Philosophy of Leadership
Philosophy of Leadership
This philosophy of leadership is in the context of a future church plant, Mosaic Toronto, and is to be proliferated amongst all leaders, both paid and volunteer, in the faith community. These are the raw essentials that I feel every leader must know and embody.
Mosaic Toronto is an expanding movement of people becoming who God created them to be. It is a movement sparked by the Creator of the universe, fused together by the person of Jesus, and fueled forward by the Spirit of God. It seeks to serve the city of Ottawa and beyond as a community of faith, love, and hope, by unleashing the God-given dreams of those who choose to participate.
Faith, Love, and Hope are the primal themes of Mosaic Ottawa. – To live by faith, to be known by love, and to be voices of hope. From a leadership perspective we translate these three core values as Character, Community, and Cause. Every leader embodies, practices, and grows in these leadership values: Developing the character of Christ, deepening as a community of Christ, and being driven by the Cause of Christ. Some of the primary leadership principles from these three values will be discussed.
LEADERSHIP AND THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST
God is the ultimate leader
The leadership journey of developing a character of Christ begins with recognizing and responding to God as the ultimate leader. It is God who creates us in His image, breathes life into us, sustains us, watches over us, guides us, protects us, cultivates us, and brings us to completion. He alone is worthy of being our leader and in turn is worthy of our entire lives.
Every Christian leader is a follower of Jesus. In Jesus we discover the essence of what it means to be a leader and a human being. Christ does what we cannot do ourselves and reconciles us to both God and the rest of humanity. It is by grace we have confidence in living and leading as His followers. The life, the characteristics, and the principles of Jesus, as the ultimate God-follower, are what we continually seek to embrace as leaders and as a community. All Christian leadership begins with a life surrendered to the leading of Christ our Lord.
Great leaders take on the character of Christ
Christian leadership can often be a haven for dysfunctional people. Moral integrity is a primal baseline for leadership. Without an inward life that is whole and healthy, the act of leadership can often be an escape route of avoiding issues of sin appropriately or even cause unnecessary overcompensation in all good one might do. The Scriptures call for leaders to “be above reproach”.[1] Just as God is worthy of all of our lives, when our character is aligned with his, our character is what makes leaders worth following.[2] Character must always be in the process of refinement.
The weight of God in leadership
Those who are in leadership live with the weight of knowing that they have been given much by God, and that much will be demanded of them.[3] This gives sobering clarity to the leader when dealing with conflicting demands. Spiritual leaders make every decision with the awareness that one day they will give an account to God.[4]
When the gravity of God is pressed upon the hearts of leaders, they fear God alone, and frees them of all other fears. Fear tends to create boundaries, and when the limitless God is feared, there are no limits to what might be accomplished. The weight of God in a leader’s life also serves as a continual reminder of the urgency and the importance of what they are pursuing. It reminds leaders that the decisions we make can have Life changing, community-wide, or even global consequences, because we believe that we are working with all that is eternal.
Leaders are lifelong learners
Just as Jesus “grew in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and men”, leaders must continually be on a journey of self-development.[5] Besides their relationship with Christ, leaders must discover and cultivate their gifts, talents, strengths, and passions. They must find new ways of maximizing, stretching, and refining what God has given to them. To do anything less would be sin. John Maxwell states that “Leadership develops daily, not in a day”.[6] There are no shortcuts to leadership, it is a discipline that continues throughout one’s lifetime.
Leadership can be intensely pressure –filled at times, and a fruit of the Spirit that would be helpful to continually cultivate is that of joy. Finding and growing in joy inside and outside of ministry is essential. Without healthy release valves, moral integrity can easily be destroyed. It is critical that leaders continually learn to adjust to change and find a healthy rhythm in which they can live and thrive by.
