A Preview on My Final Paper This Quarter
So I am hard at work this week finishing up my last major paper (30 pages) for the quarter. Since that is what I have been thinking about this week and will continue to think about through Thursday morning, I thought I would give you a sense of where I am going with it.
My working title is: Equippers as Environmentalist [Re-Imagining Leadership in Today's Western Church].
The thesis of my paper is that if the church is going to faithfully rebirth herself in the Western context and cultivate a fruitful missional ethos, she must awaken the five equippers to live as environmentalists instead of master programmers.
If leaders are going to help the church faithfully incarnate herself into the current context, we must first learn what it means to be environmentalist as well as how to engage in the art of bilingual theological reflection. Secondly, we must learn how to navigate the major shifts that are taking place in our culture; the media shift from the print and broadcast age to the digital age; the philosophical shift from modernity to postmodernity; the science shift from the classic science to new systems science; the spaciality shift from rural living to urban living and finally the religious shift from the Christendom era to the post Christendom era.
Next we need to re-imagine what leadership might look light in the light of our context and mission. I will make the case that what we need today is polycentric leadership that involves the five equippers that Paul mentions in Ephesians, living as Environmentalists, cultivating a fruitful missional ethos.
And finally, I will take a look at practical ways that the five equippers can organically shape environments where life emerges in spontaneous ways. We will look at the role of the equippes in various spaces form mid-sized groups to congregations.
That is the basic flow that is going on right now. So I will get back to my paper. Does it sound interesting to you?
Good morning…
Your paper does sound interesting, I would love to read the final product! I believe you have a fantastic and relevant topic – changing times require changing perspectives; wholistic perspective is fundamental to church survival and effective leadership. I am curious to see where you take the polycentric leadership aspect…I agree that this too is very relevant for the Body – realignment, refocus – what we have been doing for so long in the church is now a bondage and a hinderance to our own walk with God, and it is evident that it is a barrier to those who are or would seek to know Jesus…
…morning ramblings…I will stop now…I wish you well with your paper…
Smiles and blessings,
~mp:)
Your thesis is very interesting. I’m curious about the sources for your final paper as well as how you came up with the thesis itself. It sounds very creative and visionary.
Mike from Annapolis
JR, your topic sounds very interesting. I am curious to know in what way you will define environmentalist. Based on your post, it sounds like you will give it some fresh menaing. curious to know…
hey bro. I’m curious why you’re adopting the “environmentalist” term when it’s so aligned with envioronmentalism and (although important) probably not the central focus of leadership. Perhaps there is another term that is provacative but not confusing.
Great job identifying “major shifts” I’m interested in reading it when you’re done.
Mike
Hi JR, VERY intrigued by the overall concepts in this paper, but I’m wondering if it’s actually two papers instead of one – one on leaders as environmentalists, and one on leaders as bilingual/bicultural “translators.” Probably that could all be resolved and integrated into one, depending on your definition of “environmentalist.” I didn’t have enough info about environmentalists to go on to see how you bridge the two metaphors.
If they are meant to mesh, a potential concept to tie the two together is “eco-tones,” the inbetween zones at the borders of two otherwise distinct ecosystems. (For example, brackish water occurs where ocean backs up into freshwater stream, and there is a unique overlap of flora and fauna there which can tolerate the mix.) Holistic/eco-translators can stand above the eco-tone to help people in the middle of the messy both/and situation to see the specifics of the more clearly delineated ecosystems on either side.
Especially looking forward to insights about how the five equippers can work individually and together as a team to help in this way awkward transition time. I’m still in a muddled mess when it comes to trying to discern how to do that well – and find living examples – without one or a few of the five taking over as if their role is the only one needed.
Anyway, just thoughts. Since you’ve got access to academic library, a couple relevant dissertations by friends that you may wanna check out:
Jonathan Campbell on “The Translatability of Christian Community: An Ecclesiology for Postmodern Cultures and Beyond.” Fuller Theological Seminary, 1999. I grew up in an eco-tone zone, but didn’t know what it was until reading Jonathan’s work.
Paul Kaak on Wendell Berry and sociological imagination – holistic/agrarian values contrasted with business/machine model. – http://gradworks.umi.com/31/82/3182009.html
Meanwhile, you go, JR! Appreciate your exploring new areas and synthesizing your findings, and being willing to share them with us …
Mistipearl,
Thanks for your excitement about my paper and if that is rambling for you, please ramble on.
Michael,
I just finished my paper and have consulted with about 40 different sources that I will site throughout the work.
John,
I do hope to give is some fresh meaning. As I start my post, you and others will have to be the judge of that.
Mike,
I trust that as you read my posts on this topic, you will see why I chose this word. I like the word a lot and think that as people read the paper they will see the beauty of the word.
Brad,
The reason I like the word is because I will use it in a couple of different ways, being aware of our environment (context) and shaping our environment (congregation and then the neighborhood). I love your thoughts on eco-tones and thanks for the leads. I will have to read them. But I just finished my paper, so I will have to think about these resources if I continue to write more on the topic, which I probably will.
I appreciate all of your input and at this point, I am planning on starting to post the paper this next week, Lord willing.
Glad you got your paper done, and it’s cool that you are into “continuing education,” and I think you’ll find much in those dissertations and beyond that will continue to expand your analogy of becoming an environmentalist. It’s almost ironic, but not really, that an environmental view could help us be “Urban Ecologists” in our context, not just “Open Space Ecologists.”
Check out http://www.baeerfair.org/ for the annual kick-off of Environmental Educators Resource Fairs throughout the state of California. Marin’s is the first one each year, and one of the largest. Y’all can come up here for a field trip.
Also, you may find Acorn’s books of interest: http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/newstore.aspx.
Okay, 5:42 am, back to work …