Case Study The Awkward Nominee Larry Osborne When should leaders speak up? See "Working in Team Ministry" Training Pack

Store Code: CS02-D Format(s): Microsoft Word Type: Case Study Price: $0.00

Topics:	Accountability, Church discipline, Church staff, Conflict, Decision making, Fellowship, Leadership, Volunteers
Filters:	Church staff, Discipleship, Elder, Management, Pastor, Pastoral care, Shepherd
Purpose:	Discipleship
References:	Acts 15:36-40
Date Added:	July 31, 2007
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The Case
A godly man with a totally different philosophy of leadership than the board's had been put forward by numerous members of the congregation. When our nominating committee came to his name, there was an uncomfortable silence. He had served the church faithfully in the past, yet everyone knew he wouldn't fit the leadership team. The problems would be philosophical, not spiritual, but problems nonetheless. I wondered, Should I speak up?

What Would You Do?
• Would you have the courage to speak up in this situation?
• If the man with the different philosophy of leadership was a friend of yours, would you defend him? Why or why not?
• What prevents us from being honest in such situations?

What Happened
After what seemed like an eternity, I swallowed hard and spoke up: "I don't think we should have him run; we'll end up spending all our meetings going around in circles."

Once that was on the table, a couple of others were quick to agree. After a brief discussion, we came to a unanimous consensus to nominate someone else. It was obvious that others felt as strongly as I did, but no one had said a word until I broke the ice. Our consensus, a wise one, would have remained unspoken and unacted upon.

Discuss
1. What do you think the phrase "the problems would be philosophical" means?

2. What kinds of "philosophical differences" would be worth asking about?

3. Are philosophical differences important enough not to nominate someone for a leadership position in the church?

4. Are there other, perhaps unspoken qualifications for leadership in our church other than just biblical character? What are they?

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