leadership & the church

A couple of leadership & the church quotes.
First: The Blind Beggar has this quote from Ken Blanchard

The popular model of pastor as CEO is brain dead…This philosophy will only hurt the church in the long run.

Ken Blanchard, author of “The One Minute Manager.”

Second: Drew Goodmansion has this quote from Dr. Steve Ogne at the GCA Church Planting Conference

Churches tend to primarily raise leaders to serve the internal needs of the church, rather than towards leading/developing others toward mission.

I think both quotes are right on. Not only that, they are very much interconnected. The church has bought into the worst aspects of the CEO model. There are some aspects of the CEO model that I think OK... but they are not the "traditional" model... they are rooted in a different philosophy of leadership. I'm thinking here of Herman Miller under the leadership of Max DePree. See for example his books: Leadership Jazz or Leadership is an Art.

But, sadly, much of leadership in the church, has focused on keeping the saints in their pews... & to make a very bad pun... that stinks! The role of leadership is to equip the saints for ministry... in this world.