Barnabas File

Although most of my ministry was on college campuses, I also worked for a small Baptist university and then a state-wide Baptist organization.     There were differences and similarities in the two. Despite the expected comments about bureaucracy, there were many positive aspects.      A plus was that I was part of organizations made up of committed people who loved the ministry they were doing.  For the most part, they were professionals who enjoyed engaging with others.  I often took the opportunity to walk down the hall or go to another campus building, drop into an office and spend time talking with someone about what they were doing, what I was doing, and life in general.  These were organic relationships that operated outside organization charts and “chains of command.”   As a result of these experiences, my understanding and appreciation for the relationships within an organization grew.  Even when individuals ...

Many in the church today look at the current situation and remember a “golden age” of church life.     Post World War Two the pews were filled, Sunday school classes overflowed with children, budgets were growing, the community was influenced by what the churches supported, seminaries were booming, and denominational bureaucracies were expanding.      Today, church members look around at empty pews, unused classrooms, diminishing resources, and an overall lack of relevance in the community around them. This disparity provokes grief, confusion, anger, and disillusionment.   In his Doctor of Ministry project at Central Seminary pastor Jason Mack pointed out that this “golden age” was an aberration.  Noting the work of Gil Rendle in  Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World,   he calls this “aberrant time.”   Postwar influence drove the population to be cohesive and common values were espoused.  Re...

Did you ever dissect a frog in high school biology? The main thing I remember besides the smell of formaldehyde was a bit of guilt because the frog was dead and would never live again.     Dissecting a frog is an exercise in reductionism, seeking to understand an organism by breaking it down into its smallest, most basic components.     The opposite approach would be a holistic approach, observing the living frog in its natural environment to understand how all its parts work together.      Regenerative leadership is informed by the rhythm of life, the nature of living things  The basis of regenerative leadership is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, because the individual components interact and create entirely new properties. Systems should be viewed as wholes, rather than just as a collection of isolated parts. It is famously summarized by the phrase, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Parts of a system are int...

A walk outdoors is refreshing.     Whether it is in the backyard, the neighborhood, a park, or a walking trail, being closer to God’s creation reminds us of the resilient, dynamic, and changing environment in which we live.    Although our efforts in development and industry often tend to interrupt those natural rhythms of life, they persist.   The same is true in human organizations.  Organizations—businesses, churches, not-for-profits, communities, political parties—are living systems.  However far they seem to have departed from God’s creation, they still exhibit the characteristics of living organisms.  If we recognize this, we can encourage those inherent aspects of life to make them more integrated, dynamic, and life-giving.    I was first introduced to this approach several years ago in a book by Steven Johnson entitled Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software , but more recently I was re...

Ministers tend to collect Bibles over the years.     I received a Scofield Reference Bible when I was ordained.     I collected several translations while in seminary including Greek, Greek Interlinear, a Harmony of the Gospels, and Hebrew scriptures (and rarely touched after seminary).      My Bible that has the most wear and tear is a New American Standard Version (The Open Bible Edition) that I used while serving as a campus minister on three campuses.     It is a little worse for wear these days, but I have found it illuminating to look back on the passages underlined, the notes in the margins, and the “Personal Study Notes” in the back.  There are several things there that reflect both what I was attempting to teach and what I was trying to learn.   One of the first things added was this quote from Francois de Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambrai (1651-1715):   “The right to be wrong in matters of religious belief must...

“ The best leaders don’t know just one style of leadership – they’re skilled at several and have the flexibility to switch between styles as the circumstances dictate.”—Daniel Goleman   Leadership style is a choice.  The approach the leader takes in working with their team impacts the leader, the team, and process outcomes.     Daniel Goleman is one of the foremost proponents of Emotional Intelligence, the concept of how effectively we manage our emotions and understand the emotions of others.  Of all his writings, I find his discussion of leadership types most challenging.   He suggests that there are six common leadership styles. In a recent  LinkedIn post , he revisits these styles.   Command--"Do What I Tell You"   The leader provides clear, decisive direction when it is felt essential, communicating certainty.   This style is essential in genuine crises—but overuse erodes morale and initiative.   I...

In our coach training program, we are currently conducting a survey of our students and former students to both evaluate their takeaways from training and how we can continue to support them in using their coaching skills.   One of the questions is, “What is the single most impactful concept, tool, or ‘aha moment’ you carry with you from your training?”  Here are some of the responses:   "The client owns their own choices/decisions."  “Realizing the wisdom comes from the client.” “I’m not responsible for fixing.” “Avoid being a problem solver.”   These responses show that these coaches have a keen awareness that the client is a responsible, knowledgeable, and has the potential for growth.  I often remind myself that when I engage with a new client in the coaching conversation, the individual brings these things to the table:   First, they have agency—the capacity the make their own choices.  Even in difficult situations, the client is re...

