Thousand Acre Church

I don’t blog much anymore.  I’m having trouble reconciling the use of a self-created platform for self-indulgent reflections that often cross the line between self-expression and egoism.  That said, I want to get something off my chest.  I’ll benefit from barfing this all up, so I can move on.  Nobody will read this anyway, right?

Here goes.  I’m involved with a group at church that meets frequently and we’ve recently been “suspended” (for lack of a better word).  Nobody is sure what the next move is, and I think people in the leadership structure were surprised by the reaction of participants in this group.  I think they anticipated that the announcement that the group would be suspended would be welcomed (or at least understood).  Surprise!  Yeah… most of the people participating in the group actually wanted to continue to gather for fellowship and care.  Now we have a big discussion going on about the viability and future of the group.  Nothing out of the ordinary here, so far.  This is all part of the life of groups and churches.  No problem from me to this point.

Here’s where I’m starting to get rubbed the wrong way:  The church leadership team given charge of this class has no idea what the next step in the process is, and the pastor serving as director of this team has left participants in the class with an open-ended future.  There are at least four different plausible scenarios for the future of the class, but we have no idea which of the scenarios is likely to play out.  AND… we don’t have a timeline for when a decision will be made as to whether or not the class will be dissolved, supported, or accommodated.  I’m not bitter (yet) about the situation, but I’m learning something about leadership and community.

The enemy of positive change in organizations isn’t rejection; its open-ended dialogue.  You might be a part of an open-ended dialogue if someone has told you or your tribe one of the following things:

• “We have to talk more about it.”
• “We need to do some more homework or research.”
• “We’re not sure what we are going to do, but we’ll take your concerns seriously as we discuss it.”
• “I appreciate your input.  We have a lot on our plates right now, but we’ll get back to you.”
• “Maybe.  We’ll see.”
• “I can’t promise you anything.  I can’t commit to anything until we’ve discussed it further.”

Get the feel of it?  I’m anticipating where this whole situation at church is headed.  Some people we call leaders are probably more correctly called managers.  There is nothing wrong with managing, and every organization (including a church) needs good managers to keep things going.  But a manager is different than a leader.  Leaders move forward, often instigating changes that are uncomfortable but necessary.  Mangers benefit from maintaining the status quo, because it is the status quo that we employ and empower them to maintain.  Sometimes leaders create things through application of their leadership that give them incentives to trade their “leader” hats for a “manager” hat.  All of this works and is good, as long as we recognize the process and the limitations of the ability of managers to lead.  This situation at my church is not unique; I’m sure that every organization has an expression of this tension between leadership and managership.  If we respect the tension, then we can address it and benefit from the process.

As long as the handlers of your community keep the conversation going, you are bound to them and the norms that they are protecting.  A simple “No.” would provide a release from obligations to the “way things work around here” and a freedom to take initiative and move on in a new direction.  As long as the discussion continues, we will continue to wait for answers to our questions.  These are often answers to questions that nobody really feels an ungency to give us in the first place. 

To managers, give those in your charge a “Yes.” or a “No.”  That would be a courtesy that would unshackle leaders and creative participants in your community. 

To leaders, why are you waiting for managers to give you a thumbs-up or an anointed alternative path when you already know what needs to be done?  You probably know in your gut that the input you’re hoping for from your managers will not come soon (if ever).  So, why not just get to work and start creating the new realities in your job, your church, your neighborhood, etc.?  The time to make changes was yesterday, and tomorrow there might not be any momentum left with which to implement those changes.