Barnabas File

In a blog for the International Coach Federation, Diane Craig discussed leadership styles for aspiring leaders.  Some are suited for short-term situations where immediate impact is needed. Others are best when there is time and space to provide leadership over the long term.  Most pastors find themselves in situations where long term strategies of leadership can be implemented.  Craig identifies those as Visionary, Participative, and Coaching. According to Craig, a visionary style “establishes standards and monitors performance in relation to the larger vision.” This might be called an inspirational or aspirational style.  The participative leader “invites employees to participate in the development of decisions and actively seeks opportunities for consensus.” The goal here is to develop a smoothly functioning, cohesive team of people to accomplish something.  This often complements a visionary style. Participat...

In a recent conversation with a denominational leader, we both agreed very quickly that each church is unique.   Not only is a church situated in a particular geographic context, but it has people with different gifts and opinions and a history of past experiences that is formative.    When a church enters into a process of transformation, its uniqueness can make it difficult to “get all the ducks in a row.”  Getting everyone moving in the same direction can be a challenge.  This is what we call alignment.  In church transformation, two types of alignment are necessary.   First, we attempt to align the people to move in the same direction.  This begins with spiritual and relational vitality, but the next step is communication about the way forward.  This can only take place in face-to-face communication.  Surveys gather information, but they do not engage people.  Newsletters and so...

Wespath, the benefits and investment entity of United Methodists, recently published a report titled, “Clergy Health Factors--What Matters Most.”    The report states, “Healthy churches and congregations foster healthy clergy and church leaders--and vice-versa.” The report identified 13 factors that influence clergy health.  Some are specific to the Methodist system--“stressors of the appointment process” and “appointment changes and relocation” --but might be translated into similar challenges in other denominational contexts.  Some deal with issues that might be addressed through formal counseling--“personal centeredness” and “marital and family satisfaction.” The rest of the list reflects the concerns that I often see articulated by pastors in coaching conversations. For example, “relationship with congregation,” “work/life balance,” “existential burdens of ministry,” and “outside interests and social life.”   The study stresses ...

During a recent conversation with a pastor friend, we discovered that he had been the pastor 20 years ago of a church that I worked as a consultant last year.    As we talked about the church, we realized that very little had changed, including a major annual event that was still an important part of church life. Churches have a tendency to institutionalize events and other offerings that are successful the first time around. These events quickly become a tradition in the life of the church, whether the original purpose continues to be achieved.  One church I visited continued to have a Swedish luncheon annually even though few of the members were still Swedish and did not know any Swedish dishes to prepare! When is it time to pull the plug on activities that seem to have outlived their usefulness?  Here are some questions church leadership might consider in making that decision. First, does it still fulfill the purpose for which it was desig...

You’ve seen it happen.     A motivated, well-meaning group of leaders decides to provide a ministry, program, or outreach that will change the lives of a particular segment of the population. They gather the resources, train the providers, deliver the intervention . . . and it falls flat on its face.     What happened? There may be multiple causes for the failure, but one could be that those delivering the intervention never stopped to talk to those who were the designated recipients.  Perhaps the project failed to meet a real need, duplicated another service, was offered at the wrong time, or failed to understand the values of the recipients. There are times when the intervention might even be offensive. In recent years, several processes have been developed—total quality management, asset-based community development, and design thinking, for example—that begin with those who know more about the concern or problem than anyone else: ...

Theological education as we know it is a construct that is relatively new in Christian history. In a recent article in Christian Century , Ryan Bonfiglio points out that the first seminary for clerical training was established by the Roman Catholic Church in 1563.    Since then, other streams of influence--European and American, theological and sociological, ecclesiastical and educational--have shaped the models of theological education with which we are familiar today. In his article, Bonfiglio suggests that we rethink our assumptions about where theological education happens and reconsider the role of the church in ministerial formation.   Bonfiglio’s ideas stimulate us to consider other alternative models for equipping ministers. For example, if we take missional theology seriously, what would a missional seminary look like?  Missional theology challenges us in three ways. First, we should reconsider the context in which we live and r...

We cannot motivate others.     We can provide an environment in which people can become motivated, but real motivation comes from within.     In the same way, a leader cannot make people into innovators.  If this is true, then what is the role of the leader in innovation?  How much can a leader do to foster innovation among others?   Alec Horniman is the Killgallon Ohio Art Professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, teaching in the areas of ethics, strategy and leadership.  He suggests three actions that a leader can do to foster innovation.  First, invite people to join the process of innovation.  The innovative leader invites others along on the journey. He or she is not only a role model but a resource, sharing experiences and opportunities.  An innovative leader invites others to be part of the process and to learn together.  An innovative leader does...

