how can i lead this generation. part two

I want to continue our line of discussion about this generation and their problem with authority. Our first blog on this was a fairly simple examination of the issue and while I think it was important to lay those ideas out, I now want to go a bit deeper.

One friend of mine had real issues with how our church met for worship weekly and in the same location. This perplexed me and what I came to realize was that these things were the beginnings of “institution” to him, which is the kind of authority that relies upon titles and hierarchies for legitimacy – the worst kind of leadership for this generation. It also smacks of commitment (come to the same place every week etc…), which is the enemy of the organic & fluid kind of existence he longed for. How do you lead someone like my friend, a person of insight and gifts, into impact? What kind of authority does he recognize? Is it possible to live “impact” without commitment? What do we need to learn from his apprehension in order to meet our generation and lead them – where they are- effectively?

The danger is that we move too far and lose too much for this “effectiveness.” Discipline is undeniably a crucial part of apprehending the Life of God in our journeys. And at the heart of discipline there is a commitment to a given path, so much so that other things are set aside to make space for this commitment. I fear that this generation would chuck this and lose out.

A professor of mine a few years ago was listening to us moan and groan about a paper that was due that week. We felt we had made some headway when he paused and said, “life is pretty stressful isn’t it?” However reality landed with a thud when he then added, “you know what, If you do not learn to do what you do not want to do for long periods of time, you will never amount to anything. Write the paper.” Thud. Never have wiser words been dropped on me. Through the years this quote has pulled me places where neither inclination nor pleasure would take me. I am weak. I want the easy road. And yet I also want significance! What is the path? Disciplined sacrifice and perseverance. There is no other road for a life that has substance and any demand of a generation that it be given a path less than that is a deception the church dare not take. Do not tickle those ears.

Yet there ARE some lessons to be learned in my friends’ apprehension that are legitimate. Why does the prospect of a weekly event in the same place put him off? It smacks of institution, not the “organic.” That word has been driven down our throats but it is exactly right in this instance. An institution exists to further itself – or the ambitions of its proprietors – while the organic is just about going with what is happening, what is real. Which comes back to the problems with commitment – ask this generation to commit to an institution and they will frustrate you every time. It’s like herding cats! Involve them in something which is happening and which addresses their longing for meaning and revolution…well then you may see the eyes light up a bit!

It comes back to a metaphor I read in a book called The Shaping of Things to Come. In it the authors draw the distinction between a bounded set and a centered set. The former is drawn with lines around it that delineate who is I and who is out and the only way to get it to “grow” is convince others that life is better inside than outside. (You then have to create ways to define who is in and who is out so you can know who else you need to get "in!") While a centered set organizes itself around central core values that compellingly draws others to them in varied “orbits” of intensity (for us that core value being Jesus and His Life & Ministry). They use the illustration of a ranch which uses fences to keep the livestock in or one that uses a freshwater well to keep the livestock close by because the terrain is so arid and dry they know the relevance of the genuine experience of thirst quenching will keep animals who want to live within the ranch’s “orbit.” The main requirements here are that the core values remain compelling and genuinely life transforming. If the water goes, the orbit breaks down. But there isn't a line of demarcation that gets drawn in the sand over which you must step to belong. All belong. Closeness to the center is the only variable.

What is frustrating to “modern” leaders is that this organic or “centered set” model is not organized around the furthering of their institution. The “end” or telos for this model is the people themselves and so lack of commitment means lack of “water in a dry and arid land.” You have to care more about the people you want to reach than your institution for this to work for you.

Which is rare.

Which is why our generation has a hard time with commitment and leadership.

how can i lead this generation? part one

i have been reflecting for awhile on a strain i keep bumping up against in the pomo and post-Xn generation i am working with: distrust of any and all authority. i think it is one of the chief defining characteristics of our generation and of crucial significance if we are going to be effective in becoming a safe place for them.

it trickles down into hatred of all forms of institution such as program, titles and commitment. try implementing a leadership covenant with a leadership team that won't sign anything because they hate commitment! in the end we just busted out the vino and drank a toast. that they could handle.

how do you lead when leadership is a four letter word? i think the key is in the idea of "leadership" the church has mistakenly taken from 1 Timothy and its list of "qualifications for eldership etc..." the problem with so many of us Xns is that we think the Bible was written for us..it wasn't! it was written, or at least this portion of it, was written for a guy name Tim who lived in Ephesus and had a weak stomach. He was a bit timid and he was leading a church that was in a city hostile to followers Of Jesus and with members who were overbearing and opionated. Paul was writing to him to help him get his church back on the rails. specific advice to a specific situation! but we universalize it. what we should take from it is that during difficult times with much risk for the community, turn to trusted and prven leaders to lead you thru. thus Paul's list of "qualifications." ever wonder why we allow single men to lead in our churches if we are living by this list? paul was recommending married fathers because they will jhave struggled with leading and guiding their families thru the normal dangers of real life and can offer that to this situation. it was never meant to be a list to be laid over our church contexts blindly.

what does this mean for our discussion? i think this "qualification" mentality has worked itself out into leaders living under a pressure that killed any impulse they might have to share honestly and openly about their struggles. a buddy of mine in college once left a bible study because the leader shared too much about his struggles. "i can't follow anyone who is like me!" whoa. no wonder.

when the church engages with post-Xn or pomo people this foundational flaw acts like a red scarf to a bull. it triggers that basic cynicism in them which has been shaped by the reality of the emperor's nude ass. thus, the church gets lumped in there with politicians and game show hosts - worthy of distance and distrust.

the way forward? simply, quit faking it. leaders are shmucks too. it isn't easy to do because the impulses are so deep. yet the journey to freedom and trust starts with one simple step, don't talk about "them" the next time, talk about yourself. choose to reveal that if it wasn't for grace then you'd be lost too. reject the free pass that some people give you in the hope that this generation will see integrity where before all they’ve seen is self-delusion.

the truth is our generation only responds to what it respects. it only respects what it has come to trust. it only trusts what it knows. we are basically distrustful and it takes a lot of life to "earn" the words "I trust you." one of my mentors used to say, "you may impress from a distance but you only impact up close." that kind of proximity will of course show up our weaknesses and so our leadership simply must be honest and raw.

what about the qualifications? how about realness? honesty? a deep appreciation for grace that accepts radically? constancy and faithful friendship? What about love? these are what it means to "qualify" for this generation.

I heard someone say something pretty cool the other day about leadership and authority. He said that authority on the level of Gandhi or Martin Luther King – one that has nothing to do with title or position – comes from a life where the principles that are espoused are lived. I have heard it called integrity and it speaks of the rare experience of when actions follow words. The New Testament called this authority “exousia” and it referred to it coming “from oneself.” Jesus had it. Through Him we can have it. But only if we are living with the integrity of lifestyle our generation is crying out for.