Two stories inspire me (Darren) to be passionate in transformational leadership training.
The first story is about Dr Bilezikian. You might know who Bilezikian is orhave seen or read one of his books, but just as likely you will not have heard of him. However, you more likely will have heard of one his students, Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek and advocate for seeker services.
Hybels has done widely-respected things for his church and helping church leaders around the world do church innew ways. Hybels is an inspiring leader. What captures my imagination, however, is not so much Hybels’ leadership but the formative influence of Dr Bilezikian as one of his teachers at Trinity College. Impressionable young Hybels was inspired by Bilezikian’s teaching, in particular his teaching through the book of Acts. Hybels recalls:
Dr.B. would say, “I don’t see many churches like this in America in the’70s. I mean, I see buildings andI see programs, I see budgets and Isee a lot of activities.” He said, “I just don’t see the life of what the Scriptures is talking about. I don’t see that kind of life being breathed out in a vital way in a fellowship called a church.
And he would just look off into the distance, and he would say, “Someday, someday the mold will be broken. Somebody will get serious about doing church God’s way and they’re gonna take all the risks and endure all the attacks. Someday, somebody will start achurch, and it will be a lot like this: it will rock the world.” (Gregory A Pritchard, Willow Creek Seeker Services: Evaluating a New Way of Doing Church, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996, pp.44-45).
Hybels’ imagination was captured and he developed a vision for giving his life to this task. I applaud what Hybels has dome for his context, but the question I ask about his inspiration is how can we teach and inspire people to transform their approach to church for Victoria?
The second story is about Rosa Parks. The sanitised version of her protestis often told that on December 1,1955 she was ‘just tired’. She stood up for her rights by sitting down, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott and catalysing the civil rights movementthat changed her nation, the United States of America. But she was not merely ‘just tired’ but very active in the movement for justice and equality and tired of being treated unequally. Furthermore, five months previously she participated in a workshop at the ‘Highlander Centre’, an adult education centre for community workers advocating for social and economic justice. She picked up some skills, and perhaps more importantly said it was the first time she experienced "an atmosphere of equality with members of the other race" (See http://highlandercentre.org/n-rosa-parks.asp). Again I respect and am inspired by Rosa Parks’ initiative on the Montgomery bus. But I am just as inspired by the training that helped shape and equip her and give her a vision for a better world.
Bill Hybels’ and Rosa Parks’ stories prompts me to question, how can we spark transformation in our Baptist tribe of churches that changes the way we do church and that changes the world?
“BUV Leadership Training … Coaching leaders to transform their communities”
