Should Mennonite colleges train for "leadership"?

[Neoanabaptist]

I'm interested in Mennonite colleges. Are they different from average American colleges? Better or worse?

From a German point of view I am astonished how much these colleges advertise that they train "leaders" or train for "leadership". And that in two ways: (a) leadership in the church or affiliate (more or less political) movements, (b) leadership in business (I just read Bluffton's advertising for their MBA).

But is this a reasonable promise?

First the church. What's about supply and demand of leaders here? I suppose that a local community does not feel "complete" without a church, regular service and pastor. But is this "leadership"? I understand that many college graduates in theology do part time work - but can part time work be "leadership"? The best interpretation seems to be that the graduate, even if not a leader himself, becomes part of a great movement which will "lead" the underlings into the "righteous" (i.e. social-justice) direction? Well, this can be called leadership, but can the college promise the students that their life will work this way?

Secondly, the business. Imho an MBA is mostly occupied with staring on his Excel tables, looking if the figures demanded by the real leaders are attained, and if not, trying to get the underlings to work more or better. With other words the MBA of today (if at all he has to do with other people) takes the functions which in the times of slavery were executed by the overseer. Is this "leadership"?

[Neto]

In a recent Sunday School session at our church fellowship, I heard someone pose a question that has long been on my mind: Is the common concept of 'leadership' today really compatible with Biblical teaching? In the church settings, they attempt to qualify the term by adding the word 'servant' before it ('servant leadership'). The question this person actually asked was something like "We hear a lot about leadership conferences here & there, but why do we never hear anything about a 'followership conference'?" This was said in the context of 'leading people' vs. 'leaving an example of how to follow Christ'; not in the sense of teaching people how to follow their pastor, but teaching pastors how to follow Christ; to be able to say, as did Paul, "Follow me as I follow Christ." (I've often wondered it the following translation of this would also be accurate: "Follow me in the ways in which you see me following Christ." That is, maybe not in everything.)

[Josh]

Generally speaking, “Mennonite” colleges are on the progressive/liberal end of the spectrum and mirror American and Christian trends in universities. Which, yes, tend to talk a lot about “leadership” in most of their programs.

There are 2 institutions of higher learning that are conservative and have a few more Anabaptist principles, namely Faith Builders Education Programs and Sattler College. Each of this would also show a heavy influence from broader American and Christian academia.

[DrWojo]

This is not a direct answer to the question, but a few random thoughts on leadership. I’m not very old, but over the course of my short life, here’s a few observations on leadership:

1. When a group makes a number of demands on or for leadership, those making the most noise are generally not doing for themselves what they are expecting from leadership. (They lack self-discipline, self-governance, etc)

2. When a group is blessed with a majority who exemplify the quality of good leaders, there’s less need for leadership.

3. Unfortunately, those who self-assert what ‘good leaders’ they think they would make are usually not good leadership material.

4. James 3:1 “My brethren, be not many masters, [leaders], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”

5. Because true leadership skills are developed in real life environments, a leadership program in a college should require on job training.

6. Worldly seminaries (cemeteries) militate against the use of the nomination—>lot —> ordination practice/tradition of old conservative Plain churches.

[appleman2006]

I would hope that institutes like Faith Builders and such are teaching the concept of servant leadership. And from what i saw a few weeks ago at REACH I would suggest that they in fact are doing a pretty good job of it. I saw a whole student body along with their staff members working together as a team to serve our needs for two days. You barely noticed they were there except for the fact that you could not help notice the work they did because of how smoothly things flowed.

That is true leadership at it's best. And the fact that a conference all about how to be the hands of Christ to the world drew almost 3000 registrants gives me a tremendous amount of hope that the next generation is being taught the principles of leadership through servant hood.

I should also mention that I happen to know many of the leaders at FB personally and their servant leadership impresses me greatly. I believe they are teaching by example.

[Neto]

Another thing about leadership training - it is always taught by leaders, and they are generally leaders because of natural abilities, or personality traits. People with charisma. If they didn't have it, then very few people would listen to them. There's a *younger* (that is, quite a bit younger than I) man in our congregation who has those traits. I asked him once, "What does 'leadership' look like for the person who does not have charisma & natural 'leadership abilities'?" He had never thought of it, and couldn't answer. The whole deal just strikes me as someone attempting to force their natural abilities onto everyone else. It's like the man who so naturally talks to total strangers that he thinks that every Christian should be able to do evangelism like he does, and that if they only would do it, they would love it as much as he does. We are each different, created with unique abilities and gifts. We are not all 'hands', or 'feet', or 'eyes', etc. We need each other, and we don't need to try to shove one another into a self-reflecting mold.

