Winning on Purpose

I have set a goal for myself this week in reading John Kaiser's book Winning on Purpose: How to Organize Congregations to Succeed in Thier Mission (2006) Abingdon Press. I desire to gather some needed background on how to strategically help a plateaued or declining church get back to its God-given purpose in making disciples for Jesus Christ. The organizational strategy developed in this book is called "Accountable Leadership". If I believe that mission happens naturally in congregations through business as usual, then the only kind of pastoral leadership I need is operational leadership: someone to preach the Word, conduct services, oversee programs, and keep the campers happy. If, however, I believe that mission happens only through the courage to continually realign an organization's culture with the values of Christ, then I need something more as a pastor. I need to exercise transformational leadership that comes with entrusted authority and accountabilty toward the objective of making disciples. Good leadership goes where good leadership is supported. As a pastor looking for my next charge, it is very important that I be intentional in my questions when I ask search committees what they are looking for.

Prayer of Examen

Over the last while I have been reminded to keep short accounts of what is happening in my private world. Psalm 139:23-24 has prompted my reflective moments to dig further into my daily experience and see if their is any "hurtful way in me."
Another tool that I came across was St. Ignatius Loyola's "The Prayer of Examen." This practice seeks to grow me as a follower of Jesus in my coapacity to discern God's will, find the movement of God's Spirit in all things, and enhance my understanding of God's good creation and special revelation through His Word. The prayer takes between 10-20 minutes and the majority of time is spent reviewing my day. In a nutshell, here are the six areas of focus as I go through this examination:

1. Recall that I am in the presence of God - as I sit in silence, I focus on God's deep and abiding love for me.
2. Recall my day with gratitude - after a few moments, remember the small pleasures of my day: a good night sleep, a good apple, a good conversation, or a beautiful sunset.
3. As for guidance from the Holy Spirit - ask the Holy Spirit to help me recall my day with clarity and an understanding of my limitations.
4. Review my day - I go back to the start of the day and allow it to play like a short movie in my mind. Where did I fail? What were my sucesses? Where did I experience joys? etc.
5. Reconcile and Resolve - As I picture myself next to Jesus, tell him where I felt dissappointment and sorrow and and give thanks for Christ's ability to restore me through forgiveness and restitution.
6. End my time with the Lord's prayer.