Missional Leadership – My Inspiration
I have recently been challenged by a series of posts on leadership over at Emerging Grace (Part 1, 2, 3 & 4), with some reflections from Brother Maynard. If you haven’t already, check these posts out. As I have considered Missional Leadership, I have wondered how I would primarily describe such a concept. Each time I return to the characteristics of leadership that were inspired by the late Robert Greenleaf and articulated by Larry Spears. Through the grid of my own understanding, they are as follows:
1. Listening: It is the role of missional leaders to identify and clarify the missional vocation of the community, not to impose their own will. This is only possible if the missional leader is dedicated to listening to both explicit and unspoken heart of the group. As hard as this will be for those in leadership to divest themselves of their power, it will be equally challenging for the community to accept their own responsibility to reflection and articulate their voice. After being led and fed from the top down for so long, this will take time and sacrifice.
2. Empathy: It is not enough for missional leaders to simply listen, but they must also identify with those in the community, even on an individual level. Even when responding to problematic behaviour, they must begin on the assumption of the best about the person. By empathizing with each person, the missional leader stops viewing them as “resources”, but rather as individuals that bring priceless strengths and spirit to the community.
3. Healing: Against the mechanistic worldview that dominates the world that seeks to fix that which is broken, missional leaders must organically seek to heal that which is wounded. Central to this is that the healing we pursue is mutual to us all, not a condescension of the whole person saving the flawed. Missional leaders recognize that our woundedness is not a distraction to the purposes of the church, but a central and shared reality of every member.
4. Awareness: Missional leaders recognize that intentional awareness is essential. This awareness- which includes the individuals, the community and even the larger culture and world- is costly, as it more likely to disturb than comfort. However, ignoring the realities as distractions or as inconsequential has cost the church far too much throughout our history. Missional leaders pursue awareness as a discipline, encouraging it in their communities as well.
5. Persuasion: Abandoning the hierarchal model of commands and orders, missional leaders will seek to lead by persuasion. Seeking to convince instead of coerce, they put aside positional authority for a place of positional mutuality. Further, missional leaders must be as open to be persuaded themselves as they are to do the persuading.
6. Conceptualization: Whether considering the future or facing a problem, missional leaders must be visionaries who can imagine all that is possible for their community. Drawing these visions out of the group, rather than demanding adherence, is what separates missional leaders from others. In the midst of this dreaming, they do not ignore or neglect the daily realities of life, but seek to integrate both together.
7. Foresight: Like the sons of Issachar who understood the times and knew what the people should do, missional leaders use their intuitive insight to see and respond quickly to shifts and currents in the community and the culture. Learning from past, present and the possible futures, they are able to facilitate direction with remarkable insight. While this foresight can be learned to a degree, there are some who are naturally gifted in this and must, therefore, be recognized, released and followed.
8. Stewardship: Like in the parable of the talents, missional leaders practice stewardship with the knowledge that it is not for their own benefit that they work, but for that of God and the community. they are not stewards for their own personal gain, but rather as servants seeking the masters purposes and pleasure. As it is not their own, missional leaders lead in this through consensus and consent.
9. Growth: Missional leaders see the individuals development and growth of those in their community is as important (and sometimes more important) as the larger mission or vision of the church/ministry/etc. This costly commitment means that time, energy and resources (including the limited and coveted funds) must be invested into peoples lives. Missional leaders serve beyond what is required, keeping the person as centrally important, not themselves or the institutions they serve.
10. Building Missional Community: With all the value placed on every individual in the community, missional leaders are warriors against the powers of individualism. This is reconciled in the belief in and commitment to the truth that individuality finds its truest fulfillment in the context of authentic community. Characterized by authenticity and united in missional vocation, the missional leader leads by example in both respects.
For any of you who are unfamiliar with Robert Greenleaf I urge you to get your hands on his books (or read some online material) on servant leadership. His works are essential, crossing the line into every sphere of influence. The emerging-missional church (or movement or conversation) has much to learn from this wise servant.
