Written by: Sandy Bils on September 19, 2013

In his book „Good to great. Why some companies make the leap and others don’t“ Jim Collins presents the results of an intensive research process. Joined by a large team, Collins studied why some average companies become major leaders and others fail. He looked at a period of 15 years and compared his selected companies with other strong companies on the market, which were successful, but couldn’t make it to the top as a reverence group.

Collins researches showed, that the most successful leaders could be characterized by their humility and a professional and strong will. After presenting the results, Collins presents the so called Level 5 Leadership Model. As one of the first steps of a successful leadership on level 5, he suggest to reflect on the potential team mates.

 „The good-to-great leaders began the transformation by first getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it.“ (p. 63)

This is where my heart broke.

Last week I was on a training course for pastors. We worked about volunteer motivation, democratic structures in church like the church boards etc.

And again and again, we came to a point, where pastor in the course complained about straining team members or elders in their congregations. “If XY weren’t there, everything would be easier. He/she destroys the whole process.”

If the church was a company, rated by standards, which Collins suggests, the annoying volunteer had to go, “leave the bus,” Collins calls it.

I am happy that we have all people on the bus. The annoying, lazy, handicapped, unfriendly and unsuccessful, because it is not up to us, to kick them out.

This is by no means, an invitation to half-heartedness and laziness in our congregations, its more a matter of grace and the reflection of “simul iustus et peccator”. The following example hopefully shows, what I mean.

Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastor of House for all sinners and saints is interviewed by Krista Tippet at Wild Goose Festival.

I suggest to watch the whole video, because it is really awesome.

If you just want the snippet I refer to, skip to 00:11:00.

Seeing the Underside and Seeing God: Nadia Bolz-Weber with Krista Tippett at the Wild Goose Festival from On Being on Vimeo.

Nadia is open about all the people on her “bus” House for all sinners and saints” and she shows how this mixed bus glorifies God, in this heterogeneous body of Christ in the Lutheran Liturgy. Skip to 00:25:00.

Is Nadia’s love for the liturgy and the way, she leads her congregation in the services something that Jim Collins would consider a humble leader full of humility? Wearing clergy, but sitting in a circle around the altar with all the other church members, having church members doing the readings and prayers and the pastor only being responsible for the sermon and the benediction?

But how does this fit with the other standard, Jim Collins asks for: “professional and strong will.”

“We are anti-excellence and pro participation…”

Pastor Nadia states. This destroys all the measurable qualitative and quantitative scales Collins would use, to rate Nadia Bolz-Weber and her congregation. I guess there is nothing to rate. Nadia is hardworking and a willfull woman (also in sports, by the way), but this is not what church is about. Churches “work” different, than companies do. The success lies on a different level. The theological view comes from a different angle.

This reminds me of one of my last posts on Seth Godins book “The dip.” I called my blogpost “Success in not one of the names of God,” where I already argued about work-righteousness and efficiency-darwinism in our congregations, which aren’t theological and ethical standards which are appropriate and applicable for church contexts.

PS: You should read Nadia Bolz-Webers new book, called “Pastrix. The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint.“ Others also did, this is why Nadia is a sucessful pastor of a sucessful congregations, not because but despite all the Jim Collins in our world. Nadia is a precious friend, a wonderful luterhan pastor and a outstanding author. Don’t miss her on her reading tour!

About the Author

Sandy Bils