Report 4--Conversations with a Leader

(Report from School of Congregational Development at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS)

Friday evening I shared in dinner, fellowship and prayerful discussion with Bryan Sims (no relation, though he's originally from Canyon, Texas). Bryan is one of the leaders of Spiritual Leadership, Inc. of Lexington, KY and facilitates leadership 'Incubators' across the nation for numerous denominations, churches, organizations and businesses. Interestingly, the Northwest Texas Conference is at the vanguard of this new wave of leadership development, and we are seeing the fruit of its effectiveness across the conference.

Bryan is a friend of many years and we share a penchant for academic endeavors as they playfully interact with ministry and the Kindgom of God. It is no surprise that our discussion at dinner quickly turned down the road of innovative theories on leadership. Bryan, who is working toward a PhD in leadership, has stepped into the world of "complexity theory."

Complexity theory has been influential in strategic management and organizational studies. The theory is used to understand how organizations adapt to their changing environments. The theory treats organizations and firms as collections of strategies and structures. When the organization or firm shares the properties of other complex adaptive systems--which is often defined as consisting of a small number of relatively simple and partially connected structures--they are more likely to adapt to their environment and, thus, survive. It is sort of like "chaos theory," but with direction and purpose.

Bryan hopes to approach church and ministry through similar categories. If the church is to survive and thrive in a fast-paced culture of quickly shifting values, viewpoints and patterns of behavior, then the church will need to be an 'organism' that is able to adapt with speed and effectiveness. The church, then, will need to become 'responsive' in its structure and organization for ministry to the changing demands of the world. At the same time, the church must hold fast to its timeless truths. Reaching a healthy balance between these two realities is, of course, the challenge for all churches, but one which we see happening through the leadership incubators of SLI and creative innovations in ministry across the world.

What does this look like? Conventional churches operate with a rigid organizational structure--committees, processes, roles and expectations are all set out with clear parameters. The typical image for conventional churches is a ship. This mechanical structure is steered by one leader who controls the direction of the whole ship and gives specialized knowledge to the staff to move it forward. Once built, properly staffed, and filled with passengers (i.e. members), the ship can then be directed to pursue its course.

In contrast, churches that hope to survive in the coming generation will need to be much more flexible. Principles, vision, guiding patterns of being will be at the heart of ministry, allowing the visible 'structure' of ministry to be adapted from time to time. Adam Hamilton provides a surprising analogy for this type of church--a running elephant. Barreling forward with bravado, ministry at Church of the Resurrection is very messy, at times stomping on things without grace or concern. Leadership at Church of the Resurrection involves trying to keep the elephant heading in the right direction, stepping out of the way at times. It is a highly structured environment, but the structures change--the vision and values don't! Other images come to mind as well--vine and branches, a human body--ancient analogies that reflect the organic, fluid nature of God's kingdom.