Forgiveness as a basis for Leadership development

I am enjoying the reading for my Arrow Leadership course.

I wrote earlier about my reflections on Bill Hybels’ book “Just walk across the room”, and how I agreed with much of what he was saying but was concerned about the motivation behind evangelism that seems to come through the book.

Another book I have just finished is “Growing Leaders” by James Lawrence.

Much of the book is written about the practicalities of leadership and I wish I had read it 20 years ago, because a lot of what he is writing about I have had to learn the hard way.

There have been a few good moments through the book, and one section particularly stood out. His thesis is that Forgiveness is a necessary precondition for Leadership development.

I thought I would share this highlight with you:

If we see the church as a club, it robs fellowship of its true meaning. There is a little commitment, no real caring and connection only at the level which suits me. This is not the picture of fellowship we receive from the New Testament, which uses the word ‘fellowship’ in three ways.

- Fellowship means sharing the same lifeblood. We don’t become Christians in an individualistic way; we become Christians in a deeply personal but also fully corporate way. I become part of the family of God, in which ‘each member belongs to all the others’ (Romans 12:5) with Christ as our head. We share the same values as those who are part of his body.

- Fellowship means caring connection and intimacy (Acts 2:42). This caring connection is expressed in practical ways – love, for one another, sharing with those in need, living in harmony with one another, and a whole range of ‘one another’ actions to be found throughout the New Testament.

- Fellowship means partnering together with a purpose (Luke 5:10).This body has a purpose, governed by its head, Christ. We are called to share in that purpose and play our part within it. We don’t simply meet to make ourselves feel good, we meet together to fulfill the great commandments and the great commission.

Therefore, within the Christian community we discover a place of forgiveness. When you break the rules of the club, you’re out. Don’t pay the membership fee; your membership is terminated. Don’t care for the facilities; you’re asked to leave. Abuse the staff; you’re banned from entering. Churches are called to be different. They are based not on rules but on relationships. Love is the defining mark of Christian community (John 13:34-35), forgiveness is the natural result of love. If forgiveness is not part of our culture, we will restrict growth in leadership and discipleship. Leaders grow when they know they can make mistakes and not be thrown out. The defining moment for a church or organization is not when things are gong well, but when their leaders let them down or make a mistake. How will we respond at that moment?

As I said, it is an interesting take on the importance of forgiveness in the development of a culture of leadership. I hadn’t seen it this clearly before.