Category: Leadership

Lynn Anderson on the Value of Mentors

Each Monday, I have been posting segments of an interview with Lynn Anderson of San Antonio, Texas.  Lynn has served as church planter, minister, and mentor to many, many people.  In this segment, he discusses the value of mentors in his life.  I, along with a number of other people, have been blessed through Lynn’s mentoring.  Watch this video and enjoy.  I would love to hear your feedback on his comments.

(You might enjoy visiting Lynn’s website, Mentornetwork.org.  I encourage you to to visit it if you have not.)

 

Lynn Anderson on Marriage and Family

Let me encourage you to watch this video.   The length is only 4 minutes, 42 seconds.  The content is outstanding!

This video is a continuation of the interview I recently did with Lynn Anderson.  (These are being posted each Monday.)  Lynn has spent many years encouraging, coaching, and counseling people who are in a variety of roles in ministry.  He has talked with many, many people about marriage and family.  (You can find more of his thinking, on a variety of ministry concerns, at his website Mentornetwork.org.) 

In this video, Lynn speaks candidly regarding the condition of some families today and some of the particular struggles of those who serve churches in various ministry roles.

An Interview With Lynn Anderson (Part 2 of 2)

andersonThe following is the second part of an interview with Lynn Anderson, director of MentorNetwork.  Lynn is an author, long time minister, and an encourager/mentor to many.  This interview is simply a sample of his ministry as he reflects on staying fresh for the long haul.  (You can find Part 1 here.)  Next Monday, I will begin posting a series of video interviews that I did with Lynn which you might find very encouraging.  In the meantime, you might enjoy checking out his MentorNetwork website.  Lynn’s own blog is there which you might find very interesting and helpful as well.

 

Jim Martin:    Many of us wrestle with the sheer amount of work to be done, not to mention the overwhelming nature of the emotion involved.  We go from funerals to weddings to a child’s soccer game, all of which elicit different emotions.  What can a person do to remain emotionally healthy while in ministry?

Lynn Anderson:    True, the emotional toll of ministry can gradually erode our emotional and mental health.  In fact, the torque on the psyche can be so distorting that I recommend that ministers periodically go through some sort of psychological analysis — whether through some introspective "self-examination" instrument or book or retreat.  I even recommend occasional sessions with a counselor or mental health professional as a sort of "gut-check."  That can sound unnerving, but possibly the very fact we fear or resist that idea may itself be a red flag.

Of course, by all means I have to get regular exercise — I walk and jog several miles, three to five times a week.  This clears the cobwebs and releases the "happy" endorphins or whatever they are.

In the heat of ministry, we absolutely must find a rhythm between "service and reflection," between "the masses and the mountain," between "giving and receiving."  Between people who are "draining" and people who are "energizing."  I can go flat when I keep "giving out" without "taking in."  But on the other hand, I can also go flat by "taking in and taking in" without "giving out" — become bookish and detached — flat.  Also I find it emotionally and spiritually refreshing to build variety into ministry functions — so I am not stuck on a daily treadmill, but get re-invigorated by a change of pace, scene and task.

Good music and good books feed me as well — even quality novels and the classics.  And, I need time to just plain have fun, with Carolyn or the family, or friends.  Just rare back and laugh a while.

After reading Lynn Anderson’s thoughts about staying fresh, I would enjoy hearing your own.  What do you do to stay fresh?  What has been helpful to you?  Is this a challenge for you?

Getting Back to the Center (3)

Yesterday, I spend a great day at the "Summit" in Abilene.  (Formerly known as the "ACU Bible Lectures")  I will be in Abilene through much of the day and will return to Waco later this afternoon.  Yesterday I went to several very good classes (including one taught by long time friend and blogger Bobby Valentine) and visited with a number of people throughout the day.  It is a great time of for reconnecting with a lot of people.

 

I recently read a great book by Ruth Haley Barton entitled Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.  (Parts one and two.)  Early on in the book,  Barton speaks of the value of silence and solitude for one who would lead.  One value of solitude, according to Barton, is "…that solitude is the place of our own conversion."

