Understanding God's role for a Millennial leader

Bob Whitesel Dec. 31, 2017

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Unlike the modern leader who may hope the work gets easier, the Millennial leader recognizes that the missio Deiwill include cycles of tranquillity followed by quandary. Because of such patterns, the millennial leader knows to anticipate hardship in order to surmount it. Here are three attitudes of Millennial leaders about God’s role in their work. 

Millennial attitude 1: God strengthens the leader for the work. 

When trials and travesty come, millennial leaders are not surprised, angry, or offended; they recognize that this is part of life’s cycle and rhythm. 

German pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed,

“The cross means sharing the suffering of Christ to the last and to the fullest...but he [we] would certainly break down under the burden, but for the support of him who bore these sins of all. The passion of Christ strengthens him to overcome.”¹³ 

Shortly, we will look at how millennial leaders tackle hardship with Christ’s empowerment. 

Millennial attitude 2: God’s presence is a sign of the leader’s need. 

The magnitude of the missio Deirequires God’s presence because it is God’s work in which we only participate. The scale and the source remind the Millennial leader that he or she is inadequate for the task if not connected closely to God. When God blesses the Millennial leader, he or she understands this not as a sign of preference but as a reminder of how much the leader needs to partner with God. 

Precisely because of this acknowledgment of personal need, a millennial leader often embraces a new and heightened honesty. 

Nouwen calls this the

“wounded healer,” who “must look after his own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.”¹⁴ 

Though they do not hide personal flaws, Millennial leaders do not ignore them either, seeking God’s power and presence to mend them. They find solidarity and solace in Bonhoeffer’s image of Christ as “the Good Shepherd . . . [who] knows them all by name and loves them. He knows their distress and their weakness. He heals the wounded, gives drink to the thirsty, sets upright the falling and leads them gently, not sternly, to pasture.”15 

Millennial attitude 3: God examines the leader’s participation in the missio Dei. 

Millennial leaders have a strong wariness about self-weaknesses, temptations, flaws, and frailties; simultaneously, they sense the magnitude of the mission of God. When this is coupled with Jesus’ parable of God as a task master (Matt. 25:14-30), an image of supervision, accountability, and liability emerges. Therefore, the millennial leader welcomes and expects God and others to judge her or his participation in the missio Dei. The Millennial leader expects accountability from both Christian and secular realms. 

One young leader told me,

“If you are going to be a pastor today, you can’t hide anything. God can forgive, but technology will make sure people don’t forget....The answer is building a good reputation and having respected people who hold you accountable, who can confront you and remind you of the consequences.” 

And so the frailty and fallibility of human nature mean the Millennial leader expects and sets in place an organism of answerability. 

Excerpted from Organix: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church, by Bob Whitesel (Abingdon Press). Used with permission. 

Photo source: istock 

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

• Business growth barriers: the real reason your business isn’t growing (by Christian Muntean)
• Seven signs you don't value your time (by Carey Nieuwhof)
• 3 practices for planning for tomorrow without worrying about tomorrow (by Jordan Raynor)
• Stop chasing growth: how business stabilization can triple your value (by Christian Muntean)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now