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We Have a Problem! But there is Hope! Results of a Survey of 1,000 Christian Leaders Across the Globe
Author: Jane Overstreet for The Lausanne Leadership Development Working Group
Category: Forming Leaders This review by Glenn Williams was an assignment in connection with his DMin in Global Missional Leadership, through George Fox University
#dmingml
#capetown2010 ---- Let me such say from the outset, how refreshing it was to see that this paper was based on responses from 1,037 participants representing seven continents in five languages, rather than merely based on first-hand observations and set of assumptions adhered to by the author. For this reason, I was extremely interested in what was shared. By way of overview, I have bulleted the key points and added my comments under each one – · We have a leadership problem that is inhibiting effective evangelization, specifically leadership succession issues
It seems that no matter which direction one looks, there is a leadership vacuum, whether that is in a ministry, not-for-profit or commercial context. Although culture and geography certainly will impact the nature and severity of a leadership problem, there is no single culture inoculated from ineffective leadership – West or East. The inability of current leaders to see beyond their own respective leadership terms prevents them from establishing a clear leadership succession plan. Other problems that contribute to this include – 1) Pride and the inability to give up power 2) Lack of skills to identify and develop existing and emerging leaders and 3) Lack of understanding regarding what leadership model or paradigm could be explored further for application to a given culture and set of challenges. Certainly, while these issues exist, it becomes more cumbersome to appoint the right leaders and see subsequent generations of leaders build on the work completed by their predecessors
· Top five pressing issues were – 1) Personal Pride 2) Lack of Integrity 3) Spiritual Warfare 4) Corruption and 5) Lack of infrastructure. The French group listed “poverty” as their #1 issue
It is interesting that #1-4 have more to do with the leader as a person. Some would argue that I have misplaced #4 (Spiritual Warfare), however, it is closely linked to the spiritual maturity and prayer life of the leader. A Christian leader cannot afford to ignore spiritual realities by depending more heavily on other personal qualities and gifts. Lack of infrastructure is also deeply impacted by #1-4. If others perceive there are pride, integrity, spiritual and corruption issues, then there is less likelihood for the leader to obtain the support and resources that others would otherwise be willing to make available.
· Consensus on what Christ-centered leadership is, but many fall short. Many characteristics were agreed based on the reading of the gospels, but the top five characteristics of “Jesus style influence” were 1) Integrity 2) Authenticity 3) Character, 4) Servant’s Heart and 5) Humility
It seems we all are sensitive to the failures of others, especially when they directly impact us. I found it fascinating that there was consensus about what constituted Christ-centered leadership, and wide acknowledgement that we nearly all fall short of that, albeit in different ways. Having gone through seminary, studied to be a psychologist and worked in senior executive leadership positions for a global ministry, I must say there has been very little attention given to training and teaching potential leaders in the areas of integrity, authenticity, character, servanthood and humility. It seems we know what they are, but lack the ability to teach them or impart them to others. Perhaps it comes back to the old adage that, “values are caught, not taught.” We simply need more leaders to model for the next generation what Christ-centered leadership looks like. There is no doubt that this is not an event, but a journey. · There is much debate over what should be the primary content for developing leaders (differentiation between character qualities and knowledge). The top five needs for content centered on: 1) Mentoring/coaching/prayer 2) Personal Life of a Leader 3) People Management 4) Conflict Resolution and 5) Strategic Planning
I liked the way the paper sought to differentiate between knowledge and character. I think this was insightful. Although knowledge is certainly valuable in understanding what leadership qualities people are looking for, and what is necessary for effective leadership, the mere impartation of knowledge does not automatically transform itself into character per se. Again, it is a journey of spiritual discovery and maturity, not all of a sudden acquired in one single event. Naturally, any existing or emerging leader will benefit from the wisdom and maturity of having a mentor walk alongside, exploring and evaluating teachable moments as they arrive, sometimes very ingloriously and depised!
· Respondents chose the following five most frequent causes of failure in Christian leaders from a list of ten: 1) Burn-out 2) Abuse of Power 3) Inappropriate use of finances 4) Inordinate Pride and 5) Lack of Growth in their Spiritual Life
Again, against this backdrop, the author highlights the complexity of how to best grow leaders. “Is it better time management, better delegation skills, a better theology about work, a better understanding of God, a better insight into one’s culture, a better self-concept, a better understanding of God’s love, or all of the above?” Through the responses of the survey participants, the author has raised relevant concerns about the need for Christ-centered leaders, the nature of leadership, the difference between developing character and imparting knowledge, and in the latter part of the paper identified key learning environments that may help towards this end. One thing is clear. There is a leadership vacuum. Who will stand up and model Christ-centered leadership to emerging leaders of subsequent generations? And organizationally, how much are willing to invest into this effort?
