Understanding Missional - Interview Results Part 2 of 4

Review
Yesterday I concluded that the 7 interviews done with missional practitioners from across the country revealed that the key belief driving the missional movement was "the belief that the Western Church has lost its true identity." The way these practitioners said the church could regain its true identities is "through the renewal of theology, the reshaping of leadership, and the reprioritization of holistic discipleship and entering the long-term transition process." Part 1 (posted on 5/4) detailed what a renewed theology might look like. Part 2, todays post, details a reshaped leadership.

Reshaped Leadership
Since each of the respondents interviewed was involved in a local missional movement at some level, it is not surprising that they offered practical steps the church can take to regain its true identity as well as theoretical frameworks for regaining the lost identity. Six of the seven respondents either alluded to or directly stated the belief that the church needs to reshape the way it does leadership. Respondents’ comments imply that a reshaped leadership begins with a shared or team-based approach. Speaking to this point, one respondent described the leadership team as his friends with whom he spends every Sunday afternoon relaxing, playing games, and sharing food. This family or friendly feeling seemed to permeate the majority of leadership teams described by the respondents. As friends and family, it was natural for leaders to share responsibility, make decisions together, and develop a more flattened hierarchy than is often seen in contemporary churches. The reason a flattened hierarchy metaphor frequently surfaced as made clear by one respondent who is leading a church planting church. He said, “If you want to build a big church, all you need are two to three superstar staff members, but if you want to develop a church planting movements, you need to be reproducing lots of leaders who share the vision, values, and direction of the team.” Building a team of this manner happens best for those in the missional movement when they are friends, peers, and family instead of bosses and employees.

Respondents also suggested a reshaped leadership focuses upon equipping people for ministry. While many contemporary churches would also say the same of leadership, those in the missional movement seem to take the belief one step further. In fact, one respondent admitted that he was actually out of a job because he had just equipped someone to take over his role in the congregation. In order to be true to his title as equipper, he stepped aside to let the new person fill the role, leaving himself without a source of income.

The radical stepping aside of the respondent aforementioned reveals one of the strongest beliefs about leadership in the missional movement: leaders cannot only teach their followers from the pulpit, in the classroom, or through curriculum and Bible studies. Instead, the respondents strongly claimed that missional leaders must model missional living for the members of the congregation. Six of the seven respondents made this point about leadership, each one of them telling stories about leaders who were able to do much more than anyone imagined simply because they modeled what missional living might look like for their followers. Though not as strongly stated, it was often suggested that leaders need not have everything about living missionally figured out, but that they must be willing to practice mission in community with others. Through the process of success, failure, and eventually, learning, both the leader and the community grow in their understanding of how to live on mission for God. This process may seem chaotic, but leadership, according to the respondents, is a messy process that involves asking questions instead of answering them, offering suggestions instead of giving orders, and pointing in a direction instead of drawing out the map.

Tomorrow, part 3 of 4 will detail the necessity for prioritizing holistic discipleship.