Christlikeness and Christian Leadership
In every leadership failure or scandal I can think of in recent years, the situation was exacerbated or allowed to continue because people were prioritising results over character.
In every leadership failure or scandal I can think of in recent years, the situation was exacerbated or allowed to continue because people were prioritising results over character.
I happen to know a few ‘unicorns’ who don’t view youth ministry as a stepping stone to ‘real’ ministry. But they’re certainly a rare breed. The fact that this seventeen-year-old pastor’s kid made this observation is a sad but telling sign.
Our leadership planning meetings should think bigger. Don’t just make the meeting about planning the next term—take time to think about the larger pathway. Further, use the meeting itself to invest in the future: use that meeting to train your leaders.
The situation at Mars Hill took so long to come to a head because of the remarkable giftedness of Mark Driscoll (and others) in so many areas. His ‘eccentricities’ were excused not just because his church grew, but because he himself did so many things in ways which were so refreshing. The trouble was that he was also acting in ways which damaged many others.
A poor grasp of the full application of active listening, especially if coupled with low emotional intelligence, character flaws and indwelling sin, can have frustrating, counter-productive and even destructive effects.