There was a day that it was difficult to question the direction or philosophy of ministry. The style of leadership was more autocratic. And, to ask “why” came across as threatening. So, we just accepted any decision that seemed moral and almost unconsciously promoted it. In other words, it was normal not to know anything other than the basic what to do next. The right thing to do was to be a good, loyal follower. And, by the way, that’s still the right thing to do! But, blind trust is in many ways a thing of the past (if it ever really existed).
As leaders, our willingness to be questioned and our attitude towards that are important. No matter how an organization is set up, there must be those we allow to speak candidly in response to our views and even convictions. How they should do that has been addressed in a previous blog. http://www.darrenpilcher.blogspot.com/2012/09/respectfully-honest.html
When leaders facilitate environments of candor, it potentially involves a generation that needs opportunity to grow. Even in church life, apostolic leadership can still have the needed ingredient of collaboration. Here’s what it can look like:
(1) Establish philosophy, but maintain flexibility in methods.
(2) Visit business models as a team and talk about it openly.
(3) Practice the rule of respectful honesty.
(4) Honor the talents and individuality of others.
(5) Deliberately go with the best ideas, not just yours.
But, this can mean sacrifice: our plan could be trampled on or rewritten to the point that it loses personal DNA. Leaders, in any field, need to be confident enough to have tough questions asked, processes discussed and direction reworked. It’s a matter of accountability and buy-in. Hey, it’s as much growth for the leader as the follower. And, when the one in charge creates an atmosphere of dialogue, the giftings of others rises to the top. The power of what is normalized rests with leadership. Let’s normalize knowledge and learning over ignorance and demand.
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