[Ernie]

I would hope that institutes like Faith Builders and such are teaching the concept of servant leadership. And from what i saw a few weeks ago at REACH I would suggest that they in fact are doing a pretty good job of it. I saw a whole student body along with their staff members working together as a team to serve our needs for two days. You barely noticed they were there except for the fact that you could not help notice the work they did because of how smoothly things flowed.

That is true leadership at it's best. And the fact that a conference all about how to be the hands of Christ to the world drew almost 3000 registrants gives me a tremendous amount of hope that the next generation is being taught the principles of leadership through servant hood.

I should also mention that I happen to know many of the leaders at FB personally and their servant leadership impresses me greatly. I believe they are teaching by example.

Thanks for the feedback. We are currently working on a Servant Education initiative that we hope will be rolled out in segments over the next 20 years.

[appleman2006]

Another thing about leadership training - it is always taught by leaders, and they are generally leaders because of natural abilities, or personality traits. People with charisma. If they didn't have it, then very few people would listen to them. There's a *younger* (that is, quite a bit younger than I) man in our congregation who has those traits. I asked him once, "What does 'leadership' look like for the person who does not have charisma & natural 'leadership abilities'?" He had never thought of it, and couldn't answer. The whole deal just strikes me as someone attempting to force their natural abilities onto everyone else. It's like the man who so naturally talks to total strangers that he thinks that every Christian should be able to do evangelism like he does, and that if they only would do it, they would love it as much as he does. We are each different, created with unique abilities and gifts. We are not all 'hands', or 'feet', or 'eyes', etc. We need each other, and we don't need to try to shove one another into a self-reflecting mold.

I really agree with this. As with any other area of expertise or responsibility I cringe when people start bring out the 10 step how to manual. Or when they try to make the Bible into one of those for that matter. I do not see Christ teaching in that way at all. God created us as unique individuals for a reason. What is evident is in that uniqueness he has a purpose for each of us in his Kingdom. For the vast majority of us it means serving in the background and doing our part to smooth out the way for others. That is no less an important part of leadership than the one that is called to be out front. And the out front leader that does not get that will not be very effective in his leadership.
As I get older I am more and more aware why my role over the years has been more of a support role behind the scenes. I do not think I could of handled an upfront role. And I am alright with that.

[appleman2006]

I would hope that institutes like Faith Builders and such are teaching the concept of servant leadership. And from what i saw a few weeks ago at REACH I would suggest that they in fact are doing a pretty good job of it. I saw a whole student body along with their staff members working together as a team to serve our needs for two days. You barely noticed they were there except for the fact that you could not help notice the work they did because of how smoothly things flowed.

That is true leadership at it's best. And the fact that a conference all about how to be the hands of Christ to the world drew almost 3000 registrants gives me a tremendous amount of hope that the next generation is being taught the principles of leadership through servant hood.

I should also mention that I happen to know many of the leaders at FB personally and their servant leadership impresses me greatly. I believe they are teaching by example.

Thanks for the feedback. We are currently working on a Servant Education initiative that we hope will be rolled out in segments over the next 20 years.

I was a little bit aware of some of that being in the works and I am encouraged by that. I believe what has been done to this point shows that FB is capable of such a project and has earned the reputation to be able to do it well.

[MaxPC]

Another thing about leadership training - it is always taught by leaders, and they are generally leaders because of natural abilities, or personality traits. People with charisma. If they didn't have it, then very few people would listen to them. There's a *younger* (that is, quite a bit younger than I) man in our congregation who has those traits. I asked him once, "What does 'leadership' look like for the person who does not have charisma & natural 'leadership abilities'?" He had never thought of it, and couldn't answer. The whole deal just strikes me as someone attempting to force their natural abilities onto everyone else. It's like the man who so naturally talks to total strangers that he thinks that every Christian should be able to do evangelism like he does, and that if they only would do it, they would love it as much as he does. We are each different, created with unique abilities and gifts. We are not all 'hands', or 'feet', or 'eyes', etc. We need each other, and we don't need to try to shove one another into a self-reflecting mold.

I really agree with this. As with any other area of expertise or responsibility I cringe when people start bring out the 10 step how to manual. Or when they try to make the Bible into one of those for that matter. I do not see Christ teaching in that way at all. God created us as unique individuals for a reason. What is evident is in that uniqueness he has a purpose for each of us in his Kingdom. For the vast majority of us it means serving in the background and doing our part to smooth out the way for others. That is no less an important part of leadership than the one that is called to be out front. And the out front leader that does not get that will not be very effective in his leadership.
As I get older I am more and more aware why my role over the years has been more of a support role behind the scenes. I do not think I could of handled an upfront role. And I am alright with that.

My amen to this may sound trite but truly, this resonates with me as well.