Barnabas File

In The Fifth Discipline , Peter Senge explains the value of alignment: “[W]hen a team becomes more aligned, a commonality of direction emerges, and individuals’ energies harmonize.” He goes on to write, “Individuals do not sacrifice their personal interests to the larger team vision; rather, the shared vision becomes an extension of their personal visions. In fact, alignment is the necessary condition before empowering the individual will empower the whole team.” (pp 234-235).   Alignment precedes empowerment. Senge’s idea is that everyone is going somewhere but is there some way to get everyone to either put alter their goals so that everyone can move in the same direction?   Very often an individual’s goal can even be seen as an important part of attaining the larger organizational goal, becoming a win-win situation for all concerned. One of the biggest challenges of leading a church is achieving some level of alignment, at least in vital functions such as doing...

We live insular lives.  There are major catastrophes all over the world that impact thousands, threatening life and health, and most of us know nothing about them.   In an online peer group this week a Doctor of Ministry student at Central Baptist Theological Seminary shared about the flooding crisis in Myanmar. Massive floods and strong winds in Myanmar (formerly Burma) have killed 99 and impacted over a million people across 12 of the country's 14 regions, according to the August 10 situation report by the government of Myanmar. More than 200,000 households have been displaced, 15,000 homes have been "totally destroyed" and 1,290,000 acres of farm land have been ruined. In this student’s home province, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and over 7000 people are homeless.   He has applied for a visa to travel there to assess human needs for food, safety, and shelter and report back to International Ministries of American Baptist Churches, USA. He will ...

How good a listener are you?   Most of us would say that we are good listeners, but careful reflection on our listening would probably reveal several things that contradict that assessment. First, as we listen, we often spend a considerable amount of time thinking about how we are going to respond to the person we are listening to.   We are thinking, “How do I avoid seeming disinterested?   How do I communicate that I am an active participant?” Second, although we may hear and understand what the speaker is saying, we may be trying to find a link to our own life.   We are asking ourselves, “Have we experienced something similar to what the speaker is recounting?   Do we know someone that the other person knows?   Do we agree or disagree with the speaker’s statements?” Third, we may actually be rather distracted or thinking about how to move the conversation into an area that we are interested in or know more about.   We thi...

Many of us have heard this question this summer as we have traveled with young (and sometime not so young) passengers.   Of course, this presupposes that we know where we are going!   We will only know if we are there if we have a clear idea of our destination.   Often, some have one idea while others have another. In a recent blog , Mark Miller wrote, “Have you ever been confused by a message you received from a leader? Have you ever received mixed messages from leaders in your organization? If your organization has at least two leaders, I’m confident the answer is ‘yes!’”   So how do you avoid sending mixed messages throughout your organization?   Who defines the destination so that we all get to the same place at the right time? Most organizations—secular or faith-based—tend to attract driven, creative people who are seeking ways to advance the mission of the organization (and perhaps their own agendas as well).   The greatest challenge is...

"From this time many of his disciples  turned back and no longer followed him."--John 6:66, NIV I heard recently that a person approached the pastor of a church and said, "We are leaving the church.  We are just not happy here."  This struck me as rather odd.  Perhaps there were extenuating factors--not feeling welcome, not fully involved, etc. --but the idea that "happiness" should be the criteria for church involvement is rather bizarre.  In the verse above, it is clear that Jesus' teaching did not make some people happy. Don't get me wrong.  Everyone wants to be part of a congregation where she or he is accepted, loved, and engaged.  This does not necessarily mean that one leaves every Sunday feeling "happy."  One might leave feeling challenged.  As a result of approaching the Holy God in worship, one might come away with a desire to walk closer to God. One might leave with a different set of priorities.  As a resu...