Poets and painters and furniture makers
While we have been exploring the relationship of our faith with our social and economic context this spring, our exploration has primarily been theoretical, abstract and imaginary. Our discussions have been rich and our readings deep, but still hypothetical. Our final text, however, (perhaps the capstone of this course??), pulls ideas from many of our readings together into a lived possibility. Leadership is an Art, by Max DePree, is a story of one person’s (really, one family’s) attempt to faithfully inhabit their place in the world, and answer some of the questions with which our previous authors have wrestled.
Consistently, even today, 30 years after DePree stepped down as chair of Herman Miller (pun intended), the company is still recognized as one of the most creative furniture companies, one of the best companies to work for, and one of the most sustainably responsible.[1] Whatever the company’s “secrets,” they obviously have figured out how to thrive in the competitive capitalist environment.
The Secrets “Exposed”
As if in direct response to Polanyi’s explanation of capitalism’s commodification of labor,[2] DePree’s leadership and company recognize each employee as a full human being—capable of having interests outside of the workplace, providing necessary voice and creativity in a job they enjoyed, and well supported and valued by the company.[3] Following Max Weber’s theory on the emergence of capitalism—while capitalism may be inevitable in today’s context, DePree’s company resisted the trend to simply see employees of any level as labor (“what do you do?”), but real people (“what can you be?”).[4] For the head of a company, and the company itself to genuinely respect the personhood of each employee—and show in its practices—seems almost unheard of today. We see it practically portrayed in the way the Herman Miller company has employee ownership—the employees’ voices and roaming leadership are valued.
By embodying a concept of persons rather than labor, DePree argues that “every person brings an offering to a group” which “requires us to include as many [diverse] people as possible.”[5] When a person is needed, when their desire to contribute in a workplace or a community is fulfilled, each transaction or interaction allows for “the flourishing of each person involved,” Cavanaugh agrees.[6]
The same argument can be made for how DePree’s company approaches the products they create, and the world around them—with creativity and respect. His company values beauty and design, both in the items they create and in the environment they work to sustain (see Herman Miller’s things that matter to us). As a company led by people of faith, they understand that “A sacramental view of the world sees all things as part of God’s good creation, potential signs of the glory of God; things become less disposable, more filled with meaning.”[7]
Max DePree believes there is a cost for belonging, but that the cost is worth it.[8] He recognizes that relationships are key to building a community of belonging, whether that be in a church community or, in his case, his company. James Davison Hunter, in introducing the theology of presence, suggests that, in light of God’s presence with us, we must be fully present to each other, we must “pursue each other, identify with each other, and direct our lives toward the flourishing of each other through sacrificial love.”[9]
Conclusion
Throughout this course’s reading assignments this spring, I confess I felt discouraged and, to an extent,
helpless, at the reality of capitalism’s extreme reality of consumerism consuming our identities as followers of Jesus. How do we respond to that reality, I wrestled. Hunter’s suggestion of living a theology of faithful presence inspired me and cracked open a hint of light. But does that faithful presence only make itself known in the walls of a church building, or among gatherings of Christians? Hunter crucially contends that where “we are able, faithful presence commits us to do what we can to create conditions in the structures of social life we inhabit that are conducive to the flourishing of all.”[10] This is precisely what DePree’s story gives us. Ostensibly a book on leadership, what DePree offers us is a tangible example of how one man, one family, one company can live out the ideals of God’s faithful presence among us, even in the midst of a crazy commoditized consumer context. What DePree gifts us as leaders is the possibility that we ourselves and those we lead, those faithful pew sitters, can mightily enact God’s faithful presence in the context we and they find themselves in—(in my case, in a library), or perhaps even a furniture company.
Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord. Colossians 3:23
[1] http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2011/snapshots/772.html. Accessed March 23, 2017.
[2] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation, (Boston: Beacon, 2001), xxv, etc.
[3] “One of the great problems of the capitalist system… is that it has been primarily an exclusive system. It has been built primarily around contractual relationships, and it has excluded too many people.” Max DePree, Leadership is an Art (New York: Doubleday, 2004), 64
[4] Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1958 [2003]), 70. Cf. DePree, 15.
