In his article comparing old school movements to causes and movements based on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, Malcolm Gladwell traces the roots of sit in's to four college buddies.
While not necessarily talented, gifted, or skilled at civil rights organization or leadership, the four guys cared deeply about the cause of equality.
And they cared deeply about each other.
As we prepare our ministry teams for the coming year, select committee chairs, seek out volunteers for the Sunday school teachers, or organize the team to go to Costa Rica, one of the most important characteristic to look for is a willingness to connect with and get to know others.
In reading Gladwell's take on the four young men who participated in the first sit in at Woolworth's, another collective characteristic attributed to them jumps out at me:
The four students who first sat down at the lunch counter were terrified. “I suppose if anyone had come up behind me and yelled ‘Boo,’ I think I would have fallen off my seat,” one of them said later.In consideration for a leadership team: are we willing to write into the volunteer job description: "Must become connected to cause, be willing to care for others, and be terrified from time to time"?
If not, can we really expect things to change?
2 comments:
I believe fear is a guidepost. It protects valuable things from the undeserving.
So, when in doubt, walk toward your fears. This applies to our faith walk, as well as something as simple as writing a blog post.
Thoughts?
So do how do you suppose it works?
As you conquer a particular fear, this then makes it easier to conquer the next one or it brings up a whole new set of fears to conqueor in perpetuity?
Do you gain more courage and therefore have fewer fears (less valualbe things)?
Your take may have opened up the concept of eternity a bit for me.
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