Unpacking Ideas

Are we prophetic? This, of course, is the right question, but the much harder question, which is why I avoid it.

Counting is easy. But are we counting what is good? If we seriously believe will accomplish our mission if, and only if, we transform the world, then let’s measure transformation, not size. Let’s count transformation, because what gets measured gets done.

I am trying to say that the way we spend — or not spend — at the federal level seems (to me) to reveal what we value most as a nation. And so I ask questions like: If spending percentages are a clue, I wonder why we seem to care less about providing college education for more of our young people? Or, have we changed? Do we now care about other things more as a nation? Is it possible that the way we spend reveals what we really want? Is it OK that we are number 12 in the world?

“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 [...]

This year our team consists of 8 adults and 7 youth (representing two United Methodist churches from our community). We are heading to Summers County, West Virginia to join teams from churches in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and Pleasantville, New York. Personally, I’ll be glad to hang around a bunch of yankees for the week!

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.

I had begun to wonder why we were making these expensive trips across the world every year. Why were we spending so much time and energy and money just to visit with a group of teenagers? Grisha taught me something very important. They feel forgotten. Without family members for support, these teenagers often wonder if anyone notices them, if anyone even remembers them.

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.

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.