Barnabas File

Positive psychology developed out of the work of Martin Seligman in the 1970s and 1980s.  One person describes positive psychology as  “the scientific study of what makes life most worth living.” Rather than studying the pathology of those who have problems coping with everyday life, those involved in positive psychology look at how individuals not only cope but prosper.” In recent years,  positive organizational psychology has evolved to study what both elevates and challenges employees and their companies. It proposes that we ask questions about what goes right, what gives life, what inspires and what is experienced as good, in addition to what is problematic and difficult in organizations.  This type of research addresses topics such as hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. Of course, an organization that is characterized by the elements of positive psychology are its leaders.  One research project identified these four char...

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.   Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.   They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32, NIV) The last chapter of Luke’s gospel has an interesting account that helps us to perceive God’s work among us in challenging times. It is the afternoon of Resurrection Day.  Two of the lesser known disciples (perhaps a married couple) have left the city in confusion and perhaps disillusionment.  While they are talking among themselves, a person overtakes them and joins in their conversation.  They pour out their disappointment and uncertainty to him.  They had hoped so much that Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would redeem Israel, but now they don’t know and the events...

In his book Shift:     Three Big Moves for the 21 st  Century Church , my colleague Mark Tidsworth outlined three changes that our churches should make to engage people today and a process to implement those changes: From membership to discipleship; From attractional church to missional church; From consumer church to sacred partnering. Although this process is usually introduced in a weekend workshop, I was invited to cover these movements in one-hour sessions on two consecutive Wednesday evenings earlier this year. We had a good response and a number of church members, including some my age, were very affirming with comments such as, “This makes sense.  We have to change to be the church.”  There was a little pushback, but I think it was due more to semantics than disagreement with the process. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in how we do church have become mandatory rather than elective. Many churches, in...

Stanford economist Paul Romer is credited with the statement, “ A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. ”  I am not exactly sure what Dr. Romer had in mind, but the present health crisis and all of its implications certainly drive us to reflect, learn, and reorient ourselves.  Now is a good time to ask these questions: First, what’s really important?  During this time of pandemic, we have the opportunity to reassess what is really important in our lives.  Most of us would probably say that people and our relationships are primary.  We seek human connection whether in our families or beyond.  Even the most introverted persons among us desire the ability to communicate and respond to others.  We also realize that this is a time to attend to “the least of these” who are struggling to survive. Second, what’s not important?  This is a great time to consider the difference between our needs and our wants....

On the evening of this Easter Sunday, we watched Risen, a 2016 film starring Joseph Fiennes as Roman tribune Clavius and Cliff Curtis as Yeshua (Jesus).  Although the film takes a number of liberties with the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus, I appreciated the way in which it depicted the disciples from a new perspective.  They are a bit uncertain about their future but when they are in the presence of the resurrected Christ they are playful, almost childlike, reflecting the demeanor of a laughing, loving savior.  Of course, in our “social distancing” context, it is good to see on the screen the hugging and joyous interaction among Jesus and his disciples. Easter 2020 has passed, and we have been challenged to celebrate it in ways that we never have before.  No packed churches, joyous choirs, rich pageantry, or family gatherings this year. Even so, we need the message of Christ’s triumph and presence among us even more than in past...

When I coach leaders, we talk a great deal about balance.     Sometimes this is work/life balance--giving proper emphasis both to work, family, and self-care.     Sometimes is balancing between relationship and task--caring for people while getting the job done.     Other times it is a balance between career stability and trying something new. In our volatile world, emerging and unexpected changes make it difficult for one to keep balanced.  Just when you think you have your work assignments, schedule, and personal commitments in some equilibrium, along comes change.  The change may be sickness of yourself or a family member, the departure of a colleague, or a pandemic that alters how you do everything. In his book, The New Leadership Literacies , Bob Johansen explains that in such volatile settings,   “Leadership skills will have to be wrapped in broader literacies that combine: “Discipline, to provide order—but no...

Although I am not a pastor or church staff minister, I know a lot of them and have kept in touch during the Coronavirus pandemic. For most of these friends, activity has ramped up during this time.     This is not a leisurely work from home or spend more time with family season.     Granted most are working from home and spending more time with family, but they are also engaging in ministry in overdrive.     I think there are several reasons for this. First, pastoral leaders (senior pastors, staff ministers, chaplains, or denominational leaders) are concerned about the people under their care.  Even the introverts among the group are used to interacting with individuals on a daily basis providing encouragement, support, and leadership.  With social distancing, this is hard to do, requires more intentionality, and adds to the burden they carry. Second, many ministers are dealing with both guilt and uncertainty.  They ...

