http://davemale.typepad.com/churchunplugged/
Pioneering
Leadership
Who am I?
How do I
identify
myself as a
pioneering
leader?
Who does
the church
think I am?
Self identity
‘ Need to identify, select and train
pioneer church planters
for lay and ordained ministries…..
Recommendation 11
It is important that they are not pressed into
becoming ministers of existing churches but
are deployed in pioneering contexts”
MSC p134
2006 Guidelines
“candidates who have the
necessary vision and gifts to be missionary
entrepreneurs, to lead fresh expressions
of church and forms
of church for an appropriate culture.”
2011 Criteria for Pioneer Ministry
•Demonstrable maturity & robustness
•Demonstrable self motivation
•Demonstrable track record of innovation
and initiative
•Demonstrable ability to work
collaboratively in a team
Archegos
Archegos
‘looking to Jesus the pioneer
and perfector of our faith’
Hebrews 12;2
Archegos
‘looking to Jesus the pioneer
and perfector of our faith’
Hebrews 12;2
How was
Jesus a pioneer ?
Some important
qualifications
There is a spectrum of pioneering
Pioneer
Starter
Pioneer
Sustainer
Sustainer
Pioneer
Sustainer
Developer
Danger of one model/image for pioneering
“ If pioneering is a highly elastic concept
that requires different capabilities in
different settings, is there a risk of not
discovering potential pioneers if the notion
is stereotyped.”
Mike Moynagh
This is not solo pioneering leadership
Pioneering teams
‘ one of the great myths of entrepreneurship has
been the notion if the leader as a lone hero…
The reality is that successful entrepreneurs either
built teams about them or were part of a team
throughout.’
Thomas Cooney, What is an Entrepreneurial Team
Imaginative Team
• Innovators
• Bridge builders
• Persuaders
Values of the team
• creativity
• curiosity
• risk
• contextual
• prototypes
• serve
‘ Pioneering gifts are widely distributed in the
team and beyond , and the pioneer leader
is to help create a context where these gifts
can be exercised.’
Mike Moynagh
Some possible clues
from scripture
Ephesians 4; 11-12.
‘the gifts he gave were that some would be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists, some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers, to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for
building up the body of Christ.”
Unity- Diversity-Maturity
Ephesians 4; 11-12.
apostles = entrepreneur
prophet = questioner
evangelist = communicator
pastor = humaniser
teacher = systematizer
Frost and Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to come.p175
Apostle
Apostle- one who is sent
Concerned for overall vigour and extension
of Christianity by direct mission and
church planting.
Entrepreneur, pioneer, strategist, innovator,
visionary.
Prophet
The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture,
nourish and evoke a consciousness and
perception alternative to the consciousness
and perception of the dominant culture
around us.
Guard the covenant relationship
Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 1978
Evangelist
Recruit to the cause
‘ As for you always be sober, endure suffering,
do the work of an evangelist,
carry out your ministry fully.’
2 Timothy 4v5.
Questions for discussion?
• What are the strengths
and weaknesses of these
arguments using Ephesians 4.
• What might be its limitations
theologically and practically ?
Some possible clues
from entrepreneurship
Missionary Entrepreneur
‘ This 10 to 15 % of the population should be the leaven
that affects the whole. The leaven is not able to do
its job because our institutions and bureaucratic
systems prevent it.
The problem lies deep. Our education system,
including theological colleges, are all too often learning
regimes rather than talent spotters or developers.
Our institutions stifle entrepreneurial initiative.’
p4
‘Releasing the entrepreneurial talent
among Gods people is the
greatest task
facing the church today.’
p4
• they are people
•habitual
•creative and innovative
•builders
•build something of value
•build using opportunities
‘A person who habitually creates and innovates to build
something of recognised value around
perceived opportunities. p12
Six FACETS of an entrepreneur
• Focus
•Advantage
•Creativity
•Ego
•Team
•Social
by James Fisher
& James Koch
Studied 230 CEOs
100 of whom founding CEOs
Greenwood Press, 2008
‘ It does mean that academic knowledge
concerning entrepreneurship seldom is the
factor that determines whether or not
one becomes an entrepreneur.’
p16
‘ Managers work within facts
entrepreneurs work ahead of facts.’
They think and act differently
• confident
•decisive
•energetic
•disrupt status quo
•visionary
•risk taker
•not give up
‘ The essence of entrepreneurial behaviour is
risk taking.’ p38
Questions for discussion?
• In what ways do you find
the concept of missionary
entrepreneur helpful ?
The Qualities of a
Pioneer ?
People who are
first
People who are
on the edge
People who are
moving out
People who
take risks
People who are
loving change
People who know
when to stay or go
People who know
when to bring order
or chaos
People who are
sure of where they are
and who they are.
People who are
dissenters
‘There can be no constructive change
at all, even in church, unless
there is some form of dissent.
By dissent I mean simply the proposing of
alternatives….
and a system that is not
continuously examining alternatives
is not likely to evolve creatively.’
Gerald Arbuckle, Refounding the Church
People who
reflect, connect
and don’t know
Questions for discussion?
•Which of these do you
most resonate with and why?
• What other categories
might you add ?
The icebergs
The danger of expectations
The problem of measurement
The problem of measurement
• Who is the evaluation for ?
•What is the evaluation for ?
•What is to be measured ?
The problem of measurement
• What measurements might be used ?
The problem of measurement
•Expectations
•Time frame
•Criteria
•Who assess
Beware of the default position
Staying the course
Losing the focus
Isolation
Taking the tough decisions
The danger
of
domestication
Questions for discussion?
•Which of these dangers have
you experienced?
• Can you think of other dangers?
Disturb us Lord,
when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true
because we have dreamed too little,
when we arrived safely
because we sailed too close to the shore.
Sir Francis Drake
http://davemale.typepad.com/churchunplugged/