Leadership or authority?
Writing for the Alban Institute, Dan Hotchkiss says:
In olden times, we like to think, society accorded great authority to clergy. Whether or not this rosy generalization stands up to scrutiny (it does not), we mainstream clergy certainly have lost some of the cachet our counterparts enjoyed from 1945 to 1965 or so. Many people then believed attending and supporting congregations to be just as much a part of being a good person as stopping at stop signs, dressing neatly, and keeping your lawn mowed.I believe our loss of authority presents clergy with a great opportunity. Authority, appealing as it is, can also be confining. In the days of easy postwar growth, U.S. congregations fell into rigid patterns and became more similar to one another. Like an inbred, highly cultivated strain of livestock, they became vulnerable to common threats. The social changes of the 1960s brought death to many congregations, especially—I would say—those that depended too much on authority.
The opportunity for us lies in developing a new capacity for leadership. Ron Heifetz, in Leadership without Easy Answers, sheds light on the differences between authority and leadership, and suggests how by depending on authority less and learning to lead better, we can redevelop a more varied, robust, and disease-resistant strain of congregations in America.
In what ways have clergy lost authority? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? What is the best response to this new reality--if, indeed, it exists.
Seems easy.
Aren´t you always attracted to solid emotional types who simply go about their business of interacting with others and leading and living (fully) without making great issues out of difference? I am. You know, spiritually steady people that seem less interested in listening to the sound of their own voice than listening to yours and learning from others too? Authentic ¨right sized¨ leaders realize they don´t have all the answers or even know all the questions but remain in the fronts of life.
Starting with the Pope I see quickly how folks ¨fall away¨ from dishonesty when the stark light of truth is called for (and even known beyond question)...yet denied for ¨the sake of the Church.¨ Yikes!
In the case of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury I find that he is a very bad manager of Anglican Communion dilemmas and a very odd/cold ¨first amongst¨ leader who plots solutions endlessly--lots of fogged up brainy thinking doesn´t seem to trickle down to most of the Anglican Communion with workable solutions--certainly not that I can see.
Even the new ¨covenant¨ doesn´t seem straight forward--that deceptiveness scares me in a leader who insists we sign on and follow...follow what?
I think the conservatives ignore him and the liberals are bored by him and his lack of passion for REAL LIFE fades into the wallpaper as he trots out lofty schemes of fellowship and unity that seem tired, dated, worn out and even punitive--sadly, and I feel sad, Dr. Rowan Williams seems to ¨qualify¨ every statement and never speaks out clear and clean about unfolding/sensitive real life issues. CLEAN/CLEAR words of generated by a secure love for ALL of Gods people that feels/is honest and hospitable.
Pandering to those who preach difference amongst and those who wish to destroy our unity us is shabby--it´s sickly and codependent to think one is being gracious/understanding when one is simply avoiding truth and reality that our brothers and sisters are being abused and harmed!
Authentic spiritual leadership must not be confused with ¨trying to please¨ those who hurt us, body and spirit, in order to SEEM religiouslike and orthodox-holy.
Not knowing is a very good thing and I believe a true leader often needs to trust God that the answers will come--that is, IF the leader wants them and doesn´t think they need know them already to be a great leader!
Trusting God is a very big deal.
Posted by Leonardo Ricardo![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
January 31, 2011 7:55 PM
Having a position of authority was definitely misused, Leadership is a great deal more than giving orders, direction and watching thing being done. Real leadership means being a real person, that listens, watches and makes decsions that are explained and understood. The leader may walk in front of his flock or in the midst eithe way with the group
We have lost many of our heros in the past 30 years or so because we blindly followed with out question.
We do have opportuinit here to develop leaders, not heros that cannot live up to unrealistic expectation.s
Posted by Chris Rosenthal![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
|
February 1, 2011 4:53 AM