I n her new book   The Executive Code , strategic advisor Andrea Nicholas provides guidance for senior executives—how you get there and how you stay there.     Although I don’t buy into the idea of the pastor of a church as the “chief executive officer,” Nicholas does provide some ideas in her “Longevity Audit” that can be helpful to a clergy leader in staying the course.    Let me share the items with you and apply to a congregational setting.   First, does my calendar reflect my values—or just my obligations?  Where did your time go last month?  The allocation of your time shows where you place your personal and pastoral emphases.  If you think you are strong in caring for those in your congregation, how much time did you spend with individual members?  If family time is important, how much time did you spend with spouse and other family members?   Second, when was the last time I laughed—really? ...

You don’t need an MBA to read The Executive Code , but if you have one and seek to rise to an executive role in an organization—and stay there—this one’s for you.   In  The Executive Code , strategic advisor Andrea Nicholas reveals the unspoken rules of C-suite leadership.  The C-suite (or C-level) refers to a company's highest-ranking senior executives.   Although I have never held a C-suite position, I did once have a corner office in a large organization with a significant responsibility for programming, personnel, and resources.  I have had enough experience at that level to affirm several of the author’s key concepts.   First, personal and professional growth go together.  The most important item here is understanding and using your guiding compass—your values. These are clearly seen in your calendar—how you spend your time, who you meet, and priorities when demands conflict.  Values build personal credibili...

In a recent post, I shared a brief book review of  Project Maven , an account of a program  initiated within the Pentagon in 2017 to use AI not only for battlefield surveillance but to target people and resources.  The author points to the evolution of this project to the ultimate goal—removing humans from the decision-making process.   On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released  Magnifica Humanitas, or  “Magnificent Humanity,” the Catholic Church’s first major theological statement about artificial intelligence. No matter your tradition, this document deserves your close attention.   In response to the encyclical, Cameron Trimble, CEO of  Convergence , cited several key considerations, but here is one of special note:   “He [Pope Leo] declared ‘just war’ theory outdated, which is a major theological step. One of the encyclical’s most striking points is about AI in warfare. Leo says clearly that the Catholic Church’s centuries-old ‘just war’ ...

The publication of Katrin Manson’s book   Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare   came a month after the launch of Operation Epic Fury.     The operation targeted thousands of Iranian military and strategic assets. And made some tragic errors.     The identification and targeting of these sites were provided, in most cases, using artificial intelligence.    Manson’s thoroughly documented book recounts how that came to be.   Under the leadership of Marine Colonel Drew Cukor, an effort was initiated within the Pentagon in 2017 to use AI not only for battlefield surveillance but to target people and resources.  Manson also recounts the evolution of this project to the ultimate goal—removing humans from the decision-making process.   Project Maven is a military artificial intelligence platform developed by Palantir. Originally launched in 2017 to analyze drone and survei...

  See, I am doing a new thing!     Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness     and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)   In previous posts, we considered context, calling, and possibilities for church leadership in the future.  I am convinced that the Spirit of God is always at work among God’s people, providing ways forward that will allow the church’s mission to flourish.  In this post, I suggest five key issues for the church today, shifts in thinking from our current ways of dealing with them to new strategies, and leadership skills need to make the shift.  You may find my suggestions unsettling, even controversial, but please give them some thought.   First, a shift in theological training and the leadership roles of clergy.  With a decline in the number of seminary students who are seeking the Master of Divinity degree and the increase in ...

Something exciting is happening in our culture.     Churches and their leaders are being called upon to step up and provide hope and community in these challenging times.     This is a time for believers to engage.    In recent years, many religious leaders have seemed content to sit on the sidelines, wring their hands over the “decline of the church,” and avoid the charge of Jesus that “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIV) Bold leadership--foot washing and witness--go hand in hand, but this only happens when leaders are empowered and supported.   In his new book,   Coaching as Spiritual Practice: Deepening Faith While Deepening Impact  Edward Hammett suggests one strategy to provide that kind of support.   “I would like to propose that churches, denominations, judicatories, and districts begin to cooperate to employ a coach in ...

Do you have what it takes to be a coaching leader?  A coaching leader is someone who encourages another person to identify his or her goals, discover the resources available to pursue those goals, develop action plans together, and then walk along beside that person in the process of achieving the person’s goals.  A coaching leader can apply these skills in working with groups and teams as well, multiplying his or her impact as a coach by including others in the process.   A coaching leader is strong in the elements that Daniel Goleman attributes to emotional intelligence:   Self-awareness. Self-regulation. Motivation. Empathy. Social skills.   These are skills that can be learned once a person understands his or her own emotional intelligence profile.  The more that you, as a leader, can manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence.  Emotional intelligence is essential to be an effective coaching leader. In ad...