I spent an hour this past Thursday in a Doctor
of Ministry seminar on campus. The title
of the course is “Entrepreneurial Leadership,” and the professor invited me to
share some lessons about this kind of leadership, which churches and
institutions find so necessary. Some of
these lessons are hard won, and I have no purchase on being a fully developed
entrepreneur; however, that has been the nature of my calling over these past
11 years.
As you might
imagine from a theologian, I offered a theological framework. Made after God’s likeness, creativity is a
key attribute of what it means to be human.
God has imbued humanity with imagination, varied gifts, and
resilience. Problem solving is an
expression of this creativity, and we can improvise solutions out of the store
of our endowment as imago Dei.
Another aspect of the theological framework is that
our lives are future-oriented. We live
with an eschatological sense that we are not “finished,” and that God is inviting
us to craft the future as divine partners.
Indeed, God is calling upon our creativity to give shape to the
realization of God’s own reign.
Some of the
leadership lessons (in pursuit of being entrepreneurial) are as follows:
1.
Be receptive to the chaos that is inevitable
when innovating.
2.
Learn to embrace calculated risk.
3.
Give back a sense of calm and stability in the
vortex of change.
4.
Pay attention to personal resistance to change
and the desire to repristinate the past.
5.
Remain hopeful in the midst of unknowing, and
walk by faith.
6.
Carry a disposition of “why not?” rather than
“why it won’t work.”
7.
Cultivate a life of prayer, and become ever more
deeply rooted in faith.
8.
Seek wise counsel. An isolated leader cannot impose vision;
rather, vision arises out of thoughtful collaboration. Leadership entails being a “keeper” of the
vision, however.
9.
Find or construct a supportive professional
network that can offer forthright perspective.
10.
Focus on performance objectives that align with
values and vision of the school.
11.
Understand critical tasks unique to discrete
positions and require accountability for their accomplishment.
12.
Continue to practice discernment about strategic
direction.
Practitioners pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree because of a
learning readiness and felt need to improve their practice of ministry. Central’s focus on cultivating creative
leaders interfaces with current challenges.
It is how we serve churches and other forms of direct service, such as a
neighborhood center.
I invite you to add
to the list. We are all learners on this
pathway.
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares creative leaders for diverse ministry contexts.
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