Tim Elmore, founder and president of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based leadership development non-profit, makes maximum use of the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Using single images and two-to four-word phrases, he explained to the Nov. 15 meeting of South Carolina Baptist ministers of education how several “habitudes” – images that form leadership habits and attitudes – are crucial to ministers who want to grow a new generation of leaders.
For example, he showed an image of old, worn headstones in a cemetery with two words on the side: “Life Sentence.”
He explained, “One day in the future, after you’re gone, people will be talking, and your name will come up, and they’ll summarize your life in one sentence: ‘Oh yeah, he was the guy who -‘ or ‘Oh yeah, she was the one who – .’ Yes, I know, you’re so busy now you know you’ll deserve a paragraph, but we’ll all – even the most famous of us – get just one sentence. What will it be? What do you want it to be? What is your life sentence?”
With a series of such images, Elmore encouraged the ministers of education to concentrate on a long-term, highly focused perspective in their ministries, particularly as they shape the youth generation under their care.
“You have to constantly assess your products and programs, and you have to be willing to change them for your larger purpose: reaching more people,” he said.
“You may want to follow the advice of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE,” he added. “Line up all your products and programs and ask these questions: What needs a facelift? What needs an overhaul? What needs a funeral? And then, with great patience and courage, take action.”
Upon hearing feedback from his audience, Elmore acknowledged the often-difficult task of moving forward and changing within church culture. He advised leaders to celebrate past successes and present new ideas as items for study, rather than agenda items for a vote.
“The thing about the program Aunt Margaret put into place in the 1970s is, it probably was great for the 1970s!” he said in response to one question. “The question you may want to put forth is this: If Aunt Margaret were here today, in 2011, do you think she’d want the same kind of program she wanted to start in the 1970s? Or would she look at you today and say, ‘Hey whipper-snappers, you need something for your own time’?”
The meeting, held in conjunction with the state convention annual meeting, was at Riverland Baptist Hills Church, Irmo. There are also occasional meetings among regional networks of ministers of education around the state. – SCBC