As leaders how often are we honest? I mean, really step back and take stock of what’s actually going on in our ministry culture? If we do, are we afraid of what we’ll find? Will we be paralyzed by fear? Here are 3 questions we ask in PLI’s Discipleship to Missional Community to help leaders and ministry teams define their current reality and move on towards a different future.
What is?
Define your current reality
What could be?
Ask God for direction and hope
What will be?
Lead boldly in faith toward the new future
Here’s a little background… In Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he explores something called the Stockdale Paradox. It goes like this… during the Vietnam War, General Stockdale was captured and put in a POW camp. While there, he learned an attitude that allowed him to survive. Some POWs would try to encourage themselves by unrealistic optimism (they’re going to rescue us by Christmas…). But in trying to be optimistic they neglected to be brutally honest about their reality. Other POWs would face the brutal facts of their situation, but it would lead them to despair and hopelessness. They became depressed and suicidal. Stockdale was able to hold both of these seemingly contradictory attitudes together: 1) Facing the brutal facts, but 2) believing that they would prevail in the end if they didn’t give up.
This tension of being brutally honest yet believing there is a path towards a different future is critical for leaders and ministry. So, what area of your ministry culture needs brutal honesty? Where do you need direction and hope to see what could be? What steps do you need to take to lead boldly in faith toward what will be?
In D2MC we use these three simple, yet powerful, questions to help leaders define their current reality and chart a different course for their ministry and culture. By providing insight, encouragement, celebration and challenge, PLI coaches leaders and ministry teams to transition from “what could be” to stating in faith “what will be”. We help you get from here to there.
Learn more about D2MC and our strategy for helping ministry leaders like you.
If you found this learning helpful, here are a few blogs you’ll enjoy.