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.
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.
posted by Jim Denison at 6:30 AM
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