Leaders and the Missional Church

I came across this quote from Dee Hock in his book, One From Many.

“In the years since the fork in the road appeared and Old Monkey (Old Monkey was who he bounced ideas and concepts off in his own mind) pushed me down "the one less traveled by", we have long puzzled over the nature of leaders who have had a profound effect on the direction of society. Mother Teresa, Buddha, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Christ, Mohammed, Martin Luther King, Galileo, Lao-Tzu, Newton, Thoreau- the list goes on and on, from every continent, in every field of endeavor, throughout history. Few came from positions of wealth and power. Few were born to families of fame or fortune. Few were great orators. None were elected to do what they did. None had permission. Most were met with contempt and derision. Yet, somehow, their lives had profound effect on human consciousness.

What they had in common was uncommon ability to get beyond how things were, how they are, and how they might become, and immerse themselves in how they ought to be. But, even that was not the essential thing that made their lives so compelling. It was their conviction that the world as they believed it ought to be already existed and the will to live their lives in accordance with that belief.

They did so not in pursuit of fame, money, power, or personal gain, but because they could not do otherwise, because they had become what they ought to be. It gave their lives such authenticity that it drew others to them and gave what they then had to say compelling force and effect. The way they lived their lives educed similar behavior that lies buried in everyone, waiting to come forth. They went before to show the way.”

Dee Hock – One From Many

I think there’s many profound ideas here. Over the course of the next few days I want to talk about several.

But before I do that I want to ask you: Are you showing the way?

missional, missional church, Missional Living, Leadership, One From Many, Dee Hock

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