Urban Idealist

A while ago (a really long while ago), I talked about doing a series of posts on a list that I had found on another blog. Honestly, I’ve not had the extra brain energy to put into this, and I am finally back to thinking on this level again. Well, we’ll see after this post! 

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be unpacking my thoughts on the list called How to Kill a Movement. Here’s the list if you want to look at it the whole thing. 

If you want to kill a movement the first thing you should do is require education for the leadership. 

Leadership is one of the most crucial issues when thinking on a movement level. I’m not one of those guys who thinks that everything rises and falls on leaders, but I do think that leaders play a significant role in developing a movement’s culture, ideals, values, and vision. Having the right people in the right places is absolutely critical in maintaining a movement dynamic. 

I believe that leadership habits can be learned and that one can be taught how to lead. But ultimately, leadership (meaning influence) is a gift from God that we are called to be stewards of. The way I see it, if somebody has been given Kingdom influence it is a gift from God, there is no need for them to have to have a certificate or a degree to validate their influence. I do believe that education is good…I believe that it reveals commitment, it can challenge thinking, and it can provide good mentoring. I just don’t think that it is the stamp of approval for a leader. I have observed that there is a clear difference between true spiritual authority and simple hierarchy. Education does not produce spiritual authority, wisdom, or influence; only God does. And this in only revealed by the fruit it produces. It’s not revealed in strategy. Nor organized teaching. Nor the appearance of ministry…only by it’s fruit. Requiring a leader to go through formal education runs the risk of burning out their passion by weighing it down with specialized vocabulary, methods, and strategies that may even detract from them being truly incarnational leaders. This could be compared to making a Masai leader go to seminary just to return to the bush wearing a suit, making people sit in pews, and sing hymns.

Here are some thoughts about what I think movement leadership needs to be…since formal education is not one of them.

Movement leadership needs to be held with open hands

Life always comes with change. And with every change in seasons comes new challenges and needs. Leadership within a movement needs to be seen as a gift that God temporarily lets us borrow to be used as He sees fit. We must hold onto this gift loosely knowing that it is not ours…and that we are ultimately valuable to God because of Jesus, not because of our giftedness. Our identify comes from within, not from without. I get a picture of golf clubs in my head…on some shots God may need a driver, yet on others, a pitching wedge. Just because God can crush His driver 7,000 yards doesn’t mean He has to do it every shot! There is a time and a season for every leader…our job is to be as faithful as possible for the places and seasons God has put us in…all the while knowing that the season we are in could just be prep for the next thing God has around the bend! 

Movement leadership needs to be empowering

The best leaders understand that their true ministry is to equip those around them. This is especially true when wanting to start a movement. People from within the movement need to know that they are believed in. That they are gifted. Basically, they need to know that they have what it takes. The fundamental role of a leader is to provoke people into seeing themselves the way God does. The best type of movement leadership is birthed from the inside out. Yes, recruiting leaders is good too, but I would take a leader who is developed from the inside over a ‘top recruit’ any day…even if the recruit looked better on paper! But in order for leaders to emerge and see themselves as influencers they must be empowered. This won’t look the same way in every situation (it shouldn’t be a cookie cutter thing anyway), but the value of empowering developing leaders is must for any movement to succeed. 

Movement leadership needs to pass on core transferable values and get rid of the other nonsense

The big picture of movement thinking is long-term reproduction and sustainability. It’s worth noting that it is extremely important to pass on the right things and not treat unnecessary, or overly specified things, as fundamental. I think that that key is to reduce what we want to see multiplied to the core values and allow the values to multiply (not mimic) themselves into new expressions. These new traits and practices will become incarnational expressions of the new environment, not simply carbon copies of the original.

Movement leadership ultimately needs to trust that God is in control

If we’re being honest…we prefer predictability to trust. At least I do most of the time! But when it comes to movements, we have to be willing to risk…risk failure, risk resources, and even risk people with people. We are never never going to survive unless we get a little crazy…wait, that sounds like Seal doesn’t it? But we have to trust that God is going to meet crazy with provision and/or grace! Following the Spirit is an unpredictable journey that leads us into danger and even chaos. But this is the space where faith is born. 

I think that’s enough on this one…but two last thoughts:

1. Jesus never went to any formal training that we know of…he was a carpenter from a hick town.

-and-

2. “Your mom goes to college” - Kip Dynamite