Reading and Leading

With my new book, Hybrid Church; The Fusion of Intimacy and Impact just out, I've been asked to participate in the online event, Leaders are Readers, scheduled for November 11th (you can register at leadersandreaders.leadnet.org). I will be in New Dehli, India on that day, but will be checking in, Lord willing.

In preparation for the event, I was asked to give some of my thoughts on leading and reading, and why I think leaders are readers. I tend to turn those words around, actually, and say, readers are leaders. This is because reading gives a person a leg up. As a reader, you get the benefit of "organized thought." All things being equal, written speech is organizationally superior to verbal speech - the best speeches being well-written first.

The benefit to the reader of something that is written stems from the writing process. Someone can speak without thinking, but they cannot write without thinking. The process of sitting down and writing forces a person to think in an orderly fashion. A writer has to think logically - starting point to ending point. A writer is forced to think sequentially, in outline form. The writer is made to think editorially, getting a chance to edit their thoughts as they go. Then, if it is a published piece, the book undergoes another round of editorial review by others. All this results in a bonanza of clarity for the reader.

I try to read at least two good books per week. Over the years, I have read some really awesome stuff. Here are some of the books and authors that have proven the most insightful.

Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton

Brilliant mind explains, defends Christianity.

The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge

Amazing book about systems, and how they work.

The Coming Church Revolution, Carl F. George

A book about the social architecture of the church.

Leadership is an Art, Max DePree

A leadership primer from a corporate guy with soul.

Future Edge, Joel Barker

A futurist talks about paradigms.

The Living Company, Arie de Geus

How organizations are alive, and should be treated like people.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective, Stephen Covey

How to live well, from the inside out.

Rediscovering Church, Bill Hybels

The church is the hope of the world.

The Leadership Engine, Noel Tichy

What we really need to produce: leaders.

The Jesus Style, Gayle Erwin

The way up is down.

The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

How little things can make a big difference.

Execution, Larry Bossidy

The art of getting things done.

Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman

Leading with emotional intelligence.

The Careless Society, John McKnight

Professionals can’t deliver what communities can.

The World is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman

Overview of the sweeping changes in the past 15 years.

Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block

The nature of community and how it is developed.

You might notice from my list that secular books outnumber religious. I believe that “all truth is God’s truth.” While I read the typical Christians books and authors (I think I’ve read everything Lucado’s ever written), I have found fresher thoughts reading in adjacent disciplines (leadership, personal growth, organizational development, etc.) than in religious categories (pastoral, church, etc.). This may be because there is a lot of “group think” in the evangelical community, with few primary sources. For now, anyway, “fresher” ideas are coming from business and biology.

Another book I am enjoying all over again is (drum roll please) the Bible. Best leadership book ever written. Best book on personal and organizational growth, too. I’ve been delving into Paul’s travels in Acts, and seeing his ministry through new eyes. I’ve come to realize that Paul was a church (singular) planter. I believe that Paul was only involved with planting one church – Christ’s. It was a geographically unlimited, multisite network.

When do I read? I have several places and times. First, I keep a book and a couple magazines by my bed. Before I go to sleep I typically read for an hour. I read first thing in the morning – the Bible and then something else. I keep a book in the bathroom (‘nuff said). I keep a book in my back pack. I keep a book in my truck. So that if I ever have “spare” time, I can redeem it by stimulating my heart, mind and soul.

How do I read? With a pen. Whenever I read something that's salient, I write a one-word descriptor in the margin. Then I have a volunteer who takes everything I've read and copies and files the pages accordingly. I now have four, four-drawer file cabinets with alphabetical files of everything I've read and saved. Those files have proven to be a rich resource for my teaching...and writing.

Belonging and Purpose

Hybrid Church is about hearing the church in stereo. It is a two-pronged approach to church, combining intimacy and impact. It is the quest for a church that is both personal and powerful. When I shared this combination with a friend the other day, he replied, "That makes sense. Because we're all looking for belonging, and we're all looking for purpose." Yup. That pretty much sums it up.

Both of these themes have been pretty well articulated, by the way. Have you ever heard of the Purpose Driven....Life, Church, Dog, Burrito, etc.? If you haven't, you can borrow the book from one of your forty million friends. On the other hand there has been a lot written about community, small groups, and organic church life, as well. What Hybrid Church does is build a philosophical bridge between these two approaches; approaches that speak to these two great needs that people have: meaningful relationships and meaningful responsibilities.

Club, Church or Crowd?

I only want to pastor a church. A church is both personal and powerful. It expresses both intimacy and impact. It is an authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out to unchurched people.

On the other hand, I'm not interested in leading a club, or a crowd. A club is a Christian community that doesn't reach out effectively (intimacy without impact). A crowd reaches out, but lacks community (impact without intimacy). A church is more concerned than a club, and more connected than a crowd.

I once had a lady take exception to CTK’s emphasis on effectively reaching out to unchurched people. She said, “the church is for believers, not unbelievers.” I had to disagree. The church is not for believers. It is believers. The church (Greek ecclesia: “called out ones”) is who we are. But to say that the church is “for” us (as in “intended for” us) is to say that God called us out for our own sake. This is circular and contrary to Christ’s marching orders in Matthew 28:18-20. To organize the church for the benefit of it’s members is tantamount to purchasing a hammer “so that I have one to hold in my hand” instead of “so that I can build things.” When it comes to the church, Christ is interested in building something. Ministries that do not engage in making more disciples of Jesus Christ become inward focused, resembling a club more than a church.

When a ministry becomes effective in reaching out to lost people, but does not maintain an authentic Christian core, it can become a “crowd” instead of a “church.” If you get a bunch of people in a room who have no connection to each other, you have a crowd. If you get a bunch of people in a room who have connection to each other, you might have a church.

The "big idea" of Hybrid Church is the fusion of intimacy and impact - melding the best of club and crowd dynamics. In your experience is this balance between “community” and “outreach” difficult to maintain in the church? Why? Do they have to compete?