About me…

My role as an executive pastor is somthing like a Chief Operations Officer for the local church. I love connecting high capacity people and getting them the resources they need to make a difference in our world through the local church.

I also love working to develop creative solutions for communications, technology and ministry programs that make a difference in our communities.

I completely believe the church can change our world!
Articles I’m reading

Feb

6

It’s not either or, it’s both and.

Filed Under Executive Pastoring | Leave a Comment

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras write of the significance of overcoming the “either or” way of thinking and embracing a “both and” approach.

I love that their research into successful organizations that found those organizations who thrived over long periods of time found a way to embrace approaches that allow seemingly contradictory ideas or positions to exist at the same time. For example:

You can have change OR stability.
You can be conservative OR bold.
You can have low cost OR high quality.
You can have creative autonomy OR consistency and control.
You can invest for the future OR do well in the short term.
You can be idealistic (values-driven) OR pragmatic (profit-driven).

Their research found that instead of being oppressed by the “tyranny of the or,” highly visionary and effective companies liberated themselves with the “genius of the and.” They had the ability to accomplish both and instead of one or the other at the same time. Rather than being forced to pick one way over another these companies figured out a way to pursue both. Somewhere along the way I discoved this idea and often find myself looking for both and opportunities.

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras make the point that most leaders are aware of the “tyranny of the or”. What is less discussed is that we must not only live with that tension, but let that tension drive us not to one extreme or the other, but to the “genius of the and.”

Dr. White points out in his blog post that It’s not only a need in business; it’s a need for the church. He list eight areas where church often find themselves stuck with either or instead of embracing a both and approach:

Relevant and Orthodox.
Contemporary and Traditional.
High-Tech and High-Touch.
Multiple Locations and One Church.
Topical and Expositional.
Evangelism and Discipleship.
Growth and Assimilation.
Vision and Reality.

I love how Dr. White list these seemingly opposing positions and how we cannot underestimated the significance of each. I especially like his comment on being culturally relevant and remaining doctrinally pure. He states “We are trying to bring the message of Jesus to our world – but not just to our world, but to our nation, in our city, in our time. This means that what we say and do must make sense to the person experiencing it. The apostle Paul had a deep commitment to this, once writing that he became “all things to all men so that by all possible means”he “might save some” (I Cor. 9:22). The message of the gospel is unchanging, and must remain so; the method of communicating that gospel must change according to the language, culture and background of the audience.”

That’s right on!

Sources:

Adapted from James Emery White blog post on Church and Culture.

James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.