Amen or Oh Me?

Twenty years ago I attended a church that was pastored by a very dynamic speaker. He liked the congregation to interact with him as he was preaching and when he made an important point, he would ask “Amen or Oh Me?” The expectation of course was that we would respond with an affirming “Amen!”

It was new to me and very interesting. And for a while, I had no problem affirming his points. But then he took a disturbing turn in his preaching and I found myself thinking “Oh Me!” more and more frequently.

This culminated for me during a series of messages he preached on Ephesians chapter 6 where Paul encourages us to put on the “full armor of God.” If you’re familiar with this passage you know there are several pieces of this armor: Leg protection of truth, breastplate of righteousness, gospel shoes, shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation

The problem came when 4 weeks of messages were devoted to the idea that the “shield of faith” was God manifesting his power in and through the saints with signs and wonders. There is absolutely no way to interpret that passage as “signs and wonders.” The shield is a defensive weapon with a cork covering to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy. Yet, he continued to stress this, and ask the congregation to affirm this wrong teaching. When others would respond “Amen,” I had to say “Oh Me!”

We were seriously off course. I met with the pastor to discuss my concerns and told him clearly that he was off-base and had taught that passage completely out of context. He responded that the passage was “dripping with the power of God.” I said, “Maybe so, but there is absolutely no way that the shield is about signs and wonders.” As I persisted, he finally relented and said, “Maybe your right, but sometimes you have to stretch things some in order to bring people along.”

I was appalled. I told him he was wrong. We left that church right away.

But the whole episode taught me an important lesson: Too many people allow their pastors and teachers to study God’s word for them and tell them what it says. This is dangerous. Creative and charismatic communicators exert a lot of influence. Too often people are caught up in the delivery and don’t pause to examine the substance.

I think this episode has lessons for leaders and followers in any environment. First for leaders: we need to be fully aware of the esteem in which some people hold us, and we need to make sure we are worthy of that esteem. We also need to be aware of the power we have because of our position. People are dependent on us and we need to handle their dependence delicately. We need to be careful that we don't take advantage of people's esteem and approval. That's why I keep coming back to the "what is your motive?" theme.

The episode has implications for followers as well. Loyal followers don't follow blindly or unquestioningly. They follow with their eyes open and ask questions when things seem out of line. When a leader seems headed in the wrong direction, loyal followers raise a flag. Good followers don't let their leaders derail by not challenging them or failing to discuss their leader's blindspots.

This experience challenged me to rethink my own teaching. I realized that there are a lot of people who listen to – and even appreciate my teaching in the various venues in which I teach. But, I realized that I had a moral obligation to make sure that I was not abusing my position or taking advantage of their approval of me.

So, I decided that I would change my teaching approach to facilitate my students to interact with the text themselves, to make their own observations and interpretations, and not rely solely on me. My approach shifted to more of a facilitator role and less of a lecturer role. I began requiring my students to open their Bibles and study it for themselves.

I continue to be amazed at how so many smart people seem to check their minds at the door in two venues: the voting booth and the church.

We are told to love the Lord with our whole hearts, our whole souls, and our whole minds. We should use them.

And as Christ-followers we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to assist our discernment. If we don't understand something, we are told to ask the Lord for wisdom. And we are promised that He will give it to us generously.

As followers, we really have no excuse for following blindly.

And as leaders, we have a moral obligation not to ask our followers to do so.


Amen or Oh Me?

Who are your people? Part 2

"I don't know your people."

As many of you know, I have spent some time in the Cleveland Unit of the Texas State Prison system ministering to the men in the Prisoner Entrepreneurship Program (PEP).

I personally find the time I spend with those men refreshing. On several visits I have listened to men share their "story." There are two themes that run through theses stories. First, in almost every case these men grew up in homes where the father was absent - physically or emotionally. The men in the PEP program did not have a a strong male role figure in their life.

The absence of a father figure is probably related to the second theme. Absent a strong father figure, these boys sought affiliation with individuals and groups who would provide the acceptance and affirmation they weren't getting at home. And they chose the wrong people.

If you were to have asked these guys, "Who are your people?" the answer would not have led to a group of outstanding citizens. And those people had a profound, but negative impact on these young men. The consequences were devastating.

How might their lives have been different if they had an active father and were surrounded with the the right people?

Its easy to see these patterns in the lives of these men. But what about you and me? If we're not careful, we can surround ourselves with the wrong people, the wrong role models. If we're not careful we can have people in our lives that endorse wrong decisions and lead us to justify choices that we otherwise would not have made.

In just about every case of leader derailment that I am aware of, there are poor choices and bad decisions made by the leader. But, they are usually surrounded by people who endorse the behavior. In fact some of these people may even have told the leader they deserved, or were entitled to make the decisions that were made. In the worst cases, the poor decisions were actively supported. In the "best" cases, the people didn't challenge the decision patterns and allowed them to occur.

As followers we should be asking our leaders "Who are your people?" The answer could be telling. Who are the people the leader is surrounding themselves with?

As leaders, we need to evaluate "our people." Are they loyal enough to challenge me when they see me making mistakes or taking steps on a path that will lead to the wrong destination? Are "my people" willing to tell me no when I am wrong?

Who are your people?

Who are your people? Part 1

My son went hunting with some friends a while back. They took a break and went in to a nearby small town for lunch. Justin didn't have any cash with him and the bar-b-q place didn't take credit cards. However, they did accept checks and he happened to have his checkbook with him.

When he offered to write a check for his lunch, the proprietor turned him down, saying "I don't know your people."

Justin had never heard that phrase. But having grown up in West Texas and frequented small towns like Breckenridge and Stamford as a child, I recognized the statement.

In those environments everyone knows everybody, and everyone knows your family - your people.

The phrase is a good reminder for all of us: Who are your people?

Who are the people in your inner circle? Who are the people you go to for advice and counsel? Who are the people you allow to challenge you? Who can ask you "What is your motive?" without you becoming defensive.

As leaders, we need these people in our life. We should seek them and cultivate them.

Bohicans

In my last post I discussed the importance of creating a supportive environment where people can perform at their best: an environment where people flourish.

This type environment stands in stark contrast to toxic environments.

Toxic environments are created by those who practice the B-O-H-I-C-A style of managing: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!

I thought I had worked for the last of the Bohicans when I left industry to return to graduate school in 1994. But I continue to run into pockets of Bohicans. They are a very resilient tribe!

Bohicans create toxic work environments that are characterized by negativity. These environments create fear, anxiety, and pessimism. Rather than expending energy on performing, people spend energy protecting themselves. Instead of committing to the organization's vision, mission, or goals, employees simply comply in order to avoid punishment.

Leaders who foster these environments drive people toward antagonistic relationships, anger, and hostility.

And good people leave.

When leaders create and perpetuate this kind of environment, the most talented employees will leave. Those who remain do so out of necessity rather than commitment and identification with the organization. This starts a downward spiral: As talent leaves, less talented people assume positions of authority. These people are often insecure and therefore perpetuate the bohica practices in an effort to assert their authority and keep people under their control.
They also tend to hire people who won't threaten them.

Toxic environments start at the top of the organization. Healing these environments requires a change at the top.

Either the leader needs to change or the organization needs to change leaders.