Barnabas File

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,  the new creation  has come:  The old has gone, the new is here! ”--2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV Innovation is a grass-roots process.  Until a leader comes to understand this statement, innovation will continue to be seen as something that is done by a select few in a limited number of organizations.  Every organization—even the church—can become truly creative and innovation, but this will require a significant paradigm shift.  This must happen first with leadership and then with participants. Jeanne Liedtka, who teaches at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, writes that there are two paradigms of innovation and only one is truly about innovation.  From one perspective, innovation is something only done by experts.  It takes place in homogeneous teams who operate within their narrowly defined areas of responsibility or silos.  In this approach, stakeholders—those ...

Have you ever had the experience of picking out what you thought would be the perfect gift for a friend or loved one and then seeing disappointment or confusion on that person’s face when it was unwrapped?  This is an embarrassing moment for everyone involved (especially if there is an audience). Why does this happen?  One reason is that we did not know the person’s interests and inclinations as much as we thought we did.  Another is that we selected the gift because it was something that we would like to have and just assumed that the other person would as well.  Finally, we gave a gift that we thought that the person ought to have to correct some fault or encourage them to adopt a new behavior.  Sometimes we do this in ministry settings as well.  We assume that a certain constituency needs something and we plan to provide it.  When it is delivered, the process, program, or service falls flat on its face.  Why? 1.  We did no...

A study released recently by the American Association of Theological Schools found that enrollment in its member schools had stabilized and even showed a slight increase over the previous year.     Perhaps more interesting are the upward and downward trends in student enrolment over the past decade. In downward trends, the enrolment of white students has decreased by 19 percent.  There was a 6 percent enrolment decline for those under 30 and a 14 percent decrease in those seeking the Master of Divinity degree, the basic theological education program. Upward trends included the following:  ten percent increase in racial/ethnic students, 16 percent increase in students over 50 years of age, and an 11 percent increase in those pursuing professional or academic Master of Arts degrees. I would particularly like to address the upward trends and what they mean for the providers of theological education. First, the increasing number of students...

As individuals and organizations, we are often distracted by the latest “bright, shining object.”  The object may be a new training program, software, or ministry opportunity.  Whatever it is, the new object seems more attractive than what we are presently doing, promising a quick and productive result. In his book Leaders Made Here , Mark Miller reminds us that we should hold our strategies tightly and our tactics loosely. In World War Two, Eisenhower’s strategy was to invade Europe and defeat the German forces.  Various troop and logistical movements were the tactics to accomplish this and were constantly modified. Strategies move us toward our long-term goals or vision while tactics are steps along the way.  Tactics change based on the realities on the ground.  New programs and ideas are tactics, but do they move us toward our ultimate goals or divert us from what we want to achieve?  Perhaps they are simply shortcuts to disaster.  We h...

You are walking down the corridor of a church on Sunday morning.  A member of the congregation is coming toward you and you see him bend down and pick up a discarded candy wrapper off the floor.  He puts it in his pocket, continues walking toward you and says, “Good morning.” What’s with this guy?  Is he obsessive-compulsive, a former custodian, or just a neat freak?  In reality, this may be his way of exercising the gift of hospitality.  When it comes to welcoming guests to the congregation, we usually think about providing a warm greeting, clear directional signs, good childcare, clean restrooms, and convenient parking.  These are all important but the person in our story is sensitive to the little things like a neat building that make people feel comfortable. This is the same person who will go out of his way to help a newcomer find a seat at worship or give away his worship bulletin to someone who failed to pick one up at the door....

Photo: Matt Kryger/USA Today Network) As I begin this blog, let me share a couple of disclaimers.   First, former University of Tennessee and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is not everyone’s favorite person.   Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.   Second, athletic coaching and life coaching are not exactly alike but there are some commonalities.      If you will allow me to proceed with those things understood, I want to share some comments that Manning made in a recent charity event in Indianapolis. Manning was an outstanding quarterback but he is also a generous philanthropist, community leader, and businessman.  When questioned recently about his career, he had some very positive things to say about athletic coaching that also seem to apply to life coaching. In talking about his former coach, Tony Dungy, Manning said: “Coaches have been the best leaders I’ve been around. Tony Dungy was every bit as good a h...