Here are a few bullet points that have crossed my mind lately in this discussion.
- What is the difference between church leadership and ministry leadership?
- Can a ministry leader learn certain techniques and people skills from a business leader? (and vice versa)
- Can a business actually be a ministry? If so, what is the goal of the business?
I hope these things do not muddy the waters any but rather help spur on more thinking.
On a completely different note. Natalie's pictures that were taken at daycare a few weeks ago will be in today and tomorrow. I have not seen them yet but I'm sure one will find its way onto the blog somehow. She's talking more and more every day and recently she has discovered that shrill scream that little kids can project. Isn't life grand. :-)
2 comments:
Chall:
I recently came across your blog, thanks to Sam Warren. Good stuff. I'll do my best to answer some of your most recent questions on leadership.
Yes, church leadership and ministry leadership are often very different. Church leadership is about an organization-committees, boards, etc, or at least that's what we've made it. Ministry leadership is different. Jesus couldn't be ordained in many denoms today, because He didn't have what it takes. For example, He didn't go to seminary, so He couldn't be ordained in a lot of traditions.
I think ministry leaders can and should learn from others, because there are a lot of successful organizations that are much better at accomplishing their goals than the local church.
I've always been impressed by the US Marine Corps, for example-they produce leaders who in turn, develop others who "git r done".
I look forward to future postings.
In Christ,
Mark Woolfington
Everyone brings up some good distinctions. I realy didn't answer your question, Chris, with my first post, because I was making the point that a church and a business are different, while the question was actually about "ministry." Sorry about that!
I would hope that for Christians in business, that they consider their business a ministry. I (along with Mark and my wife)founded a small non-profit several years ago that is a "business" and a "ministry." I did and continue to learn from business leaders who are not necessarily Christian. However, I do not go to these sources when I seek to understand how the Church should function. I would say we can learn skills from them, but not how the Church should function. The Church is entirely unique and does not compare to a business/corporation.
I hope that all Christians consider their very lives to be a ministry, whether in business or not. I guess that's why I think the business angle is overplayed by many Christians. I also think that "leadership" is one of the most over-hyped issues in the Christian subculture. It seems to me like Jesus talked much more about being a follower than being a leader. Also, it's not just leaders who need to think about the issues of church and ministry.
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