[5] DePree, 65.
[6] William T. Cavanaugh, Being Consumed, (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2008), viii.
[7] Cavanaugh, 58. They become even “less disposable” when you look at the price for the Herman Miller products. Unfortunately, the high cost out-prices most customers, but the reality of a high quality product where people are paid a respectable wage is the outcome.
[8] DePree, 23, 69.
[9] James Davison Hunter, To Change the World, (New York: Oxford, 2010), 244.
[10] Hunter, 247. Italics mine.
About the Author
Katy Drage Lines
In God’s good Kingdom, some minister like trees, long-standing, rooted in a community. They embody words of Wendell Berry, “stay years if you would know the genius of the place.” Others, however, are called to go. Katy is one of those pilgrims. A global nomad, Katy grew up as a fifth generation Colorado native, attended college & seminary and was ordained in Tennessee, married a guy from Pennsylvania, ministered for ten years in Kenya, worked as a children’s pastor in a small church in Kentucky, and served college students in a university library in Orange County, California. She recently moved to the heart of America, Indianapolis, and has joined the Englewood Christian Church community, serving with them as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. She & her husband Kip, have two delightful boys, a college junior and high school junior.12 responses to “Poets and painters and furniture makers”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Great job of tying the entire semester’s readings together into one post. Yes, this was the most positive and practical book of the semester. The idea of connecting DePree’s career with “faithful presence” is a good observation. There are many men and women who have influential ministries who are not in “the ministry.”
Hear, hear!
Excellent post! Enjoyed the pun too. You make an excellent point concerning a faithful presence in all that we do. Somewhere along the way in our discussions, both Mary and Chip mentioned the way in which we tend to categorize our lives of faith into the sacred and the secular. In good leadership and in faithful living, there is an intersection of the two. I appreciate your making that point. Thanks Katy!
I agree with Stu – nicely summarised and pulled together Katy, particularly with reference to Hunter’s concept of “faithful presence”.
My wife’s grandparents’ had a furniture business in Marble Hill, Missouri for many years and I think they did much to live out God’s faithful presence and to contribute greatly to the kingdom of God through their successful businesses!
What is it about furniture that seems to embody “faithful presence”? Perhaps a grounded reality in ordinariness– ordinary people with ordinary needs, seeking something useful and beautiful for their ordinary place.
Beautifully done, Katy!!! Yes, we’ve come full circle from exploring the questions of capitalism, commodification, and consumerism to seeing a wonderful example of how to be “faithful presence” in the world – no matter what “context we and they find themselves in—(in my case, in a library),”
You paid close attention to all of our reading and saw a common thread.
Your highlight of “Max DePree believes there is a cost for belonging, but that the cost is worth it” reminded me of Bonhoeffer “The Cost of Discipleship”. It’s worth it.
Thank you for your post
I’m waiting to see if anyone noticed I wrote a poem on art for Max! 🙂 🙂
Yes Max De Pree is indeed a great example of what Hunter discusses as living faithful. DePree is just one of many great leaders that lead with servanthood at the forefront. I appreciate his example of how to reflectively practice this being a faithful presence within the context we are all called to serve.
“His company values beauty and design, both in the items they create and in the environment they work to sustain…”
For obvious reasons, this reading has me thinking quite a bit about creativity and beauty. Creator God chose beauty when gathering together the strands of creation. God also placed in each of us the ability to appreciate that beauty. Why is it that so many of us work to discard beauty for efficiency? And in churches, where did we come up with the theological support for asceticism over artistry?
I need to process De Pree’s words further.
Really great post Katy… I love your ability to synthesize all of what we are learning and what we have discussed.
You said: ‘Max DePree believes there is a cost for belonging, but that the cost is worth it.[8] He recognizes that relationships are key to building a community of belonging, whether that be in a church community or, in his case, his company.
This for me is the crux of the issue: being in relationships is costly (in our sermon discussion group today we talked about the ‘messiness’ of our lives and how that is where most of the good stuff is) but we know that the cost is worth it.
Hey Katy- did you write that poem? Powerful and alluring as you speak of art. Beautifully crafted. If you wrote that, more please.:)