July 21 - The First Friday Forum
From 9:30 this morning until noon, Dr. Randy Jessen, Dean of the Beeson Program, led us in a time called Friday Forum. I was mainly a time for us to interact with he and the associate dean Jack Connell and bring all of our recent coursework together.
Mainly, Randy introduced us to a leadership vision that he developed before coming to Colorado Springs First UMC: EPIC Leadership.
I know. It's very engineery. I love it, I love it, I love it! I love acronyms! Here's what the acronym stands for: "a Christian Disciple is ... EPIC:
E: Excited about Service (proactively engaged, strong cross-cultural service emphasis)
P: Passionate about Faith (growing in that faith)
I: Inspired by Hope (plant that hope in others, contagious, a.k.a. evangelism)
C: Committed to Love. (abundant, tough, and effective love)
Like all effective leadership visions it purposed to lead a congregation out of an inward anxious focus and called them to follow Jesus' mission (charity & evangelism) in the wider world.
Unlike Randy's previous appointment, this was going to be a challenge. The church faced a financial crisis (it had gone from 4000 in worship in 1965 to 700 in 2002), it faced a leadership crisis (people just wanted to maintain the institution and tradition of the church and not take risks; also the people were all gone), and it faced a theological crisis (the congregation was more given to theology that was outside of historical Methodist thought).
Randy said something that I will never forget, "People will never become what you expect them to be until you believe that they are that already." He started with the staff and at first issued an invitation to serve cross-culturally during the week. Randy himself carved out time to work on Thursdays for two hours at a job center that they church offered. Many of the staff refused.
So, Randy made it a requirement that they serve. (I know ... imagine ... Christians having to be required to serve in a charity mission.) The staff parish relations committee was consulted on the developement of this new requirement. And when 11 of the 17 staff members refused ... they were fired. Randy took a long time interviewing new staff members and those staff positions were filled. However, after that, the church staff began to model EPIC leadership for the congregation. Eventually, the congregation followed.
It was a great risk. In many churches that would not have worked. However, people live to your expectations. At some point, one has to decide if one is about positive transformation or not. The human tendency is to revert to the mediocre. In short, if we are not pushed we get flabby. The simplest example is human muscle. What happens to a muscle that is not used? It gets soft and flabby. It is in pushing and being pushed that we are made stronger. "Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another." -- Proverbs 27:17
Will we push? Will allow ourselves to be pushed? Will we be big enough to realize that it is love? Almight God, make us big enough to be challenged, lest forever we be small. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Trav Wilson
Mainly, Randy introduced us to a leadership vision that he developed before coming to Colorado Springs First UMC: EPIC Leadership.
I know. It's very engineery. I love it, I love it, I love it! I love acronyms! Here's what the acronym stands for: "a Christian Disciple is ... EPIC:
E: Excited about Service (proactively engaged, strong cross-cultural service emphasis)
P: Passionate about Faith (growing in that faith)
I: Inspired by Hope (plant that hope in others, contagious, a.k.a. evangelism)
C: Committed to Love. (abundant, tough, and effective love)
Like all effective leadership visions it purposed to lead a congregation out of an inward anxious focus and called them to follow Jesus' mission (charity & evangelism) in the wider world.
Unlike Randy's previous appointment, this was going to be a challenge. The church faced a financial crisis (it had gone from 4000 in worship in 1965 to 700 in 2002), it faced a leadership crisis (people just wanted to maintain the institution and tradition of the church and not take risks; also the people were all gone), and it faced a theological crisis (the congregation was more given to theology that was outside of historical Methodist thought).
Randy said something that I will never forget, "People will never become what you expect them to be until you believe that they are that already." He started with the staff and at first issued an invitation to serve cross-culturally during the week. Randy himself carved out time to work on Thursdays for two hours at a job center that they church offered. Many of the staff refused.
So, Randy made it a requirement that they serve. (I know ... imagine ... Christians having to be required to serve in a charity mission.) The staff parish relations committee was consulted on the developement of this new requirement. And when 11 of the 17 staff members refused ... they were fired. Randy took a long time interviewing new staff members and those staff positions were filled. However, after that, the church staff began to model EPIC leadership for the congregation. Eventually, the congregation followed.
It was a great risk. In many churches that would not have worked. However, people live to your expectations. At some point, one has to decide if one is about positive transformation or not. The human tendency is to revert to the mediocre. In short, if we are not pushed we get flabby. The simplest example is human muscle. What happens to a muscle that is not used? It gets soft and flabby. It is in pushing and being pushed that we are made stronger. "Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another." -- Proverbs 27:17
Will we push? Will allow ourselves to be pushed? Will we be big enough to realize that it is love? Almight God, make us big enough to be challenged, lest forever we be small. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Trav Wilson
posted by Trav Wilson at 1:20 PM
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