Congregational Life Centre
Our mission is to help leaders acquire
the skills and attitudes they need to lead
Wings Like Eagles
Looking Back at a Ten Year Flight Path
Clair Woodbury
It has been ten years since Joyce Madsen and I ventured into the publication world with our book Wings Like Eagles. Over those ten years the book has gone through three printings. Reading it through recently we were aware that what was said in the Millennial Year 2000 remains every bit as relevant today.
Way back then - it seems a long way back now, even if it has been only ten years - we identified five dimensions of a thriving congregation: spirituality, identity, context, leadership and vision.
Debbie Marshall phoned us recently. She is doing an article on the marks of a healthy congregation for Mandate magazine. We have a quiz up on the Congregational Life website that lets a congregation do just that. It is based on the five dimensions of a thriving congregation spelled out in Wings. It was once again confirmation that those five areas are still very relevant - factors every congregation that wants to make it in these difficult times should be aware of.
One summer
while teaching a course at the Anglican Sorrento Centre we did some casting
about for a symbol that embodied the relationship between the five dimensions.
It has to be something dynamic and growing - not static or rigid. The image
turned out to be that of a tree. In the sky is the sun - the embodiment
of vision. The sun's rays fall on the branches of the tree, releasing energy
in the areas of spirituality, identity and relationship to the context.
The trunk of the tree represents the role of leadership, supporting all
the other activities and keeping them focused.
Just as a tree has roots that support it, a congregation has three main areas of support. The people who see the congregation's vision as part of their personal mission are one. The congregation needs dollars to pay staff and maintain a facility. It also needs an organizational structure to ensure that dollars and volunteer time are focused on issues that make a difference in people's lives.
Spirituality
Over these past ten years, the importance of spirituality in our lives has only been emphasized. Elizabeth Gilbert went on a journey to Italy, India and Indonesia to find herself. What she found was a deep spirituality in the way Italians prepare food, in the prayer life of an Indian ashram, and in the love of the fine man she met in Indonesia. Eat, Pray, Love sold millions of copies even before Oprah put it on her list of "must-read" books.
Our favourite definition of spirituality is simply connecting - with God, with each other, and with our own deeper self. We can't claim that definition. Moses and Jesus got there first. "Love God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul" and "love your neighbour as yourself."
Identity
Today it is no longer possible to have a "one-size-fits-all" church. Canada has become a very diverse microcosm of the global society. We are very different, and have different needs. We rejoice in that, because the mix of cultures has made our lives so much richer. It does mean that a particular congregation has to decide just who it is they are going to serve if they hope to make excellence in that service the rule.
Context
Congregations that relate to the community they serve are growing. We knew it was true ten years ago, but everything we have observed since only validates it. Those who are inward looking are in decline. It is important to be conscious of the context - of the spiritual and other needs of those who live in the area served by the congregation.
Leadership & Vision
That brings us to leadership and vision. While all five dimensions are important, our decision this past year has been to put our emphasis at the Congregational Life Centre on leadership. Our refocused mission is "to help leaders to acquire the skills and attitudes they need to lead." All of us take on a leadership role at some point or other, whether it's opening a door for someone coming behind us or meeting the needs of a special group in the community. It's all leadership.
There are skills to learn in order to maximize our effectiveness. Even more important is the development of an attitude that is conscious of those people walking behind us or the existence of a group in our community whose spiritual or physical needs are not currently being met. Part of that attitude is developing a concern for people before programs or laid-on priorities. Another part is deciding to risk being different by daring to make a difference in people's lives.
Leadership have an all-important role with respect of vision. The song from South Pacific says, "You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true." It takes someone to first come up with a dream for their congregation and its role in the community. It takes a leader with courage to share that dream with others until it become a vision they hold in common. It takes a leader to continue to hold that vision up before everyone as blocks are encountered, detours manoeuvred, and intermediate goals negotiated. It takes a leader to recognize when to celebrate the achievement of a phase of a vision, and then recalibrate the congregation's sights on an even larger piece of that sought after horizon.
The three books published by the Centre form a trilogy. Wings Like Eagles paints the overall picture of what it takes to be a thriving congregation. Prisms helps to identify the particular gifts people bring as their personal contribution to the congregation's mission. Leadership for Today shines the spotlight on the key role of leadership and how Jesus' leadership model can be an effective guide for anyone who wants to develop their leadership skills-and soar with the eagles.
"Leadership Ventures" Congregational Life Newsletter. January 2011. Volume 17 No. 3.