In the Coracle
“It’s almost like you’re writing a book one post at a time” - Kedge
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Prevenient Grace, and What’s My Job?
“Prevenience is the conviction that God has been working diligently, redemptively, and strategically before I appeared on the scene, before I was aware there was something for me to do here… Like one who walks in late to a meeting, I am entering a complex situation in which God has already said decisive words and acted in decisive ways. My work is not necessarily to announce that but to discover what He is doing and live appropriately with it.”
“The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction” (Eugene H. Peterson)
via Bob Hyatt over at PastorHacks
Well done Bob on finding that great quote from one of the best books on pastoral ministry ever written.
This theological point is one that makes a deep impact on how we see people. If we believe in prevenience (prevenient grace), then we see that God is at work ahead of us, and we partner with the work of God as it’s revealed to us. It means that the Kingdom is a partnership between God and us, and it means that our role is very specifically subservient to God’s. I think there is vast Scriptural evidence for this view point - John 5:19-20 and Ephesians 2:10 come immediately to mind.
A worldview based on God’s prevenience means that we must constantly be attentive to the work of God around us and conscious of the interactive leadership of God toward us. It means we cannot take anything for granted - relationships, coincidences, people crossing our paths, our daily decisions.
That makes for an exciting journey, and one in which I’m not the one in control.
Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela (Time)
Time Magazine features an article with Nelson Mandela discussing leadership. I highly recommend it. You can find it here.
I also wanted to talk to him about leadership. Mandela is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint, but he would be the first to admit that he is something far more pedestrian: a politician. He overthrew apartheid and created a nonracial democratic South Africa by knowing precisely when and how to transition between his roles as warrior, martyr, diplomat and statesman. Uncomfortable with abstract philosophical concepts, he would often say to me that an issue “was not a question of principle; it was a question of tactics.” He is a master tactician.
His 8 lessons, summarized?
No. 1- Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it
No. 2 - Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind
No. 3 -Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
No. 4 -Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
No. 5 - Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
No. 6 - Appearances matter — and remember to smile
No. 7 - Nothing is black or white
No. 8 - Quitting is leading too
Learning from the role of the Benedictine Abbot
This entry is cut n pasted from a section of a paper that I’m writing on spiritual formation for my BGU Overture I class. It’ll probably format like crap on the Wordpress blog, but I thought that the section would make a good entry anyway.
The Benedictine Abbot
An interesting feature of monasteries in contrast to churches is the role of the leader. Most monasteries – “old” or “new” are led not by a pastor but by an abbot. The role is envisioned differently between monastic orders and communities, but as most monastic communities are deeply influenced by St. Benedict’s Rule, his understanding of the role of the abbot is worth mentioning here.
St. Benedict’s conception of a monastic community was distinctly that of a spiritual family. Every individual monk was to be a son of that family, the, Abbot its father, and the monastery its permanent home. Upon the Abbot therefore, as upon the father of a family, devolves the government and direction of those who are committed to his care, and a paternal solicitude should characterize his rule. St. Benedict says that “an abbot who is worthy to have the charge of a monastery ought always to remember by what title he is called,” and that “in the monastery he is considered to represent the person of Christ, seeing that he is called by His name” (Rule of St. Benedict, ii).[1]
The title abbot comes from the fatherly term abba and takes the image of head of a family as its primary illustration. Benedict’s Rule commands the abbot to teach more by his actions than by his words, and to not tarnish his teaching by sinning and receiving the consequences of his sin[2]. The abbot is not to give preferential treatment in grace or in discipline[3]. He is to discipline earnestly and fairly and with regard to the unique character of the disciple[4]. The abbot is also to soberly value the soul care of his community, for whom he will give account to God[5]. He is to be concerned for the care of community members who are disciplined and are for a time outside of the fellowship as well as for the safety of the rest of the community[6]. He is to be the chief of hospitality, eating with guests when they are present, and otherwise eating with members of the family[7]. Finally, the abbot is elected by the brothers who asses his character, doctrinal wisdom and judgment[8].
Note that I use the masculine term here intentionally as Benedict originally used it. However, as Catholic religious orders, Celtic monastic communities, and more contemporary communities have abundantly proven, the role of abbess is a natural equivalent to that of abbot. The Order of St. Benedict’s website takes pains to explain this in a very specific way in their web based translation of the Rule of St. Benedict[9]:
Today, women monastics outnumber men by more than two to one. Thus, the even-numbered chapters below have been adapted for a women’s community. The odd-numbered chapters are for a men’s community such as Saint Benedict would have known.
This disciplined approach to leadership speaks to me in its difference from the current model of pastoral ministry. Much of pastoral ministry in contemporary churches is organizational leadership in forms similar to contemporary business, and the goal of good leadership is numerical growth of the community. The role of abbot is limited by how well the abbot can know his family and teach, train and disciple them according to their unique personalities.
A community influenced by monastic communities would be wise to study Benedict’s Rule and his expectations of the abbot. I find the methods of discipline overly harsh (largely a cultural difference between the day of Benedict and today), and the overall image of the abbot can be quite authoritarian to my mind, but with care, this role could prove to be a very valuable image. On the positive side, I am most impacted by the way Benedict commands the abbot to understand the personality types of each individual in his care, and to teach and discipline according to each individual’s needs. I would describe this approach as “handcrafted” to each member of the community, and also to the community as a whole.
Because of the nature of this personal approach, the Benedictine abbot model would imply a smaller community than a larger one. However, some contemporary Benedictine abbeys are quite large, numbering into the several hundreds of monks. One avenue for future research in this area is to speak with Benedictine abbots in smaller and larger monasteries about their understanding of leadership in a faith community. Another avenue for research is to speak with Benedictine oblates and monks about a similar topic, and to gather feedback on how their spiritual journey is shaped by their abbot directly and indirectly.
[1] Catholic Encyclopedia entry for “Abbot”, http://home.newadvent.org/cathen/01015c.htm, accessed on August 5, 2008
[2] Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter ii, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule.iv.html, accessed on August 5, 2008
[3] Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter ii
[4] Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter ii
[5] Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter ii
[6] Rule of St. Benedict, ch. XXVII
[7] Rule of St. Benedict, ch. LVI
[8] Rule of St. Benedict, ch. LXIV
[9] Order of St. Benedict, English Text. http://www.osb.org/rb/text/toc.html#toc, accessed August 5, 2008
How to Move Past Life-Changing Mistakes
Ever failed? Spectacularly? Those of you around this blog for a while know that I describe myself as “a failed church planter”, and some of you know that I intentionally choose this term to raise an eyebrow here or there.. My wife hates the term, because she knows the reality that we didn’t fail; that the Kingdom of God grew, that people came to faith for the first or second or yet another time, and that our family survived the process intact. But still, the church failed, right?
Former Pets.com CEO Julie Wainright is known as one of the most spectacular failures as a business leader in recent memory. The same week that she shut down Pets.com, her husband left their marriage. You might assume that she’s learned a thing or two about moving past failure, and you’d be right.
In this must-read article from Julie’s new startup, SmartNow.com, Julie describes five life-changing mistakes she made, and how she moved past them.
Mistake 1: I allowed others to define me.
Mistake 2: I built my image of myself on two main supporting pillars.
Mistake 3: I stopped believing in myself.
Mistake 4: I stopped taking care of myself.
Mistake 5: Allowing my head to rule my heart.
I’m super impressed by Julie’s story and the willingness she has to speak from brokenness. I suspect that you will be, too.
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