Author: Jane Overstreet for The Lausanne Leadership Development Working Group
Category: Forming Leaders This review by Glenn Williams was an assignment in connection with his DMin in Global Missional Leadership, through George Fox University
#dmingml
#capetown2010 ---- Let me such say from the outset, how refreshing it was to see that this paper was based on responses from 1,037 participants representing seven continents in five languages, rather than merely based on first-hand observations and set of assumptions adhered to by the author. For this reason, I was extremely interested in what was shared. By way of overview, I have bulleted the key points and added my comments under each one – · We have a leadership problem that is inhibiting effective evangelization, specifically leadership succession issues
It seems that no matter which direction one looks, there is a leadership vacuum, whether that is in a ministry, not-for-profit or commercial context. Although culture and geography certainly will impact the nature and severity of a leadership problem, there is no single culture inoculated from ineffective leadership – West or East. The inability of current leaders to see beyond their own respective leadership terms prevents them from establishing a clear leadership succession plan. Other problems that contribute to this include – 1) Pride and the inability to give up power 2) Lack of skills to identify and develop existing and emerging leaders and 3) Lack of understanding regarding what leadership model or paradigm could be explored further for application to a given culture and set of challenges. Certainly, while these issues exist, it becomes more cumbersome to appoint the right leaders and see subsequent generations of leaders build on the work completed by their predecessors
· Top five pressing issues were – 1) Personal Pride 2) Lack of Integrity 3) Spiritual Warfare 4) Corruption and 5) Lack of infrastructure. The French group listed “poverty” as their #1 issue
It is interesting that #1-4 have more to do with the leader as a person. Some would argue that I have misplaced #4 (Spiritual Warfare), however, it is closely linked to the spiritual maturity and prayer life of the leader. A Christian leader cannot afford to ignore spiritual realities by depending more heavily on other personal qualities and gifts. Lack of infrastructure is also deeply impacted by #1-4. If others perceive there are pride, integrity, spiritual and corruption issues, then there is less likelihood for the leader to obtain the support and resources that others would otherwise be willing to make available.
· Consensus on what Christ-centered leadership is, but many fall short. Many characteristics were agreed based on the reading of the gospels, but the top five characteristics of “Jesus style influence” were 1) Integrity 2) Authenticity 3) Character, 4) Servant’s Heart and 5) Humility
It seems we all are sensitive to the failures of others, especially when they directly impact us. I found it fascinating that there was consensus about what constituted Christ-centered leadership, and wide acknowledgement that we nearly all fall short of that, albeit in different ways. Having gone through seminary, studied to be a psychologist and worked in senior executive leadership positions for a global ministry, I must say there has been very little attention given to training and teaching potential leaders in the areas of integrity, authenticity, character, servanthood and humility. It seems we know what they are, but lack the ability to teach them or impart them to others. Perhaps it comes back to the old adage that, “values are caught, not taught.” We simply need more leaders to model for the next generation what Christ-centered leadership looks like. There is no doubt that this is not an event, but a journey. · There is much debate over what should be the primary content for developing leaders (differentiation between character qualities and knowledge). The top five needs for content centered on: 1) Mentoring/coaching/prayer 2) Personal Life of a Leader 3) People Management 4) Conflict Resolution and 5) Strategic Planning
I liked the way the paper sought to differentiate between knowledge and character. I think this was insightful. Although knowledge is certainly valuable in understanding what leadership qualities people are looking for, and what is necessary for effective leadership, the mere impartation of knowledge does not automatically transform itself into character per se. Again, it is a journey of spiritual discovery and maturity, not all of a sudden acquired in one single event. Naturally, any existing or emerging leader will benefit from the wisdom and maturity of having a mentor walk alongside, exploring and evaluating teachable moments as they arrive, sometimes very ingloriously and depised!
· Respondents chose the following five most frequent causes of failure in Christian leaders from a list of ten: 1) Burn-out 2) Abuse of Power 3) Inappropriate use of finances 4) Inordinate Pride and 5) Lack of Growth in their Spiritual Life
Again, against this backdrop, the author highlights the complexity of how to best grow leaders. “Is it better time management, better delegation skills, a better theology about work, a better understanding of God, a better insight into one’s culture, a better self-concept, a better understanding of God’s love, or all of the above?” Through the responses of the survey participants, the author has raised relevant concerns about the need for Christ-centered leaders, the nature of leadership, the difference between developing character and imparting knowledge, and in the latter part of the paper identified key learning environments that may help towards this end. One thing is clear. There is a leadership vacuum. Who will stand up and model Christ-centered leadership to emerging leaders of subsequent generations? And organizationally, how much are willing to invest into this effort?
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