Were you alive when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on  January 28, 1986?  The crew of seven all died including a civilian,  Christa McAuliffe, the first “teacher in space.”  The investigation that followed indicated that the fatal flaw that caused the disaster were rubber “O-ring” seals in the shuttle boosters that deteriorated due to the cold temperatures prior to launch.  Although this design concern had been raised earlier, no one took it seriously until the explosion of the shuttle and the deaths of all on board.   During this Coronavirus pandemic, we are faced with challenges that we have not faced before, both personally and professionally.  As we seek to respond, we find flaws not only in ourselves but in the organizations in which we work.  These flaws were always there but did not rise to the surface until the crisis.   To think specifically about faith-based organizations such as churches,...

“Change is the only constant.” --Heraclitus In  The New Leadership Literacies , author Bob Johansen is realistic about what it means to be a leader in a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.  Despite the challenges of leadership in this era, he is surprisingly optimistic that leaders can and will learn how to engage these dynamic forces and provide the guidance that organizations need to move forward. Johansen writes, “As I’ve worked with the VUCA world concept in a variety of organizations since 9/11, I’ve come to understand that it does have a hopeful side: volatility yields to vision; uncertainty to understanding; complexity to clarity; and ambiguity to agility. Vision, understanding, clarity, and agility are foundational to the new leadership literacies that I am proposing in this book. What does it mean for a leader, especially in a faith-based organization, to transform each of these challenges into an opportunity for eng...

Leaders in every field either fear, anticipate, or attempt to create the future.  Change is inevitable and those with the right skills will be able to thrive within a changing reality.  In  The New Leadership Literacies , Bob Johansen identifies the literacies--combinations of disciplines, practices, and worldviews--that will be needed to lead in a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Johansen is a futurist with both a Master of Divinity degree and a PhD in sociology.  He writes, “While I don’t claim to be an expert in the present I have been pretty good at listening for and foreseeing the future.” Johansen’s goal is that by “looking out ten years [one] can look backward from the future and provoke, not predict.”  He sees a future where everything is distributed with the potential for both positive and negative results. The author’s approach suggests five leadership literacies:  Looking Back from the Future, Voluntary...

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”  ―  Kenneth H. Blanchard As we minister in a VUCA world  of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we have to be able learn from others.  One way to do this is through crowdsourcing.   Merriam-Webste r defines crowdsourcing as  “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” Crowdsourcing may be the 21 st  century version of mentoring.  A mentor is someone who shares with you things that she or he has learned so you don’t have you discover them for yourself.  Move the idea from an individual to a group and add the Internet; the result is crowdsourcing. In this time of COVID-19 crisis, few people have the playbook to do what needs to be done, including ministers.  I have found in recen...

“It is better to try something and fail rather than try nothing and succeed.” --Anonymous As we minister in a VUCA world  of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we have to be willing to take chances.  In these times, the way forward is not always clear, and our skills may be lacking, but we will learn more from action than inaction.  What guides this type of risk-taking? First, we have to be ready to respond to the unexpected.  During these days of the Coronavirus crisis, many church leaders are trying things that they have never done before, especially in relation to digital communication and online engagement.  Churches that never considered offering their worship services online are putting Sunday worship on the internet and offering daily devotions on video.  Bible study classes, youth gathering, children’s events, and committee meetings are being conducted by teleconference.  Some of these a...

“ Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” -- 1 Corinthians 14:8  (NIV) As we minister in a VUCA world  of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, clear and effective communication is more important than ever.  Good communication requires more than physical presence.  We can stand face to face with another person and fail to receive or understand what he or she is saying!  This clarity of message becomes even more important when we are communicating at a distance using teleconference, videoconference, and social media.  All of these are effective tools, but their use does not assure effective communication. As clergy leaders use media to communicate in  in creative and effective ways, what are some things we should keep in mind? First, what are you trying to communicate?  Clarity of communication requires that you know and understand what you want to...

“If you think that not gathering in a church building is going to kill the church, you just don’t understand the revolution Jesus started.” -- Dan White, Jr. In a previous blog post, I referred to the VUCA world  of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.    The term certainly describes the context in which we find ourselves--the onset of the coronavirus, political division, and economic challenges. Churches are certainly not immune to these influences, but I have found that clergy leaders are not just reacting but responding in creative and effective ways to this new environment. One thing that church leaders are discovering is that, despite what is going on around them, they must hold on to mission.  As Stephen Covey said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Although we cannot do ministry as we are accustomed to doing, we are still God’s people carrying out the  missio Dei  (mission of God). ...