Humility drives leaders to responsibility
Leaders must not only take responsibility of their own lives, but that of others around them. As leaders progress in their journey with God, they gain a better sense of themselves as they really are. They become less prideful, but not self-degrading. They are continually humbled in the presence of God’s greatness. This clear sense of reality drives them to serve others, as Jesus did.[7] Jesus took responsibility of things that were not his fault – unlike Herod who wiped his hands clean, Jesus had his hands nailed for humanity. Real leaders do not point fingers or blame circumstances, but they take ownership of that which they can influence and serve with humility.
LEADERSHIP THROUGH A COMMUNITY OF CHRIST
Leadership demands a community
True leaders are not only competent individuals but they also influence individuals. Regardless of how large a vision a leader may have, if it only involves and requires themselves then that vision is likely far too small. Leaders worthy of following have followers regardless of their formal roles. A leader brings a community of followers towards attaining goals that cannot be attained alone.
Leaders create and shape ethos
Not only do leaders influence individuals and bring them towards a common goal, but they also shape the very environment they come together in. Leaders primarily do this by embodying the values of an organization. They both erupt and leak these values.[8] What the leader values and is passionate about is what naturally gets transmitted to the community. Kouzes and Posner declare that, “If a leader displays no passion for a cause, why should anyone else?”[9].
Leaders catalyze the values that permeate the community. Quite often what passes for commitment is in fact, compliance.[10] However, when a leader’s passion is transparent and overflows to the community, that passion is contagious. [11] It is important to note that as important as leaders are, they are not equivalent to the culture of the organization, especially the community of faith. Leonard Sweet states that “what makes a successful corporation is not a great product or a great leader, but a great culture in which people are empowered in creative goodness, innovative beauty, and unyielding truth.[12] The culture is not defined by the leader, the superstars, or the experts, but by the base level of what it means to be a part of the community. Leaders are responsible for shaping this.
Leaders see people differently
Leaders see people as they really are, as God’s workmanship crafted with a unique purpose in human history.[13] Whether a believer or not, leaders see every human being as a reflection of the Creator, brimming with potential. Leaders look into people’s hearts and lives and help reveal to them their beauty and worth.[14]
Relationships over rules and rituals
Unlike a secular organization, the community of faith is a living organism. It is living, breathing, and dynamic. Rules and guidelines are in place as a form of guidelines and best practices, but people must always take precedence over these principles. Mosaic Ottawa is a family that loves and protects one another. Even if someone does not adhere to our values or systems they are still worthy of our love. As a Christ-following movement we will always strive to have structures submit to the Spirit.
The leader values both unity and diversity.
The very name of a Mosaic is derived from the art-form of broken and fragmented pieces that are brought together by the hands of an artist. Similarly Mosaic Ottawa as a community of faith is where God as the Master Artist brings together broken and fragmented people to create something beautiful and inspiring, especially when light strikes through it because of its transparency.[15] Kouzes and Posner state that “Leaders find the common thread that weaves the fabric of human needs into a colorful tapestry”, at Mosaic Ottawa we believe this is the fingerprint of God on every human being.[16]
Leaders almost naively interact with other followers of Christ, no matter how cool or aloof they may appear, trusting that they too have had at least a moment in their lives where they have fallen before the living God in repentance and submission. The community of faith is brought together by this common experience. At the same time, every person is seen as uniquely created with a distinct voice. As leaders embrace this value the community will become further unified by its value of each individual’s uniqueness before God.
Beauty through conflict
As a community of diversity conflicts will undoubtedly arise. The early church was conflicted with immorality and heresy because there was such a diversity of new-believers and non-believers. Paul’s journey’s from city to city were filled with conflict and opposition because he was being missional. Leadership at Mosaic Ottawa sees healthy conflict as a sign of life in the community. Leaders turn their critics into coaches.[17] Through conflicts leaders trust God’s redemptive nature and that beauty can come from even ashes. Leaders not only acknowledge and learn from problems, they also create them. Leaders create problems by continually calling people out of the status quo, and rallying followers to fight worthwhile battles, to uncover the beauty that God is longing to reveal.
