In this final week of my study on spiritual leadership, it is about God’s agenda and getting people to join the journey. Henry and Richard Blackaby ask the questions, “Which do you think is more important for a leader – the journey for the destination? Or, are they equally important?” The way that I phrased the first sentence above indicates that I believe they are both important, I would say that they are 1 and 1a in importance.
Jim Collins, in his writings, made popular the philosophy of “First Who, Then What” or “Getting the right people on the bus”. You see, ensuring that the people are on board with the leader is the most important thing. Generally, getting people on board is about providing them a destination. No the journey may not be straight, but the place we are going is agreed upon and if a detour is found to be needed to get there, everyone is okay with it and will stay focused on that destination. So, the destination is of importance, and that destination should be worthwhile to ensure that everyone is okay with the journey itself.
Now, I do know that there is more to the “First Who, Then What” philosophy. I am not here to discuss all the merits of this philosophy. You see, the journey is important for a number of reasons, but ultimately it is about a worthwhile journey to reach the result. There are times, more than we think, that the destination is not result or goal that can be fully quantified. Let’s look at the case of God’s agenda and getting there. Jesus commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations. Where, yes, we can count the number converts, it is not about just getting the numbers, as Jesus also said to shake the dust off your feet as you leave those who do not receive you. This says that it is not just about the number of converts, but the spreading of the gospel.
I may have rambled a bit in the above, but here is where I was going. The spiritual leaders are charged with providing a goal or destination to attain. The destination is not of the leader, but of God. That destination is to unite the organization, not to just provide a goal to achieve. The leader is to ensure that those following are following to reach the destination, regardless of what the journey looks like. The spiritual leader guides toward God and His agenda. This agenda is to magnify God and not just reach some tangible or quantifiable end. So 1 and 1a it is, destination is 1, and getting there is 1a.
Destination or Journey for you? Are you just looking to reach the destination that is a mark of having arrived? What if you found the destination of God and then worked to get there however needed, focusing on magnifying Him however needed?
Trevor's Thoughts 