I was going to wrap more words around this, because this post BLEW...ME...AWAY, but I'm not finding the time, so I'm just gonna link to it. Len Hjalmarson's post (quoting Eddie Gibbs) on "The Evolution of Hierarchy" crystallizes beautifully (for me, anyway) a lot of the thoughts I've been having on the postmodern shift in church leadership. If you read this blog at least in part because you think I sometimes have sometimes have something interesting to say on church leadership, please, please read Len's post. It's magnificent.An excerpt:
There is paradigmatic shift occurring. Hierarchy limits options because it limits connectivity, and we live in an connected world. Information that has to flow from the top down through rigidly defined chains has limited effect. Information that is randomly distributed and readily available creates collaboration. These more open structures are by nature empowering and generate change that works from the bottom up as well as from the top down. And change and transformation and inclusion are implicit in body life.
Boundaries in traditional settings are used to determine who is in and who is out. In new communities boundaries are not protective walls but are porous and become meeting places. In living systems boundaries are where information is exchanged and new relationships take form. Boundaries .. edges.. are the places of emergence and the frontier for engagement.
Also very interesting: Tracy Simmons' post (quoting David Fitzpatrick) on plural leadership. Awesome.
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