Leadership needs community
Leaders must feel that they need the community, as much as the community needs them. Leaders must have the humility to acknowledge that they too are human beings with an intrinsic longing for community and belonging. Leaders need to allow others to speak into their lives and say the things that they may not be able to say to themselves. Leaders must not mask their needs and their struggles from people. In doing so they lose out on the grace that God gives them through community, but they can indirectly demean the needs and struggles of others in the process. Leaders need relationships of all types from other leaders, peers, and followers in order to remain relationally healthy in the leadership journey.
LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
Leaders personally embrace the cause of Christ
Mosaic Ottawa must strive to move people towards joining the mission of God, or cease to exist. Leaders must likewise not simply set the course, or steer the course, they must run the course themselves.[18] Leaders must always be joining God in advancing the kingdom of God in their particular context. Although Mosaic Ottawa may be seen as a church, at its core it is essentially a movement of missionaries.
Leaders look towards God as the ultimate missionary
God passionately pursues every one of us with His love. Whether we are believers or not every one of us is, and continues to be, God’s mission field. Leaders in particular must be continually reminded of this as the grace of God can easily be forgotten in the midst of leadership. When things seem dismal, leaders must reflect on this missionary God who believes in each one of us more than we could ever believe in him.
Mission is God’s initiative, not ours. We are never alone on this mission. The Holy Spirit goes ahead of us preparing the hearts of men and women long before we arrive. Jesus serves as the ultimate example of seeking the lost and revealing God’s love. God’s missionary heart for people is not a crutch, but the inspiration, power, and example by which we move with Him on mission.
Leaders call every person to be on mission
The good news of God always comes to us on its way to someone else. It must never be contained or possessed. The call of Jesus goes far beyond acceptance and heaven. Leaders must embrace in their hearts the fact that every follower of Jesus that remains on this earth continues to live and breathe for a reason.
Every child of God is called to join the Father on His mission of sharing his heart and passion with the entire world. This mission is not only to the gifted or the elite, but is entrusted to every person regardless of ability. Just as God believes in each one of us more than we could ever believe in Him, leaders must believe in others more than they might believe in themselves. Leaders need to communicate with their lives the magnificence of God’s mission, and that all are invited to join.
Leadership is forward moving
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”, if what Edmund Bruke says is true, then passive neutrality will never overcome the evil in this world.[19] The mission of God requires kingdom advancing warriors moved by the spirit of God. It will not be accomplished by those who stand idly by. Those leading God’s mission realize that there are forces both human and supernatural that move against the mission. The mission does not wait, but creates. It makes the most of every opportunity. It has unshakable hope that every effort is worthwhile. It believes that monumental transformations can happen over time with even the most minor shifts in a person’s heart.
Leadership passionate risks and innovates for the cause of Christ
Missional leadership is unafraid of taking risks. Stephan Covey states that “you can’t lead without taking risk. You won’t risk without courage. Courage is essential to leadership”[20] The apostle Paul went from city to city so that some may hear his message of hope and he became all things to all people so that he might save some.[21] When a leader is driven by convictions rather than needs or consequences their visions are not determined by their resources.[22] Peter Drucker goes as far as saying that the best way of predicting the future is to create it.[23]
Leaders learn from their failures as well as their successes. The only real failures are those where one violates their own hearts and do not make the most of opportunities presented.[24] Leaders act not because something is easy but because it is right. They are willing to die trying, knowing the streaks and stains of their blood, sweat, and tears, might point others to what it means to be a leader; just as our living God did.
Concluding thoughts
The primary elements throughout Mosaic Ottawa and its ethos is that of Christ, Community and Cause. Our community is shaped by our understanding of the three intrinsic desires we believe God has placed in every human being; the need to believe, belong and become. Mosaic seeks to become a community of faith that is both radically inclusive and highly missional.