"…In solitude we stop believing our own press.  We discover that we are not as good as we thought but we are also more than we thought.  As we slowly come in contact with our own dysfunctions, we unveil our need for security and all the ways we try to use God and others to get it.  We are alarmed to discover that when the shepherd is starving, he or she may start devouring the sheep!"  (p. 51)

What is it that may be revealed in solitude?

 

  • Our fears.  Fears of loneliness and abandonment.  Fears of really loving and allowing our self to be loved by others.  I have known some people who were fearful of people who seemed more gifted, more talented, and more visible.
  • Our competitiveness.  Have you known people like this?  They seem to forever be in competition with their peers and so never quite allow themselves to experience real friendship.
  • Our jealousies.  Have you known others who seethe with jealousy when good things are happening to others?   
  • Our rage.  Have you known very, very angry church leaders?  Have you known people who experience no joy in their lives or ministries? 
  • Our manipulations.  This person has a way of relating to people that is manipulative.  For example, this is the person who fears confrontation so he or she stirs up a few people so that they will confront while he waits in the background watching it all unfold. 

 

Do you relate to any of these?  Have you observed them in others?  Have you experienced in solitude an awareness of what was really going on in your life?

Getting Back to the Center (Part 1)

barton.jpgThis week, I have posted very little as I am transitioning from a PC to a Mac.  For about three days this week, I have not had access to either my new or the old computer.  Anyway, the transition phase of this is almost over.  Thanks for your patience.

 
In the meantime, several people in the comments  to a recent post (Ricky and Kristin), asked me to post further regarding living out of the center.  (These are comments in regard to the post "Question: What are the Warning Signs?")

 
At the same time, I have been reading a very fine book this week, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton.  This is a very fine book which addresses this issue.  While the book specifically addresses Christian leaders and the importance of living out of the center, its message is applicable to all Christ-followers.  So I think I will respond to these comments by referring to Barton’s book.  Perhaps this will be helpful.   

I will post more on this next week.  For now, I want to begin with a few quotes from Barton’s opening chapter, "When Leaders Lost Their Souls" (or anyone else for that matter):
 

…What would it look like for me to lead more consistently from my soul–the place of my own encounter with God–rather than leading primarily from my head, my unbridled activism, or my performance-oriented drivenness?  What would it be like to find God in the context of my leadership rather than miss God in the context of my leadership? (p. 25)

 
…The only way to begin facing these challenges is to keeping seeking tenaciously after God through spiritual disciplines that keep us grounded in the presence of God in the center of our being.  Solitude and silence in particular enable us to experience a place of authenticity within and to invite God to meet us there.  In solitude we are rescued from human striving to solve the challenges of ministry through intellectual achievements and hard work, so that we can experience the life of the Spirit guiding toward that true way that lies between one polarity and another.  In silence we give up control and allow God to be God in our life rather than being a thought i our head or an illustration in a sermon…. (pp. 28-29)

 
…those who are looking to us for spiritual sustenance need us first and foremost to be spiritual seekers ourselves.  (p. 29) 

 
…the most important thing I can do as a leader today is to keep seeking God in depths of my own soul–no matter what it costs.  (p. 30) 

Living out of the center is critical, not only for Christian leaders but for all of us who attempt to follow Christ as we live as a husband or wife or father or mother.  If we live out of the center, where the presence of God is, we will approach our work or academic pursuits very differently.  We will live as a people who understand that we have a calling instead of living as a people who are desperately trying to fill the emptiness of our lives.

 
Perhaps the place to begin, as Barton suggests, is continuing to seek God in the depths of my soul–no matter what it costs.

 
Why is it that some Christian leaders seem to completely ignore the condition of their own souls?   Have you experienced this either yourself or in others whom you have observed?

What Would Jesus Say? (Part 2)

puzzle.jpgWhat would Jesus say?  I asked that question the other day regarding the church (see part 1).  What might he say to a congregation of Christians on a Sunday morning?  (I was thinking about the specific congregation of Christians that I am a part of.)  

