ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 29, 2006  

Lutherans Reflect on the Vocation of a Leader
06-146-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Bringing forth and supporting faithful,
wise and courageous leaders is one of the strategic directions of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  Staff of the
ELCA churchwide organization, professors and administrative staff
of ELCA seminaries, college and universities, bishops and others
gathered here Sept. 22-23 in a special forum to engage in
theological discussion on the vocation of leadership.
      The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, set
the stage for the discussion.  "We have said in one of our
strategic directions that we will 'assist this church to bring
forth and support faithful, wise and courageous leaders whose
vocations serve God's mission in a pluralistic world.'  Our whole
conversation is a contributing to and a developing of what that
means for this church.  When you ponder each of those words, we
begin to get a real sense of a theology of leadership for this
church," he said.
     Hanson reflected on the characteristics of leaders named in
the strategic direction -- faithful, wise and courageous.
     "What do we mean by faithful leaders?  It seems to me it
implies that leaders, who are called to office, be it ordained or
lay, are first followers.  (Leaders) are self-defined followers,
they are disciples," he said. "My tension, when we think about
leaders as first followers, is that, when I listen to a lot of
discipleship talk in the church, you have to listen long and hard
before you get to the cross," he said.  "My understanding of the
theology of leadership and discipleship begins with the cross. I
think that's a huge assumption about the theology of leadership
that needs to be articulated more clearly, persistently and
persuasively in all discipleship talk.  I'll confess that I
hardly use the word discipleship any more because of what I've
seen it become, devoid of the cross."
     "If we are followers of Jesus together, following the way of
the cross, how do we discern where that call leads us in the
context to which we've been called to leadership?  Followers are
also then conveners of discernment among the followers of Jesus,"
said Hanson.  And, that creates another tension, he said.  "Many
leaders in the Christian community offer certainty to an anxious
culture rather than the confidence of faith, and then inviting
the faithful into discernment about where is God active, what is
God calling us to do as we are about God's activity."
     "Faithful leaders are also servants of the gospel,
proclaimers of the gospel. Faithful leaders, for me, are members
of the body of Christ," he said.  Hanson also noted that the word
"members" in the church "has fallen on hard times these past few
years, because it juxtaposes against discipleship.  We are about
discipleship not membership.  Well, I don't like that (because
it) creates a false dichotomy," he said.  "I don't think
discipleship and membership should be put in opposition of one
another.  They are different expressions, I believe, of the call
to leadership which means to be communal."
     Hanson told participants that leaders "need to be known for
their unquenchable curiosity."  He said, "Wise leaders will not
only experience wisdom as wonder that makes them otherwise, but
(leaders) will be ones who gather up the wisdom that is widely
dispersed.  Wise leaders will not only be gatherers of the shared
and dispersed wisdom, but they will also be very attentive to
context."
     "Wise leaders will know when to invoke God's presence, evoke
the gifts of God's people, provoke God's people and revoke evil.
They will know when to agitate and negotiate" and when to "get
out of the way.  That calls for an incredible ability to be
discerning," Hanson said.
     "Courageous leaders will have the courage to be messengers
of God declaring 'do not be afraid.'  That's probably one of the
core messages that leaders are called to declare in this anxious
world," he said.  "I think leadership today is about pushing back
the walls of fear that certain political leaders and all their
rhetoric want to have come crashing down on us, (giving) God very
little space and, probably in their own theology, only space for
God to work in my heart and not beyond," Hanson said.  "I think
courageous leaders will have the courage to confess their own
sinfulness and their own need for God's grace."
     The forum included several small group discussions and
plenary sessions.  Dr. Craig Van Gelder, professor of
congregational mission, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., led a
plenary and "part Bible study" on the life of Jesus in the
formation of leadership.  The Rev. Norma J. Cook Everist,
professor of church administration and educational ministry,
Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and the Rev. Craig
L. Nessan, academic dean and professor of contextual theology,
Wartburg, led a plenary on transformational leadership.
     A four-member panel explored various topics of leadership.
The Rev. Ruben Duran, director for new congregational
development, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational
Mission, provided insight on congregational leadership; Hanson
noted some challenges and opportunities for leadership in the
church today; the Rev. Philip D.W. Krey, president, Lutheran
Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, focused on educating for
leadership and discipleship; and Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a
Lutheran theologian, Seattle University, talked about leadership
and the public church.
     According to the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive for
leadership development, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop, the
forum served to gather insight and advice to guide staff of the
ELCA churchwide office in its work to fulfill its strategic
directions and commitments related to leadership.
     "We wanted to bring together leaders, particularly those who
are educating for leadership across the church, to have a
conversation around what it means to be a church that has a
strategic direction (in calling forth) faithful, wise and
courageous leaders," said Bullock.
     Participants offered "some common conceptual framework" to
"move us forward in strengthening the leadership in the church
and developing the next generation of leaders," she said.  The
thoughts and insights gathered at the forum will serve to guide
churchwide staff and others working on fulfilling the strategic
direction, she said.
     Some staff present at the forum said that the conversations
have informed and shaped their thinking about leadership, she
said.  "So, the next step is for each one of the participants to
integrate their experience into their own ongoing leadership
journey, as well as (integrate the experience in) what they are
called to do for this church," Bullock said.  She added that
another step is "to continue the cooperation, collaboration and
coordination around leadership that we're already doing" and look
for ways to strengthen that in some new, creative and imaginative
ways to deepen understanding.
- - -
     Audio comments from the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, bishop of the
ELCA, related to this story are on the ELCA Web site at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/060928A.mp3 
     Audio comments from the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive
for leadership development, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop,
related to this story are on the ELCA Web site at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/060928B.mp3 
     Information about the ELCA Leadership Initiative strategic
directions is available at http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/leadership
on the ELCA Web site.  Information about the strategic directions
of the ELCA churchwide office is at available
http://www.ELCA.org/planning/directions.html on the Web.

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