{"id":18612,"date":"2018-09-05T21:25:34","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T04:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=18612"},"modified":"2018-09-06T15:38:12","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T22:38:12","slug":"here-we-go-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/here-we-go-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Here we go again!"},"content":{"rendered":"

And so it begins. Year 2 of the LGP doctoral program. Another challenging attempt to balance work, ministry, study, and home life all while attempting to maintain the remnants of any form of physical fitness or periods of R & R. Who thought this was a good idea?<\/p>\n

As we attempt to develop as leaders,\"\" deepening our perspective, growing in our discernment, developing our abilities, gaining greater understanding of the global nature of the present world, we also need to be mindful of the example we are setting to our families, parishioners, students, colleagues and other passive observers. How will the imposition of challenging academic study affect our relationships, levels of stress, ability to listen etc. In short, will the academic study of leadership and the ensuing research we have all begun negatively impact our ability to lead?<\/p>\n

In beginning the semester with the \u2018Theology of Leadership Journal\u2019 we are given opportunity to investigate broadly Christian leadership and perhaps consider some of the implications of our academic journey together. There are several worthwhile papers in this first edition, not the least of which is the investigation of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, raising the question as to whether sainthood and leadership are compatible or contradictory. The life of Saint Francis as demonstrated in this essay may be a mirror for those in this program, providing glimpses of the paradoxical nature of our own leadership in this season of academic pressure.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s the apparent mirth that Saint Francis allegedly maintained that is the aspect to grasp in our common struggle. \u201cThe Christian leader might examine the life of Francis and determine how best \"\"to keep a buoyant spirit while still tending drudgery.\u201d<\/em>[1]<\/a>Or, maybe it\u2019s the recognition that we need not pursue perfectionism lest we fail to maintain a modicum of humility necessary for Christ-like leadership. \u201cSo maybe the lesson is that God can work with imperfect leaders, so long as they devote themselves persistently to His (sic) service.\u201d<\/em>[2]<\/a>Even more, his life may speak to the ability to endure suffering and trials that we have all come to anticipate (and already experienced for a year). \u201cThat he sustained his spirits through extreme trials of suffering makes him all the more admirable in an age that demands instant cures for what ails you.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

While all of us are engaged in significant academic writing it behooves us to remember that in the life of Saint Francis we have predominantly an exemplar for living rather than a trove of theological musings. \u201cWhat somebody like Francis actually thought and expressed is secondary to what he actually did, or what might be called the form of his life.\u201d[4]<\/strong><\/a><\/em>Let us not neglect the visual example we provide even while we believe ourselves to be out of sight with our heads in a book or faces to the computer screen.<\/p>\n

Additional articles in this first edition of the Journal also provide some insight into leadership archetypes. The exegesis of First Peter 1:1-5 and its connection to Authentic Leadership Theory draws inferences with the time period foundational to modern leadership perspectives. Striving to become authentic in our leadership may seem a natural biproduct of this program but, perhaps there is more to it than simply reading various texts on leadership. The Authentic Leadership Theory espouses the idea that; \u201cAuthentic leaders possess a high degree of self-awareness and self-acceptance, and are guided by strong personal positive core values\u2026..\u201d[5]<\/strong><\/a><\/em>These traits do not come from reading great texts on leadership or even by dialoging with a fantastic lead mentor. No, these characteristics are honed over time through strong mentoring relationships, sometimes trial by error, and a willingness to admit mistakes. We have the great privilege of being immersed in a cohort model that provides opportunity for much of this to occur throughout this academic process. However, let’s not take this at all for granted and endeavor to make the priority our character development rather than the completion of a dissertation.<\/p>\n

Finally, the journal reminded us that much of what constitutes leadership in our career contexts is not what is consistently demonstrated in the biblical text. \u201cThe secular world of leadership and its hopes for positioning a leader for success when it comes to productivity and profit is very different\"\" from the Bible\u2019s vision for life.\u201d<\/em>[6]<\/a>(98) Again, while this may seem to be a given in our program it is important that we keep that realization at the forefront of our readings. How will we define leadership for ourselves in the coming months and years? How will our leadership change, for good or for ill, as a result of the challenges faced through this program? How will we encourage one another in leadership development, \u2018spurring one another on\u2019<\/em>,[7]<\/a>through our blog responses and weekly chat sessions?<\/p>\n

I am encouraged to be on this journey together with you all. I couldn\u2019t do it without you and recognize that I have a great deal to learn from all of you even when I am reticent to admit it. Only approximately fourteen more weeks to reach the mid-point of this arduous journey. Hang on tight.\"\"<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>Harter, Nathan. “Saint and Leader? The Example of St. Francis of Assisi.”\u00a0Theology of Leadership Journal<\/em>1, no. 1 (2018). P. 33<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a>Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>Ibid. p. 30<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a>Ibid. p. 31<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a>Holmquist, Daniel B. “Authentic Leadership Theory: Enhancements from.”\u00a0Theology of Leadership Journal<\/em>1, no. 1 (2018). P. 93<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>Ross, Larry F. “Week Enough to Lead.”\u00a0Theology of Leadership Journal<\/em>1, no. 1 (2018). P. 98<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a>Hebrews 10:24, New International Version<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And so it begins. Year 2 of the LGP doctoral program. Another challenging attempt to balance work, ministry, study, and home life all while attempting to maintain the remnants of any form of physical fitness or periods of R & R. Who thought this was a good idea? As we attempt to develop as leaders, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1325,1324],"class_list":["post-18612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-saint-francis","tag-theology-of-leadership","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18612"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18682,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18612\/revisions\/18682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}