Alan’s reflection on leadership in our present context begins by pointing us towards the many questions our pandemic-disrupted congregations are asking. He discerns in these questions three themes: identity, community and the ways we make decisions together.
As leaders we’ll want to help congregations address these questions. Our default, as leaders, will be to find the solutions. Alan suggests another way of leading which begins, not with answers, but with a posture; that of trust, hope and confidence that God is present and at work on the ground bringing life. This leads to a second step, an attentiveness to the stories that then emerge within this hopeful context, calling forth from these an imagination for what God is doing. A third step is the invitation to experiment with responses to God’s actions. Then finally to celebrate the presence of God experienced in our stories and experiments as we worship, pray and share scripture together.
