Three Kinds of Leadership
For three different situations.
Dan Kimball, Mark Driscoll, and Leith Anderson
April 1, 2006
Dan Kimball: Leading the Unleadable
Leadership in the emerging church is a paradox. I am someone who fully sees the value of mission statements, organizational charts, and a strategic approach to leading. I read everything John Maxwell and Bill Hybels write, and they fuel my heart and passion for leadership. The irony is that most growing up in our emerging culture are critical of anything that looks like "organized religion." My church doesn't want anything too business oriented or too structured. Where previous generations related to a more structured culture, many in the emerging church are drawn to a non-hierarchical approach. Much like what is emphasized in the writings of Henri Nouwen. I've read Nouwen's In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership a dozen times. It convicts me to the core about motives and the heart of leadership. But Henri was shepherding and loving a relatively few people. Leading a church that is growing, launching new ministries, and building multi-level leadership teams needs Nouwen, but also Maxwell. So I wrestle. In our church we live in the tension and try to do both. I dive into my Maxwell books and focus on building leadership and setting up structures needed for a healthy Ephesians 4:11-12 type of church. After a season, I need to run back to Nouwen for a season. To some degree, these two paradigms seem polarized. But I think it is possible to still be "organized" without becoming "organized religion." In the end, it is the Spirit of God who does things through us anyway. But it is definitely a paradox we live in today, with new thoughts and values colliding in the emerging church. My challenge is to let Henri show me how to reflect Jesus to my organizationally resistant sheep, even ...
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