 
Now I wonder, what might Jesus say to the leadership of that church?  What might he say to those in our congregation who have leadership roles?  (You might think about your own church here.)

 
Suppose he were to meet with our key leaders.  Perhaps he is going to sit in on a regularly scheduled meeting.  He has requested that we go on with our agenda for the meeting.
 

  • What might he think about the subject matter of this meeting?  What might he think about the overall discussion that took place in that meeting?
  • Would he hear anything about the mission or the kingdom? 
  • Would he see leaders who are broken hearted about the conditions of people, families, children in their city? 
  • As these leaders talk, what do you suppose might thrill Jesus?  What might sadden him?
  • What might Jesus say to this group?  Would we feel encouraged, saddened, or embarrassed?
  • What would he think about the way we talk about the community and the church?  What would he think about the way we talk to one another within the group?  Would he sense the love that we have for one another? 

As I think about these questions, I am trying to not distance myself from this group.  Rather, I picture myself being there and experiencing this, together with the others.

 
What might Jesus say?

On Being a Jesus People — Together

coffee36.jpgAre you a part of a Christian group?  Are you married?  Do you have children?  Do you work with a team of ministers?  Are you a part of a group of elders?  Are you in a leadership role in which you work with others who are also in leadership roles?  Are you a part of a small group ministry?

 
One of the most important questions we can ask is: "How are we functioning as a group?"  We may be great individuals, but how do we function as a team?  How do we function as a group?  A husband and wife may be great individuals but they might ask themselves how they function as a couple?  I have known many church leaders who were great people individually but did not function well as a part of a group.

 
Now I am not thinking about effectiveness.  Yes, there is a time to reflect upon how effective the group is in doing its task, carrying out its function, etc.   Rather, I want to reflect on how we are doing as Jesus-followers.  As a group, are we becoming more Jesus-like as we function together?

 
As a married person, not only am I called to be a Jesus-like man or woman but I am called to function together with my spouse in a Jesus-like manner also.  Together we are to grow in Jesus-likeness.

 
As a Christian leader, not only am I to be a person who is committed to serving in this capacity but I ought to be committed to function, along with the others, in a manner that is Jesus-like also.  Do we function in a manner so that Jesus is obviously the center of our group and not just our individual lives?

 
As a member of a small group in our church  (I am thinking small group ministry) not only am I to desire that we function well as a small group, but I also need to desire that this be a group that is growing in Jesus-likeness together.

 
The following are three challenges for those of us who work with other believers in these groups (again, this includes marriage and family):
 

  • Let us move from “I” to “we.”  Self-preoccupation has a way of pushing aside any sort of real growth toward the one who called us to deny self.
  • Let us consider that not only have we been called to
    be Jesus-like (individually) but we are called to have a     Jesus-like
    manner about us as we function as a     group     (or couple if thinking about marriage).
  • Let us realize that our presence and authenticity as Jesus-followers with one another, as a part of the church, must be prior
    to anything we might do or say to the church as a whole.          Far too often, ministers/church leaders are all too ready to want to do or say something to the church when in fact they are failing in the way they treat one another in their leadership group.  (Again, if you are thinking about marriage/family, this means that husbands/wives must  address their own Jesus-likeness as a priority and live out of that authenticity.)

What can a group do that might help keep this in focus as they function together?  What can a married couple do?

Question: Have You Been Blessed By a Godly Mentor?

coffee30.jpgI have been blessed by several Godly mentors in my life.  People like James Long, Charles Coil, and Lynn Anderson have mentored me at critical times in my life.  I am thankful for their words, their example and for their influence. 

 
Can you point to a man or woman who has been critical in your development as a Christ-follower?  How did this person impact your life?

A Mentored Life

coffeecup4.jpgI recently read an article in the latest edition (2008) of the Journal of Beeson Divinity School (Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama).  The article, entitled "A Mentored Life," was written by Dr. Russell J. Levenson Jr.  In the article, Levenson describes his relationship with one of his mentors: John Claypool. (Claypool is the author of Tracks of a Fellow Struggler and other fine books.  Claypool died in 2005.)

