In the unchartered waters in which the Church finds itself a key responsibility of any leader is to be one who questions; a person who asks questions – of God, the Church and of the wider community. Any leader at this time, but perhaps especially in the Church will be aware of the […]
The Shaping of a Soul by Richard Harries
Posted on by James Woodward
The Shaping of a Soul: A life taken by surprise Richard Harries John Hunt Publishing £18.99 (9781803411620) I have read and now write about a man and his story from a privileged position. I worked with Richard as his first domestic chaplain from 1987 to 1990 and now my life is enriched […]
What makes a great politician?
Posted on by James Woodward
Disraeli, or The Two Lives Douglas Hurd and Edward Young Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2013 £20 Friends will know of my mild obsession with post second world ward political biographies and autobiographies. They are a strange and mildly unsatisfying genre with few jewels on the shelves. It is difficult to write a life that is completely […]
Recovering our Mission? Turning outwards…..
Posted on by James Woodward
Desmond Tutu’s dream is founded in the image of the reign of God, the full dignity of all humanity, and an insistence that all God’s children are made to dwell together in peace, with justice. He has nation and of the world, and to make their methods seem absurd or ridiculous. Tutu has an […]
Secrets of Leadership?
Posted on by James Woodward
Ten outstanding high achievers were asked to sum up their particular approach to leadership – the core message that they wanted to share with others and this is what emerged: the images might ground the snippets! 1. The great don’t need to play games 2.Leadership comes through respect 3.Go for the people, not the position […]
Defining Leadership?
Posted on by James Woodward
“Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished.” Richards and Engle (1986) “Leadership is the process of making sense of what people are doing together so that people will understand and be committed.” Drath & Palus (1994) “Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do […]
See how these Christian love one another
Posted on by James Woodward
Church of Nigeria reacts to Archbishop of Canterbury’s Resignation The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams took over the leadership of the Anglican Communion in 2002 when it was a happy family. Unfortunately, he is leaving behind a Communion in tatters: highly polarized, bitterly factionalized, with issues of revisionist […]
What kind of leadership?
Posted on by James Woodward
So often we think of the Church as an organisation that needs to be run! It might be worth remembering Bishop Edward King. The words are those of G. F. Wilgress, who was, I think once his chaplain. ‘Without any very visible method in his administration of his diocese, there was a deep underlying […]
When things start going really well, watch out
Posted on by James Woodward
“Playfulness can get you out of a rut more successfully than seriousness,” “Triangles are the plaque in the arteries of communication and stress is the effect of our position in the triangle of our families “ “If you are a leader, expect sabotage” “The colossal misunderstanding of our time is […]
Beware of professionalization!
Posted on by James Woodward
For some clergy, professionalism is their way of compensating for a sense of being an anachronism as a cleric. So skills in parish administration — skills in this, skills in that — are all part of “I matter because I have these skills,” as opposed to “I have internalized the theology I’ve been taught in […]
Difference
Posted on by James Woodward
Difference, then, it seems, can lead us in one of two directions – towards an increased competitiveness that can lead to mistrust and division, or to the open recognition of difference, and the possibility of understanding and even co-operation. True co-operation, however, requires a commitment to listening: a quality of listening that can turn strangers […]
Leadership as Attention?
Posted on by James Woodward
Perhaps it is significant that our English word for ‘obedience’ is derived from two Latin words -ob and audire- which mean to ‘listen keenly’. Listening has three meanings: The first is to hear; the second is like the meaning of the French ‘connaitre’ – to understand; and the third is the command to pay attention. In […]
Leadership
Posted on by James Woodward
and Listening? Writing in the July 2001 edition of the magazine Quadrant, Eddie Gibbs, an Anglican priest, and for many years Professor of Church Growth at the USA’s Fuller Theological Seminary, sums things up like this: We now have a generation of leaders who do not know how to lead within a con text of […]
On Leadership
Posted on by James Woodward
For me, part of the burden, the excitement and the challenge of trying to exercise leadership in the Church, is trying to feel the rhythm or the heartbeat of the body of Christ, so that leadership that matters or is effective in the Church, has to be listening (italics mine) … Listening is actually […]