Our role through the board or entity we represent is to equip, train, and support the work of lay people and leaders in our churches and state conventions. Ultimately, we want to advance the work of the church and our convention in a strategic way to accomplish kingdom results. To be intentional in our work leads us to be missional in our execution.
Missional leaders understand and practice one essential component of effective leadership: a focus on both purpose and people, results and relationships, or task and togetherness. It is not either/or. It must be both/and. One can never be isolated at the expense of the other.
A humorous example of this is found in the movie, O Brother Where Art Thou? Everett, Delmar and Pete, having broken out of prison, are running to hitch a ride on a train. A major impediment is that they are chained to each other. Everett, the self-appointed leader, climbs up into the boxcar first, followed by Delmar, and encounters several hobos. Rather than concern himself with getting Pete on the train, he asks, “Any of you boys smithies?”—obviously seeking to free himself from the chains. However, in his preoccupation with the task, he neglected to help Pete on the train, who falls while running along side. Of course, the result is that both Everett and Delmar are yanked off the train along with Pete.
God calls the church to mission. A church exists by mission like a fire exists by burning. If there is no mission, there is no church, only a façade of an institution. The missional leader, however, sees God’s mission in light of God’s people and vice versa. It is about both task and relationships.
As an employee of an SBC board or entity, you are a leader. At least once during every day you will have a leadership moment. You will have an opportunity to influence someone. The only question is whether you will do it to the glory of God or to the benefit of yourself.
This balance will test each one of us. Each of us tends to focus on one aspect more than the other. Some of us are very goal-oriented. We pursue with great determination. Stoplights are seen as instruments of Satan.
This type of orientation can be very productive toward the accomplishment of a task but frequently does so at the expense of key relationships. Over time, a person with an exclusive task focus finds himself at odds with most people and thus unable to complete the mission.
On the other hand, some people are naturally relational. They love to spend time interacting with people, talking, visiting, holding hands and singing Kum Ba Yah. Everyone likes this type of person but frequently very little tangible results are seen. Everyone feels good but nothing is accomplished.
One of the great dangers in leadership is the travel agent syndrome, which is describing places to which we ourselves have not gone. Missional leaders are first missional Christians. A well-known leadership axiom is that leaders must know the way, show the way, and go the way. We teach what we know but we reproduce what we are. As denominational leaders, we should evaluate ourselves not merely by the content that others hear but the character that others emulate.
Our actions should bear evidence that we focus on results and relationships, people as well as purpose. Anything less is not missional leadership.
Alan Raughton, Facilitator BACE Boards & Entities Affinity Group Lead Adult Ministry Specialist
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