Input

How well do your congregational leaders receive input from a variety of perspectives?

Very few people self-identify as a tyrant. Pastors seeking new calls often describe themselves as being “collaborative” even when they are actually better described as “bossy.”

Very few of us admit to being clueless about something. We tell ourselves that we are “quick studies” or we have “transferrable skills.”

Imagine a world in which we asked for input without fear of losing power or control or self-esteem.

We all know examples of toxic mission when a mission team visits a community of “the poor” without having first received input from that community about their needs. The mission team decides to build a barn when no barn is needed and then they congratulate themselves for a job well done. And then the next mission team comes along and have the sense to ask the community, “What can we do for you? What do you need?” and they are asked to take down the barn that was erected in the middle of a field where they grow beans.

I regularly hear stories about wasted time and wasted money because there was no input from the stakeholders.

The President of the NY City Public Library system is not a librarian. My hope is that he would consult with seasoned librarians before he makes expensive decisions.

Michael D. Brown (“Brownie”) famously served as the Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association before he was appointed to high ranking positions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2001. It didn’t go well.

The President of the American Red Cross has previous experience as a business school professor, investments executive and a telecommunications leader, but no previous experience with disasters or blood. Nevertheless, she sounds wise enough to surround herself with emergency relief experts.

Countless public school boards across the United States include no public school teachers. A particularly foolish idea.

This is not to say that people with no direct experience in an activity or industry should never take a role in that field. The hope is that all of us are authentically collaborative, asking for input from those with information that we might not have.

• When considering a staff model for a church or presbytery, ask those who are already on staff.
• When writing a job description for an educator, have other educators look it over, along with parents, youth, and the pastor.
• When discerning a new mission endeavor for your neighborhood, find out what the neighborhood needs. This is not about creating a mission for someone to do as a pet project. (i.e. What breaks God’s heart in your neighborhood? We need to talk to the neighbors to find out.)

A helpful person once contacted me – a cold call – about his willingness to create an elementary school on a church campus. He wanted me to suggest congregations he might contact. Red flags:

• His own congregation didn’t want to start an elementary school even though he has this great idea for bringing young families into a church.
• He has never been a teacher or even served a church with a school.
• He didn’t know if this was a need in his or any other community.
• He continued to believe myths about “bringing young families into the church.”
• He was a lone ranger.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit sparks ideas in us. And we need input from the community about the feasibility, wisdom, and integrity. In my denomination we elect officers, for example,

 “who have been called by God through the voice of the church“

In other words, we can’t wake up one morning and believe that we are called to be the Queen of All Things . . . unless we are receiving lots of input from others that – yes – this seems to be our calling. It’s good to have leaders who don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. It’s good to have input from other smart people.

For God so loved the world, God didn’t send a committee. Friendly reminder that we are not Jesus/the Savior. We need a team.

This post is dedicated to those standing for Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA at next week’s meeting in Salt Lake City. We don’t “run” for this office. We merely “stand” and see what God says through the voice of the church. Bless each of these candidates.