There are maintenance pastors and maintenance congregations, and they need to live together.

James A. Harnish

Leaders Stay Young
By Bishop William H. Willimon

What are the qualities of a good leader? Fortunately, Jesus defined leadership: A dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them. . . . But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." (Luke 22:24-26)

In Jesus' topsy-turvy world, the most mature is the youngest. Most of us think we must spend years in school in order to grow up. The main factor in the clergy appointive process of my denomination is seniority. And it's a wonderful system, if you are sixty-three years old, like me, with forty years of experience!

But here comes Jesus saying, "If you lead in my Kingdom, you've got to be young." And of course, Jesus himself was a young adult. As I read the gospels — with Jesus lurching from this place to that place, always on the move, talking fast, dropping one bomb after another without giving us sufficient time to reflect and ponder what he's talking about — I think to myself, "Christianity may be a faith best suited for people under thirty-three!" And yet my beloved church has an average age of fifty-nine.

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Mutual Mentoring
By Ann Michel

In a traditional mentoring relationship, an older, wiser colleague provides wisdom, counsel, and advice to a younger, less-skilled aspirant. Today, however, the notion of reverse mentoring is gaining traction as a way for established leaders to stay attuned to contemporary cultural trends. Few things could be more needed in the church today, given the importance of connecting with younger generations.

The concept of reverse mentoring invites us to think about mentoring in a different new way, reassessing our unilateral assumptions that:

• one partner in the relationship has all the answers
• one person gives wisdom and advice while the other takes it
• only one partner is the beneficiary of the mentoring relationship

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The Right Question

Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

Jim Collins says that great enterprises take risks, but they avoid risks that might jeopardize their future. When there is uncertainty about possible new and risky ventures, Collins suggests three questions:

What's the upside, if events turn out well?
What's the downside, if events go very badly?
Can you live with the downside?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution: Carol Follett