The Priesthood of all beleaders (see what I did there?)
Wooden was so much more than a good basketball coach
This wonderful book, Heroic Leadership, by Chris Lowney is a great insight into the history and inner workings of the Jesuit order and as well as being an appealing alternative to many of the clichéd leadership tracks full of lists of tips and tricks to becoming a fabulous leader.
Instead of these fad inspired tips and tricks, the Jesuits put forth four values and principles that help to create real ‘leadership substance’:
- Self-awareness
- Ingenuity
- Love
- Heroism(Lowney, kindle location 82)
These principles, Lowney asserts, lie at the heart of what has made the Jesuits examples of positive leadership, but also go a long way to explaining the impressive longevity of the Jesuit order. Another key component of the Jesuit ethos that makes it particularly applicable to our current culture and world – it was born into a world of chaotic change and upheaval that was happening at an as yet unprecedented rate.
Lowney says: Because the Jesuit company was cast into this increasingly complex plex and constantly changing world, it’s no great surprise that its organizational architects prized the same mindset and behaviors that modern companies value in today’s similarly tumultuous environments: the abilities to innovate, to remain flexible and adapt constantly, to set ambitious tious goals, to think globally, to move quickly, to take risks. (Lowney, kindle location 32-34)
It is a poignant insight and a good reminder to all of us that, although the ‘times they are a changin” and the world is different than it has ever been, in some ways, it has always been thus. And our human experience of change, community, organization and leadership is not so different than it was, even 450 years ago.
So many things stood out to me in this book, but the most important to me was an insight about the nature of leadership and who might be expected to be a leader.
The Jesuits’ principles made the company better because they made individual Jesuits better. Their principles are rooted in the notions that we’re all leaders and that our whole lives are filled with leadership opportunities. Leadership is not reserved for a few Pooh-Bahs sitting atop large companies, nor do leadership opportunities arise only “on stage” at work. We can be leaders in everything we do-in our work and in our daily lives, when teaching others or learning from others. And most of us do all those things in the course of any given day. (lowney, kindle location 48)
For me this idea conjures up the biblical idea of the ‘Priesthood of all believers’. My first job out of college was as an interim youth minister (1 of 2) for a 3,000 member church in a wealthy Pittsburgh suburb. At that church I was first introduced to the term, ‘professional Christian’. It was used by a parent to describe his perception of my role in his child’s life. I was, in essence, the ‘Christian tutor’, it was my job to handle and shape that part of his child’s life.
Sadly, this parent wasn’t alone in this understanding – to understand that all you had to do was watch the church parking lot around 9:30am on a Sunday morning: a line of cars – sometimes 20 or more – reaching back to the road, of parents dropping their kids off for Sunday school, while they went out to grab breakfast, or get a coffee or go grocery shopping. These parents had completely abdicated their role as spiritual leaders for their children and, unintentionally to be sure, communicated a very clear message about the importance of faith in their lives.
If we are all leaders, Lowney argues, then leadership is less about what leaders do and more about ‘who leaders are’ – and this is true for our faith as well. If we believe that we are all called to be ‘Priests’ – administering the sacraments of our daily lives as a witness of God’s love for the world – then this priesthood has much less to do with saying the right things or even believing the ‘right’ things. The quality and efficacy of our leadership/priesthood is located not in those things, but instead in who we are.
This is a lofty – and, to be honest – sobering call to those of us seeking to be ‘leaders’ in the church and for all of us called to be priests of the Most High God in and for this world. And it is certainly a calling that will not be effectively met by quick fix tips and tricks, but rather by steadily applying core guiding principles for our journey.
Lowney says, ‘A leader’s most compelling leadership tool is who he or she is: a person who understands what he or she values and wants, who is anchored by certain principles, and who faces the world with a consistent outlook. Leadership behavior develops naturally once this internal foundation has been laid. If it hasn’t been, mere technique can never compensate.’ (Lowney, Kindle Locations 163-164).
This point was driven home for me while I served at a small Episcopal church in Connecticut. Having been called there to create a youth ministry program and being the only other full time staff person, I worked very closely with the Rector (priest) of the church.
When I began my time there, Father Tom had been rector for 14 years. He is a wonderful, kind and faithful man, but he is not what many leadership books would lift up as a prototypical leader. He was disorganized, always late (we operated on what the congregation called ‘St. Tim’s time, which was about 5-10 minutes late), often forgetful and he was a procrastinator – often beginning his sermons with the phrase, ‘Last night as I writing….’.
Yet in the 16 years he ended up serving that church, he took what had been a very small and fractured church with very limited resources and grew it into a dynamic, vibrant and growing community of trust, support and service. It was a truly amazing feat – the work of the Holy Spirit, to be sure – but also the result of Tom’s faith and faithfulness.
Realizing that he had, in his own words, ‘taken the church as far as he was equipped to lead it’, he moved on. The pastoral search that followed resulted in St. Tim’s hiring a gem of a candidate: young, dynamic, highly motivated and visionary, the new rector came to St. Tim’s after turning down multiple other offers – the church felt genuinely blessed. The new rector had all of the leadership skills that everyone recognized, as much as we loved Father Tom, that he didn’t possess.
