparked by postmodern cynicism that says, “Nothing ever works out like you plan. You aren’t ultimately in control. So, why kid yourself?!” Can this be argued with? There is truth to this. People have heard the greatest visions, dreams and appeals and additionally seen how shallow they are. The proverbial “BS meter” of the population has increased exponentially. Does this mean we shouldn’t dream big dreams as leaders? No. Not all. Just look at the dreams of these movements listed above. Are they not grandiose? They certainly are. But they were crafted together, were realistic about their own limitations and control of the future. Yet, they still did tried! Do the visions of our organizations incorporate the voices of the whole? Or do they paint an unrealistic vision and uncontrollable outcome of the future?