Leadership and Cultural Shifts
Making the leap from modern culture to post-modern culture can be quite a challenge. In modern culture the gospel is contextualized. The communication is verbal, linear and abstract. Communication in the postmodern culture, however, is different. It consists of sound, visual images, and experience, in addition to words. In modern culture, the church became even more hierarchical and rationalized as it mimicked Henry Ford’s hierarchical, assembly line construction so as to maximize productivity. The result was the dehumanization and disempowerment of people. In the post-modern culture, leaders seek to deconstruct the hierarchical organizational system, decentralize its power and distribute leadership roles so as to empower people for mission.
Our organization has clearly been shaped and influenced by modernity. The conflict between these two cultures has never been more obvious. So the question is this: How do we, as leaders, respond to this dilemma?
The answer is this: We must take the risk and make the leap. This means we may have to rethink our inherited ways of organizational structure and leadership. It means we may have to give our leaders permission to lead even when their style and methods breakdown our traditional values and challenge our perceived identity. It means we must be willing to abandon any mandate, policy or practice that hinders leaders from fulfilling the army’s mission in their unique ministry context.
So what do you think? Help me wrestle with the issue of organizational structure and leadership.
posted by Bret at
9:13 PM
2 Comments:
Dr. WhoAmI:
Interesting response . . . I agree that Christ must be the center. That’s my problem. When we allow non-biblical values and ideals to hinder our biblical mission then it’s to time to abandon those values and ideals.
The issue isn’t media, music or architecture as much as it is making the leap into effective mission.
Thanks for comments. Blessings!
By
Bret, at 10:08 PM
I agree Bret. When a program or ministry opportunity and vision is lost or choked by bureaucracy and red tape it's time to rethink the systems. I'm not saying throw out accountability and leadership, what I am saying is that we need to continue to follow the idea that as leaders we are servants (not dictators or autocratic heads of the church).
What I think would be detremental to our organization would be to totally throw out our structure. There are pros and cons for both sides of the issue, but I do believe that it will just take a change in priority and vision to make it work.
I agree that we need to empower those on the grassroots level to do ministry as it needs to be done in their corner of the huge Army world. To have cookie-cutter ministry is setting many corps up for failure. Yes, there is the potential to have slackers...but it happens in our current system (so that is not an excuse to move forward). It may take more hands-on administration and accountability in the more specialized appointments at DHQ and THQ, but this could work.
Hope this helps.
By
Nicole_Marietta, at 9:58 AM
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