Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes\u201d\u201dnot just one. And different situations call for different styles of leadership. So what types of leader does the church need right now?<\/p>\n
Clich\u00c3\u00a9s become clich\u00c3\u00a9s for a reason\u201d\u201dusually because they are true. So I am going to risk saying that because the church is in crisis, we need a different kind of leader from those we needed fifty years ago. It is a clich\u00c3\u00a9\u201d\u201dbut it is also true.<\/p>\n
I was thinking about this recently when speaking at the induction of a friend, Ross Lockhart, as Director of Ministry Leadership and Education at St. Andrew\u2019s Hall, the Presbyterian College at the Vancouver School of Ministry. My brief was to \u201cgive the charge.\u201d\u009d This was not a phrase I was familiar with, so I asked Ross whether it meant I had to tell everyone how wonderful he is, or whether it was a chance for me to tell him what to do. Modest man that he is, he said the latter. I was happy to oblige\u201d\u201dthough I would happily have done the first too.<\/p>\n
Since seminaries like St Andrew\u2019s are in the business of training leaders, and since Ross is teaching leadership, it seemed like a good opportunity to reflect on what kind of leaders the church needs in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n