 
The article speaks of what Levenson learned from his mentor.

This care and love continued throughout my ministry, both when I was under his supervision and when I left to go on to my first and subsequent calls to parish leadership.  John made certain to remember my family and me through phone calls, letters, and on holidays.  He was always willing to talk when there had been a rough week or when I faced a personal dilemma.  A leading author on leadership, Klaus Bockmuehl, writes in his book Living By the Gospel (Helmers & Howard, 1986), "Shepherding people means to help them grow: it demands thoughtfulness about ‘how to make the other one great’ and it implies nothing less than the act of true friendship for others."  Ultimately, selfless friendship is what the mentored life is all about.  Thankfully, that’s exactly what I received from John.  (6)

 
We rarely hear or read of mutual relationships any more.  We seem to laud and magnify the individual and pay homage to "self-made" men and women, rather than recognize the relationships that undergird those successes.  I was often baffled by seminarians who so eagerly wished to begin "on their own."  There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in those who have gone before us, and if we are willing, we will learn and grow by sitting quietly at the feet of others as so many did at the feet of our Lord.  It is crucial in our self-centered world to live up to the call to humbly share our lives with others, while also being willing to receive the lives shared. (8)

Have you ever had such a mentor in your life?  Have you ever desired such a mentor?

Mentoring

coffee16.jpgWhom do you learn from? 

 
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from some wonderful people.  I have been fortunate enough to learn about life and ministry from some very good people.  I am thankful for these people who allowed me to peek into their lives and ministries.  I am also grateful that these people cared enough to ask me good questions about my life and ministry and on occasion provide me with some needed direction.

 
Yesterday, I was reading an article by Luci Shaw in the newest issue of Books and Culture (January/February 2008).  Shaw has written an article in which she reflects upon her friendship with author Madeleine L’Engle, who passed away in 2007.  She writes:

Madeleine and I both loved to trace words back to their origins.  When the word "companion" came under scrutiny, we realized that it referred to those who ate bread together.  She observed that when feuding countries forged some kind of peace accord and shook hands for the cameras, it didn’t mean much.  But if they sat down to a meal together, with bread and salt, it spoke of something more profound.  The Lord’s Table, with Eucharistic bread and wine, was the feast that joined us together.  We regularly walked to noon Eucharist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, a few blocks from Madeleine’s home in Manhattan.  And if the weather was too severe we’d stay indoors, thankful for God’s presence in the fellowship of tuna sandwiches. 

 

There can be something very significant about experiencing a meal or even a cup of coffee together.  Again, I think about some of these moments in my life which were very meaningful to me.  A few that stand out at the moment include:
 

  • A long, lingering lunch with my friend Prentice, who at that time was preaching in Dallas.  We were at a restaurant near his office.  This was the first time I had spent any significant time with him.  I was full of questions and concerns about my life/ministry.  He listened thoughtfully and with great patience responded to my questions.  He didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
  • A meal I shared with Lynn, my friend of many years.  He asked me questions about my marriage, my relationships, and my walk with God.  As we drove back to the Pepperdine campus, he challenged me (in an encouraging way) to break a relational cycle which had been present in my family for many years.
  • A lunch shared with my friend John, an attorney, whom I first met with in his office about eight years ago.  Lunch was brought in and for the next hour and a half, we talked about life, ministry, and the Lord.  I was impressed and moved by his genuine interest in me.  I will always remember that first lunch when he closed our time together by praying for me.

Through the years, I have also had the opportunity to be that person for some other people.  A person will call and say, "Could we talk?"  I pray about that moment before I meet with that person.  I pray that the Lord will help me listen and have the wisdom to know how to respond.  I thank God for the privilege of getting to visit with another about that person’s life and ministry.  Who knows?  The Lord may use that time with that person in a significant way.

 
Have you experienced significant moments (for you) like the ones I described above?