Step Into the Chaos
'Missional Leader' book review.
Adam Miller
October 1, 2006
The movie World Trade Center offers us a picture of what it means to be a missional leader: the world is in chaos, everything has collapsed, countless souls are trapped. The only thing to do is head into the mess. The missional leader is that lone Marine who climbs into the rubble with a flashlight shouting "Tap or yell if you can hear me!" and exhorting those who would join him, "Once you step up there's no going back." Leadership in this environment is not for the faint of heart. To this type of world Alan J. Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk posit The Missional Leader (Jossey-Bass, 2006). Most any church with the proper patience, perspective, and point man (or woman) can become missional. The authors offer perspective without too many "oughts," which is good considering the book's premise that "oughts" defeat growth. The book first describes this new term "missional." Leaders no longer view themselves as heads of a hierarchy, and church members no longer look only to the "professional" Christians to get the job done of reaching and caring for their communities. Missional leaders are more interested in cultivating community than controlling outcomes through programs and buildings. Such congregations are beginning to breathe in the same air and dream incredible dreams because they are learning to allow God's Word and his Spirit to lead them rather than agendas, budgets, and traditions. People who would never have dreamed of taking leadership roles are discovering purpose in the community of believers. Essentially, in this model, the leader is a facilitator skilled at bringing out the deeper issues among the community. Rather than providing solutions, he asks good questions and embraces, rather than resolves, tension. The missional ...
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