Always Hope

I've mentioned a couple of times that we are running the CPAS Growing Leaders course here at Kea . As we run through it I'm going to blog my thoughts. This is not really about the course itself, although it's excellent and I can recommend it - with a bit of imagination it would be applicable to any church context. It's more about my reflections on the way, and what it reveals and teaches us about the church. Session 1 is demanding and takes participants quickly to the heart of the question - "what is leadership?" Then it asks them to start analysing their own preferred style of leadership. The aim here is simple: to get people to the point where they understand themselves a little better, and to help them see that, since there is not just one style of leadership, they can find a style that fits their own preferences. What still surprises me on these occasions is how many people still struggle to see themselves as leaders within the church. They are able, gift...

Yesterday at Kea we had an excellent sermon from Charles Burgess of CPAS : a simple and effective explanation of servant leadership, based on Matthew 20:20-28. It's good to be reminded of what kind of ministry Jesus calls his disciples to: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. I feel strongly that this is another of those parts of the Bible that is well known, but little understood. So many Christian groups seem to embody a style of leadership that is the opposite of what Jesus lays before us here: bombastic, self-promoting, controlling, abusive. And often it's not just the leaders who inflict this on others, but the people themselves who collude in embracing thi...

Last night here at Kea I ran an introductory evening for a group of people who I'm hoping will join me in a leadership course over the coming year ( CPAS Growing Leaders ). It looks really good and I'm hoping that they will take up the opportunity. I came to the evening with some concern about how it was going to go but ended up really enjoying it - and I think I know why (apart from the great company and good response, of course). The whole dynamic of a leadership programme in the church is something which breaks down the clergy/laity mentality in church. If I was asked to list the things that I find difficult about my work, that would be near the top of the list - the idea that once you get the round collar on, you somehow become a different species to the rest of humanity (and yes, I know some people really believe that, but I don't). I admit to being slightly in two minds about this. I'm actually all in favour of having professional clergy, who are not only gift...