I attended an all-male military school for 12 years.     This was not a residential school; we all lived at our homes in the community.     When I told people I went to a military school, one frequent response was, “Oh, have you been in trouble?”    No, I entered the school in first grade not because I was an incorrigible offender but because my parents wanted me to have a good education and were willing to sacrifice for me to go to a private school. Fast forward to the present day.  As I work with churches and other organizations, I sometimes hear this statement: “This person has a problem. They probably need a coach.”  I am not sure of the source of this perspective, but it misses the real reason that a person should have a coach. The present coaching movement was birthed through businesses where rising executives were (and are) provided coaches so that they could build on their strengths.  They were already doing ...

Where you do find the best information about what is needed to get the job done?     You go to those on the front lines, people who deal with the challenges daily.     This is what Luther Seminary in St. Paul did. During fall 2018, faculty and staff teams from Luther Seminary visited a dozen Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) synods across the nation for listening sessions with pastors, lay leaders, and synodical staff to ask this question: “What do leaders need to know, or know how to do, to be faithful and effective in a rapidly changing world?” The report generated from these conversations identified seven key themes: connect with God; cultivate community; innovate faithfully; connect with diverse neighbors; equip the saints; shift ministry models; and deepen administrative leadership. Early last year, I conducted a research project with a much smaller sample, but many of the same themes emerged. These findings provide both theological...

Being the church today is a challenge, but this is nothing new according to Terrell Carter, the author of Learning to be the Church in a New World:     Recognizing and Overcoming the Challenges to Organized Faith in the 21 st   Century .    Rather than fearing these challenges, we should look to the Bible for clarity in how to embrace them and do the work that God has called us to do. This more of a “why-to” than a “how-to” book.  Although Carter provides a thorough diagnosis of the situation the church finds itself in today, he takes us to scripture to find both encouragement and insight about a way forward.  As a researcher he has done a thorough analysis of the present reality, and as pastor he presents a biblical basis for engaging our world with the Gospel.  He writes from a missional perspective but in a manner that will communicate not only with lay leaders but the person in the pew as well. There are three moveme...

In my theological education, I was taught that the minister was the answer person.     He (and it was always “he”) was the expert you accessed for answers on life, doctrinal issues, and relationship concerns.     I often struggled with that concept.     I stopped attending a Sunday School class at one church where we were members because the teacher always turned to me and said, “Tell us what this passage means.” During my time as a denominational worker, I was encouraged to use the resource model for working with churches.  This approach was based on, “Tell us your situation because we have an answer for you.” This usually meant a one-size-fits-all program that was generated in Nashville, Atlanta, or Richmond. The denominational person was the answer person. Unfortunately, I took this model into my work as a state leader with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. As I sat down to talk with pastors, I began to realize that I did...

In teaching coaching classes, we point out the differences between the various “people development processes” --counseling, consulting, teaching, mentoring, coaching, and spiritual direction.     The differences are generally defined along two axes--self as expert versus other as expert and asking versus telling. For example, in most cases, the consultant is usually the content expert who shares his or her expertise, so consulting is in the “other as expert”/”telling” corner.  Coaches on the other hand lead the process with the client as the expert and the coach asking questions; therefore, coaching is in the “self as expert”/”asking” corner. In reality, the lines are often blurred.  Over the course of time, a mentoring relationship can take on more of the characteristics of coaching as the client or protégé accepts more responsibility for his or her actions.  In newer forms of education, teachers may become more guides or facilitators ...

A disclaimer is necessary at the very beginning of this review. The miniseries of Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders which is currently available on Netflix is violent, disturbing, and unorthodox, but it is worth watching.    If you are familiar with the characterizations of Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot offered by David Suchet, Peter Ustinov, and Kenneth Branagh, you will immediately understand that John Malkovich’s Poirot is cut from different cloth. In this presentation, Poirot has seen better days.  He finds himself graying, at loose ends, alone, and marginalized.  An extraordinary string of murders brings new focus to his life but also unearths some hidden demons.  Even if you are familiar with other versions of Poirot, a few minutes of Malkovich’s performance will cause you to see the detective in a new light. Without giving too much away, there is a theological dilemma that burdens and motivates the great detective....

What do you see? The first time I learned about paradigms and paradigm shifting was through Joel Barker’s book on the topic. Barker helped us to see that if we can shift the way that we look at something, we can change our entire perspective on the subject.  He used optical illusions as an illustration of this concept.  If you look at something once, you see it in one particular way, but if you concentrate, you may see something new. Barker also pointed out that this idea applies to business.  Those who started laying tracks and placing locomotives on them thought they were in the railroad business when actually they were in the transportation business.  One approach led to a dead end; the other opened up new possibilities. The same is true of the church.  Hans Kung and David Bosch applied this to the work of the church through two millennia. Building on their work, we can identify seven  major subdivisions ...