Serving Bread

I came across a study in the upcoming issue of The Atlantic Monthly that looks at why leaders matter and more importantly, why some leaders are more effective than others.  Those who have spent any time in a leadership capacity may intuit the researchers’ argument which is that leaders who know their industry operate at a more effective level than those who don’t.

The researchers studied basketball coaches and found that the coaches (i.e. Phil Jackson) who spent time as players coached better teams than those who didn’t play the game. They found that

On average, teams with former all-stars as coaches placed six spots higher in league rankings than teams with coaches who had never played in the NBA

(Sports fans will be quick to point out all the ways that this is not true. For every Phil Jackson, there is an Isiah Thomas who ended last season 23-59. But the researchers looked at a broader picture of coaching and effectiveness)

The implications of such finding is that we need to help people be better players. When we are developing leaders, we need to pay attention to teaching them the basics of ministry, leadership and Bible Study. By learning the crux of the ministry and the foundations of the Christian faith, they will have stronger foundations to be more effective leaders in the future.

When we focus our attention on leadership development, it may be tempting to  want to train people for leadership without developing the basics of following Jesus and ministry. For example, I sometimes find that many young leaders are on the track of being a pastor, going through seminary and jumping through all the hoops to pursue the call when they have spent little or no time participating in community and ministry. Their leadership is mostly information rather than relationships and experience.

I am reminded that Jesus invited his young followers to “come and see” before they were sent out for ministry. They were disciples before they were apostles.

Another implication (one that is closer to my heart) is that we need to be faithful with our ministry in the present. Faithfulness in the ministry that God has given us sets us up to be faithful if/when God may offer us greater leadership in the future. To ignore or demean the present calling because we don’t think we have yet “arrived” can serve to weaken a future calling.