One way this is structurally accomplished is by our two circles of community. One first circle is a radically inclusive community where there are no structural conditions to receiving more love or care at our church. The second is a circle that consists of those who have bought into the vision of radically loving those who are in the other circle. Unlike most organizations in the world, Mosaic Ottawa exists primarily for its non-members. Our hope is that with this implementation the church might not be a refuge from the world, but a refuge for the world.
There is a very high emphasis on the values listed. We also believe that boundaries can also be healthy, but we trust that when people are convicted by core-values they will create their own boundaries. We believe that as leaders embody and drive these values, it will permeate the entire community. From a leadership perspective one overarching value throughout all the others is that we believe that every single person is called to lead on some level. After all, we’re all called to lead people to Christ. Mosaic Ottawa seeks not to have people embrace the mission of the church, but as a community we hope to maximize each individual’s leadership potential and unleash the God-given dreams that they have as well.
Finally, we hope to be a grace-filled community. We know that in teaching people how to lead, we must also teach them how to fail gracefully. As a community we strive to do what is on the heart of God that no one else is doing yet and continually innovate and experiment. Because of this we will often be failure prone, and so we value raw beauty over excellence. Our hope as we stretch forward as a missional community we might be so consumed by Christ that it leaves very little room in our lives for sin. However we know that we are still fallen creatures. Leaders and followers will continually be embraced as people on a journey, learning to lead and to follow in the wonderful grace of the God who led first, by leading us to Him.
WORKS CITED
All Biblical references were with the NIV, Harper Collins Canada, 2002.
Blackaby, Henry. Spiritual Leadership, Broadman & Holman, 2001.
Covey, Stephen. The seven habits of highly effective people, Free Press; 15th edition, 2004.
Covey, Stephan. The 8th habit, Free Press, 1st Edition, 2005.
Hybels, Bill. Courageous Leadership, Harper Collins Canada, 2002.
Kouzes, James, and Posner, Barry. Leadership Challenge, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 3rd Edition, 2003.
Martoia, Ron. Morph, Group Publishing, 2003.
Maxwell, John. 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader, Nelson Books, 2001.
McManus, Erwin. An Unstoppable Force, Group Publishing, 2001.
McManus, Erwin. Article. http://erwinmcmanus.com/broken-pieces
Sherbino, David. Practice and Theology of Ministry Lecture, November 20th, 2006.
Sweet, Leonard. Summoned to Lead, Harper Collins Canada, 2004.
[1] 1 Timothy 3:2
[2] Covey, Stephen. The seven habits of highly effective people, Free Press; 15th edition, 2004. 111.
[3] Hebrews 13:17
[4] Blackaby, Henry. Spiritual Leadership, Broadman & Holman, 2001. 190.
[5] Luke 2:52
[6] Maxwell, John. 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader, Nelson Books, 2001. 21.
[7] Mark 10:45
[8] 2, Martoia, Ron. Morph, Group Publishing, 2003. 2.
[9] Kouzes, James, and Posner, Barry. Leadership Challenge, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 3rd Edition, 2003. 32.
[10] Blackaby, 75.
[11] Hybels, Bill. Courageous Leadership, Harper Collins Canada, 2002. 35.
[12] Sweet, Leonard. Summoned to Lead, Harper Collins Canada, 2004. 15.
[13] Ephesians 2:8-10
[14] Covey, Stephan. The 8th habit, Free Press, 1st Edition, 2005. 98.
[15] Adapted from Erwin McManus article. http://erwinmcmanus.com/broken-pieces
[16] Kouzes and Posner, 149.
[17] Sherbino, David. Practice and Theology of Ministry Lecture, November 20th, 2006.
[18] McManus, Erwin. An Unstoppable Force, Group Publishing, 2001. 74.
[19] Covey, Stephen. The 8th habit. 7.
[20] Covey, Stephen. The Seven habits, 47.
[21] 1 Corinthians 9:21-22
[22] Blackaby, Henry, 64.
[23] Drucker, Peter via McManus, Erwin. An unstoppable Force. 20.
[24] Covey, Stephen. Seven Habits. 46.
