The Elusive Art of Followership
The need for effective leadership continues to be a popular topic, of late, in the Christian community...and rightly so. While there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of books written about leadership and the various traits and skills needed to master it, few of these books talk about “followship”. I know…..that last statement probably caused you to scratch your head and mumble “Huh?...What is he babbling about?” Let me explain. While there is certainly value in the skills, personality traits and knowledge marketed by the average book pertaining to leadership, I would suggest that a Christian leaders effectiveness is largely defined by how well they follow, not how much they know. Many a Christian who leads, confident in their knowledge and ability, set off to “make their mark” on the world only to discover that it is not skills or learning that make impressive spiritual leaders but rather a quality of character that is only found in passionate dependence upon God. It would behoove you and I to know with great certainty that those who lead us on our journey toward Christ are not relying on the latest John Maxwell book (I happen to like his writings...so don’t be offended you “Maxwell fans” out there) but instead are in hot pursuit of the God who knows all things. We are better off with leaders who are blindly following the Holy Spirit than with individuals whose great vision comes out of human wisdom. Let me illustrate this thought with a brief story that comes to us from E. Stanley Jones. He told of a missionary who lost his way in an African jungle. He could find no landmarks and the trail vanished. Eventually, stumbling on a small hut, he asked the native living there if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native happily agreed and rising to his feet, walked directly into the bush. The missionary followed on his heels. For more than an hour they hacked their way through a dense wall of vines and grasses. The missionary became worried: “Are you sure this is the way? I don’t see any path.” The African chuckled and said over his shoulder, “Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path.”
In a world that sometimes seems like a jungle our faithful God says to you and I, “In this place there is no path. I am the path.” Most of us, at some point in our journey, will be both led and a leader. Let’s be sure that we, and those we follow, have mastered this elusive skill of “followship”…... for in the end it will define our destination more than any other factor of leadership.
Dan Scarrow
District Superintendent