One of the great dilemmas of our time is that the language of democracy remains strong while the practice of democratic leadership grows weak. Nations hold elections. Constitutions remain in place. Courts hear cases, parties campaign and leaders speak about…
Unforced errors
In tennis, players hit shot after shot back and forth over the net and then between the lines into their opponent’s court. If they fail to properly return a routine shot back to their opponent, they commit what is called…
What leadership loses in the Age of Visibility
Imagine a young man recording a 60-second video in his bedroom. By the next evening, 2 million people have watched it. Invitations follow. A publisher calls. Somewhere along the way, people begin describing him as a leader. Perhaps he is….
The hidden cost of always being available
For leaders, the weight of responsibility is ever present. It shows up in conversations that linger long after they end, in decisions that carry unseen consequences and in a mind that struggles to disengage. Even in moments meant for rest,…
Marginalized leaders already are leading
As Pride Month unfolds, the Southern Baptist Convention has once again made headlines by reaffirming its opposition to women serving as pastors. At nearly the same moment, recent Department of Defense actions affecting the recognition of several religious traditions raised…
The Black Church was not meant to save America
Whenever America experiences a moral crisis, someone eventually asks where the Black Church is. The question recurs with remarkable consistency. It surfaced during the Civil Rights Movement, resurfaced during periods of racial unrest and continues to arise whenever democratic tensions…
In conversation with Jim Somerville
For 18 years, Jim Somerville has done something many pastors talk about but far fewer actually attempt. He has led a historic congregation to change. This change isn’t merely cosmetic or programmatic but rather the kind that presses on identity…
As Alliance gathers, questions and hope abound
On the brink of its 40th anniversary, the Alliance of Baptists met near Chicago April 17-19 facing unexpected turmoil about its future. This year’s annual gathering already was planned when the board of directors announced the sudden departures of Co-Directors…
When the church confuses vocation with calling
Across several denominations, pastors are leaving congregations at accelerated rates, citing burnout, conflict and misalignment between their sense of calling and the realities of congregational life. Much of that conversation has focused on workload, compensation and leadership fatigue — all…
Proctor Conference marks leadership transition
Tears flowed and applause resounded as the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference marked its first-ever leadership transition at the annual gathering in Chicago Feb. 23. Iva E. Carruthers, who was the founding general secretary of the nonprofit, has taken on emeritus…
Remembering Tommy Boland
Thinking of Tommy Boland reminds me of a poem by James Whitcomb Riley. Some workers are mourning the death of a colleague. One man, wiping tears from his eyes, says of his friend, “When God made him, I bet he…
Two myths that must be discarded
In this moment in American history, two dominant myths must be discarded. This is especially true in light of the shocking revelations about leadership of some Young Republican groups and their “private” text messages. First, the myth that private speech…