Unpacking Ideas

If we say we want to be the Church, then a good place to start is with Jesus. What did he say? What did he do? Who did he love, and how?

Consider this simple challenge: Go back to Luke’s Gospel and read it again. Forget public policy for now. Forget November’s elections for now. Ask only this: What would happen if I followed that Jesus? What would happen if the Church followed that Jesus?

Apparently, there is no legal reason to prevent the construction of the mosque. Local authorities have approved the plan to build the mosque. In addition, there is substantial constitutional support to encourage the building of the mosque. Religious freedom is a big deal.

As people of faith we may not agree on how to address the problem. We can debate the details. I think, though, we can agree that the current immigration system in the U.S. is broken, and has become inhumane. So, let’s fix it . Even if it might not be popular, even if it might not be comfortable, it is the right thing to do. Let’s be the Church.

My simple conclusion as a Christian was this: The policies that our Church endorses publicly ought to look a bit like the Jesus we read about in the Gospel of Luke (or Matthew, or Mark, or John). The policies we endorse as people of faith ought to protect our widows, care for our orphans, and welcome strangers in our land.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”   – The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Nobel Laureate, Peace, 1989 “What matters today is not the difference between those who believe and those who do not believe, but the difference between those who care and those who don’t.”   – Georges [...]

In short, transformational leadership, whether we are talking about national policy or change for my local congregation or nonprofit, requires tenacious long term vision. Leaders who ask us to scuttle our long term common good in order to relieve our short term discomfort are not leading us anywhere. And we know what the Cheshire Cat said.

How does such a small group do so much? Their adult sponsor believes its their “extraordinary commitment to help others.” In these days when we are sadly seduced to assume bigger is better, and our attraction to “mega” overshadows our pursuit of effectiveness, we sometimes miss the little pockets of extraordinary goodness happening all around us.

Who is the point? Well, if you are a leader in a congregation or a long-time member, then you are not the point. Ouch. Sorry. Seems to me, if we are to take Luke seriously, the “point” are all the folks who are not yet with us — either because they don’t believe yet, or are turned-off from Church, or don’t feel welcome, or are afraid of us for some reason.

I think the true test of effective transformational leadership is when a leadership team sticks to the long term plan for change even when the changes are small. A leadership team is effective when it clings tenaciously to each incremental change, as long as its in the right direction.

So, what are we to do with Haiti’s children? How do we clearly care about them? Let’s start by not scorning them. Let’s start by not hauling them away from their parents or relatives. Duh. Let’s feed them. Let’s clothe them. Let’s give them water to drink. A famous member of our Church once said something about caring for the least of these…you know, the most vulnerable among us. Who said that? I thought he was fairly clear.

As a regular kinda’ guy in a local community — maybe I’m a volunteer for a local non-profit, a teacher in a school, a volunteer in the local church — I need to trust that the leadership team I follow is absolutely, unequivocally dedicated to the mission of our organization. Without that level of trust in my leadership team my willingness to follow them wavers. My commitment to our organization depends greatly on my perception that our leadership team cares singularly about the mission of our organization. To the extent our leadership team becomes distracted by other priorities, my commitment weakens.