What Churches Should Learn From Steve Jobs
With the news this past week that Steve Jobs was taking a medical leave of absence, Apple took a hit. Rumors flew on the net and their stock took a dip.
There is no doubt; Jobs took Apple from the brink to the market dominance they now enjoy. Not only is he a powerful leader, dynamic futurist, and a brilliant strategist; Steve Jobs is a rock star. His celebrity persona has captivated the hearts and minds of geeks (myself included) worldwide. His absence has brought a cloud of doubt over the future of Apple. This magnified by the fact that there is no public plan for an Apple beyond Jobs. What are the consequences? Jason Rothbart addresses this on ReadWriteWeb.
This got me thinking. What about the one-man-show type churches?
A lot of churches are built around a personality. I’m not just talking about the modern mega-church Rick Warren/Bill Hybles types. There are more than a few small churches that are built around one figure. (I assume in many cases, this is why these churches are small. That figure is not that impressive.)
What, if anything, should churches learn from Steve Jobs and his recent medical concerns?
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Themocracy
The “obvious” here is that anything built entirely on and around one guy will die with that man. Or at least will seriously struggle when that man leaves. A church that is entirely reliant on one man, (or at least we should hope,) still reaches people, lives are touched, hearts changed, souls saved. Maybe all we can do is give it a good run, and go out with a bang…
Someone who works at a church should be pleased with bringing people to know Christ, but they should strive to help them become leaders themselves. I’m not saying everyone has to start working at the church (or another church), but a successful minister helps other people get in on the action. He sets up a system that could run without him. You have to have long-term goals as well as short-term ones.
Dr. Phil says “It’s not abooouuut youuuuu!” I think many church leaders just don’t think about the implications of how they’re accomplishing things. To me, that’s more important than results.