PioneeringLeadership

Self identity Who am I? How do I identify myself as a pioneering leader? Who does the church think I am?

It is important that they are not pressed into becoming ministers of existing churches but are deployed in pioneering contexts” MSC p134 ‘ Need to identify, select and train pioneer church planters for lay and ordained ministries….. Recommendation 11 Recommendation 11

2006 Guidelines “candidates who have the necessary vision and gifts to be missionary entrepreneurs, to lead fresh expressions of church and forms of church for an appropriate culture.”

2011 Criteria for Pioneer Ministry Demonstrable maturity & robustnessDemonstrable maturity & robustness Demonstrable self motivationDemonstrable self motivation Demonstrable track record of innovationDemonstrable track record of innovation and initiative and initiative Demonstrable ability to workDemonstrable ability to work collaboratively in a team

Archegos

looking to Jesus the pioneer ‘looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith’ Hebrews 12;2

Archegos looking to Jesus the pioneer ‘looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith’ Hebrews 12;2 How was Jesus a pioneer ?

Some important qualifications

There is a spectrum of pioneering Pioneer Starter Pioneer Sustainer Pioneer Sustainer Developer

Danger of one model/image for pioneering

If pioneering is a highly elastic concept “ If pioneering is a highly elastic concept that requires different capabilities in different settings, is there a risk of not discovering potential pioneers if the notion is stereotyped.” Mike Moynagh Mike Moynagh

This is not solo pioneering leadership

Pioneering teams ‘ one of the great myths of entrepreneurship has been the notion if the leader as a lone hero… The reality is that successful entrepreneurs either built teams about them or were part of a team throughout.’ Thomas Cooney, What is an Entrepreneurial Team

Imaginative Team

Innovators Innovators Bridge builders Bridge builders Persuaders Persuaders

creativity creativity curiosity curiosity risk risk contextual contextual prototypes prototypes serve serve Values of the team

‘ Pioneering gifts are widely distributed in the team and beyond, and the pioneer leader is to help create a context where these gifts can be exercised.’ Mike Moynagh

Some possible clues from scripture

Ephesians 4; ‘the gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Unity- Diversity-Maturity

Ephesians 4; apostles = entrepreneur prophet = questioner evangelist = communicator pastor = humaniser teacher = systematizer Frost and Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to come.p175

Apostle- one who is sent Concerned for overall vigour and extension of Christianity by direct mission and church planting. Entrepreneur, pioneer, strategist, innovator, visionary. Apostle

Prophet The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us. Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 1978 Guard the covenant relationship

‘ As for you always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.’ 2 Timothy 4v5. Evangelist Recruit to the cause

Questions for discussion? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these arguments using Ephesians 4. What might be its limitations theologically and practically ?

Some possible clues from entrepreneurship

Missionary Entrepreneur

‘ This 10 to 15 % of the population should be the leaven that affects the whole.The leaven is not able to do ‘ This 10 to 15 % of the population should be the leaven that affects the whole. The leaven is not able to do its job because our institutions and bureaucratic systems prevent it. The problem lies deep. Our education system, including theological colleges, are all too often learning regimes rather than talent spotters or developers. Our institutions stifle entrepreneurial initiative.’ p4

‘Releasing the entrepreneurial talent among Gods people is the greatest task facing the church today.’ p4

‘A person who habitually creates and innovates to build something of recognised value around perceived opportunities. p12 they are people they are people habitualhabitual creative and innovativecreative and innovative buildersbuilders build something of valuebuild something of value build using opportunitiesbuild using opportunities

Six FACETS of an entrepreneur Focus Focus AdvantageAdvantage CreativityCreativity EgoEgo TeamTeam SocialSocial

by James Fisher & James Koch Studied 230 CEOs 100 of whom founding CEOs Greenwood Press, 2008

‘ It does mean that academic knowledge concerning entrepreneurship seldom is the factor that determines whether or not one becomes an entrepreneur.’ p16

‘ Managers work within facts entrepreneurs work ahead of facts.’ They think and act differently

confident confident decisivedecisive energeticenergetic disrupt status quodisrupt status quo visionaryvisionary risk takerrisk taker not give upnot give up ‘ The essence of entrepreneurial behaviour is risk taking.’ risk taking.’ p38

Questions for discussion? In what ways do you find the concept of missionary entrepreneur helpful ?

The Qualities of a Pioneer ?

People who are first

People who are on the edge

People who are moving out

People who take risks

People who are loving change

People who know when to stay or go

People who know when to bring order or chaos

People who are sure of where they are and who they are.

People who are dissenters

‘There can be no constructive change at all, even in church, unless at all, even in church, unless there is some form of dissent. there is some form of dissent. By dissent I mean simply the proposing of alternatives…. and a system that is not continuously examining alternatives is not likely to evolve creatively.’ Gerald Arbuckle, Refounding the Church

People who reflect, connect and don’t know

Questions for discussion? Which of these do you most resonate with and why? What other categories might you add ?

The icebergs

The danger of expectations

The problem of measurement

Who is the evaluation for ? Who is the evaluation for ? What is the evaluation for ?What is the evaluation for ? What is to be measured ?What is to be measured ?

The problem of measurement What measurements might be used ? What measurements might be used ?

The problem of measurement ExpectationsExpectations Time frameTime frame CriteriaCriteria Who assessWho assess

Beware of the default position

Staying the course Staying the course

Losing the focus Losing the focus

Isolation Isolation

Taking the tough decisions

The danger of domestication

Questions for discussion? Which of these dangers have you experienced? Can you think of other dangers?

Disturb us Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Sir Francis Drake