However, just a few months into his appointment, problems began to surface: reports of erratic behavior, paranoia, jealousy and even anger management issues began to demonstrate themselves and this vibrant, wonderful community quickly began to fall apart. In less than two years almost 40% of the church had left, every staff member (except for the rector) was gone and the church was a shell of it’s former self. This rector with all the skills needed to lead the church to new heights, instead steered it directly into it’s demise for one simple reason, all of the skills he possessed were insignificant next to that which he was lacking, the internal foundation of a leader.
As Lowney says, ‘Leadership is not an act. It is my life, a way of living. (Lowney, Kindle Location 123). Let us all strive to a way of living that is worthy of the call that has been placed on us: to be leaders and priests.
About the Author
Chip Stapleton
Follower of Jesus Christ. Husband to Traci. Dad to Charlie, Jack, Ian and Henry. Preacher of Sermons, eater of ice cream, supporter of Arsenal. I love to talk about what God is doing in the world & in and through us & create space and opportunity for others to use their gifts to serve God and God's people.9 responses to “The Priesthood of all beleaders (see what I did there?)”
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I enjoyed your post, Chip, and your real-life examples. As you make very clear, character is so vital, and the self-awareness aspect of the Jesuit leadership paradigm a very important one. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart!
Hi Chip,
Thanks for sharing your story. Accepting the call, for most of us, means it is our life and not what we do. Lowney says that we should live the life that we were called to. We should be aware that we should leave an opening in our hearts to forgive ourselves during the times we don’t live up to our call. We know God does, but it’s a challenge for us to.
What a great example of an “unconventional” leader in Father Tom. The way you wrote about him, I would have liked to meet him or certainly have heard one of his “last minute” sermons. Seems like some of the best leaders are the imperfect ones. Maybe because they lead more from the heart and are concerned more about connecting than performing. A life coach recently said to me, “Some of our greatest leaders had a relatively low IQ” or in other words, they weren’t the brightest bulb in the bunch but they knew how to lead. Even though Lowney says we are all leaders, and certainly when you accept his definition of leadership but do you think there are some that have a gift of leadership where we are drawn to follow? It certainly seems like there are some you want to follow more than others.
Enjoyed your personal ministry stories being interwoven into your takeaways from Lowney. You story about the young St. Tims rector who took over the church definitely goes to show that with all the “technique” and or ability a person may have it does not compensate for the development of his inner leadership foundation.
Character is something that is an intricate part of what makes us who we are. Self-awareness and openness to change is what allows for our character to continue to develop and mature.
Great post Chip! 🙂
“If we believe that we are all called to be ‘Priests’ – administering the sacraments of our daily lives as a witness of God’s love for the world – then this priesthood has much less to do with saying the right things or even believing the ‘right’ things. The quality and efficacy of our leadership/priesthood is located not in those things, but instead in who we are.”
Chip, I really appreciate the way you reflect what Lowney was teaching. Character is so important.
I just had a flash though. What do you think? Is it a little contradictory to say we are all leaders or priests (including women) at one point, and then later praise the male-only group as an example of leadership? I’m getting a little left-out feeling. Am I the only one who is worried about a little disconnect here?
“These parents had completely abdicated their role as spiritual leaders for their children and, unintentionally to be sure, communicated a very clear message about the importance of faith in their lives.”
20 years of youth ministry gave me a lot of insight into this dynamic. I remember one kid who was pulled from a high school retreat at the last minute because he yelled at his parents. The theme of retreat: Honoring your parents.
I have a friend who is a high school minister at church church does confirmation classes. He complained that his ministry was 1/4 the size of the middle school ministry. It seemed that as soon as the parents got their kids “confirmed,” there was no longer a reason to come to youth activities.
You did a good job of connecting heroic leadership to parenting. Thanks for the insight.
Ahhh, the “priesthood of all believers”– you’d make a good Campbellite, Chip! 🙂
Like you, I ran into the “professional Christian” concept in children’s ministry, with parents saying “we feel much more comfortable with you talking to our child about baptism– you’re the professional.” My response– “but you know your child’s spiritual journey much better than I do.”
I love this: “administering the sacraments of our daily lives as a witness of God’s love for the world”. The sacraments of our daily lives. But why not? Filled with the Holy Spirit, we are holy, mysterious, and devoted to God.
It’s my worst nightmare…to look good on paper but not be able to fulfill the mission. I’ve served under people like this in churches and in state government and it is horrifying for everyone involved – sometimes even for the person causing the distress. I think this is why self-awareness is so important, and why we need tools and measures to help ourselves become self-aware.
How did the story end? Did the new rector leave? Was St. Tim’s ever revitalized? Did the new rector ever become self-aware? Or did he simply move to a new church?
BTW, I’m really glad you said “beleaders” rather than “beliebers.”