Being Followed

I continue to reflect on the Leadership Development fad that enamors CGGC hierarchs.

As expected it's present, prominent even, in the first-ever General Conference Strategic Plan.

Yet, I still don't see Leadership Development in the New Testament.

I do see Jesus, "being in very nature God," becoming a servant and teaching that to be great in God's Kingdom is to be a servant and to be the greatest is to be the slave of all.

I don't see Jesus doing leadership development but I do see repeated accounts of Jesus confronting people, saying, "Come, FOLLOW me..."

My ministry is in the world.

I live in the world as a disciple of Jesus and as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God.

And, in my little world, that's worked.

I began in my job as a part-time employee and, to my surprise, quite some time ago, was ultimately invited to join the management team...to assume the role of a leader.

In the business world, leadership is crucial.

Since I'm tasked with leading in my job, I'm especially fascinated watching our institutional church hierarchs scurry around, trying to lead...and to develop others as leaders.

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In my job, in the world, as a disciple of Jesus and as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, I have a, well, philosophy of leadership.

In my mind, I lead in the world in precisely the way that Jesus says one achieves greatness in God's Kingdom. And, I think that I live out my philosophy fairly well, perhaps better than I realize.

I attempt to become the servant of everyone over whom I have authority.

I've said in earlier posts that there is a team of five managers in my department and I remain convinced that all of the others do the technical part of the job better than I do. I don't think that I do my job very well, though I do try my best.

Nevertheless, I'm stunned, day by day, by the fact that the people who work under our authority FOLLOW me with unusual enthusiasm and gladness.

In my small world, in which leadership actually is in the job description, I do achieve leadership...

...because people follow.

I never attempt to lead. I have no idea how to lead. Moment by moment, I seek only serve.

Truly.

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For all of our hierarchs' squawking about being leaders in our small part of the Kingdom of God, and for all of their squirming with programs and plans intended to practice leadership development,...

...few people, perhaps even no one, actually follows them, particularly at the level of General Conference leadership.

We have little followership, if we have any at all.

What I wish for our hierarchs is that they'd not aspire to lead.

In reality, they are not leading, if being followed is the measure of effective leadership.

What I wish for our hierarchs is that they learn from what Jesus did...

...and from what He said.