Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 3

As of 6:45 this morning Terry and I are back home in Western Pennsylvania. (Sigh)

As you progress in reading my comments, let me urge you to go to his blog and read his comments as well. Terry Timm is a great thinker who has a wonderful way with language when it comes to unraveling a lot of this stuff. I owe him a world of thanks for turning me on to this gathering.

This is where I must be to unpack the last few days. This was not a conference where we go to learn a new way to do things or learn some new methodology. These core discussions are much much deeper than mere methods.

Wednesday afternoon after one of the sessions on Synergy and the various types of leaders Terry and I were doing some discussing. Erwin was talking about the three basic types of leaders: catalytic leaders, corporate leaders and causal leaders. They had us unpack each of them with a Q & A with their staff folks in each of those arenas. There was good discussion regarding the need in each of these three arenas for leadership.

At one point in that discussion, Erwin made these statements in reference to his two staff members who were listening, nodding their heads and agreeing.

“The worst thing you can say to Eric (corporate leader) is, “Start this from scratch.”

“The worst thing you can say to David (causal leader) is, “Commit to this for life.”

I attempted to get in a question, but was unable to do so. The question was this, “What is the worst thing you can say to a catalytic leader?” When I mentioned that to Terry he said, “You are that sort of leader, what is the worst thing that can be said to you.”

My reply, “You can’t do that,” or “That is impossible.”

Those comments to me are not a road block. They present a challenge. Come hell or high water, it is an obstacle to overcome. It then makes me all the more incensed to do it, and unfortunately, if I am not careful, for many of the wrong reasons.

As Terry and I talked further, we began to realize that there are times when leaders may be a combination of one of these types and not fit into the exact areas. I am sure others realized that as well.

Okay enough for now. Here are a few more quotes:

“I turned to God thinking he was a fool for wanting me.” – McCall

“We must connect everything we do to the human story, so folks do not forget it is about people.” – Erwin

“We need more chaos and movement, not more organization.” – Erwin

“The Western Church has become at best an employment agency for those who like to study and at worst a movement of managers and administrators, but it is void of dreamers and visionaries.” - Erwin

“The common denominator of declining churches: ‘They have great fellowship.’” – Erwin

“Theologians say, ‘We think.’ Experientialists say, ‘We feel.’ What we need to do is to take ‘thinking’ add ‘feeling’ and combust it by adding ‘doing.' Then we really learn.” - Alex

“Many if not most of the folks in our churches are bulimic. You feed them on Sunday. They vomit on Sunday night. They starve themselves all week. Then come back next Sunday so they can gorge themselves again.” – Erwin

“If you are in a church and you are not affecting the Ethos of that congregation, regardless of the grief you may take, you are not the leader. The leader may very well be someone who is dead or gone.” – Erwin

“Part of spiritual leadership is creating a crisis for people that forces them to grow and address issues in their life.” – Erwin

I am just getting started here . . .