Richard and I were standing outside talking over lunch at the close of our Vacation Bible School. A small boy got angry at another child who took a swing from him in the playground, so he picked up some gravel and threw it at her. We took care of that situation. Richard said, “Excellent results from VBS week!” We laughed at the seriously true observation that after a week of spiritual training, the culmination would manifest itself in competition, theft, rage and violence. Typical. At this point he jokingly reminded me of his company’s motto:
If it’s not measurable it’s not manageable!
Indeed! This seems to be the wisdom of the business world. But how often is this motto practiced in community life? Lots I think. We want our communities to be manageable. The only way they can be manageable is if every bit is known and measured. This is why it is so tempting to categorize people, to slot people in their “gifting”, to have grades of maturity through which people must progress in order to get closer to the center of the circle. Which leads to the necessity of codes, rules, regulations, laws, mores, taboos and expectations, because it is only when someone measures up to something or doesn’t measure up to something that it can be determined where they are on the value line.
This must stop! We aren’t a business. We are a family. Stop trying to manage it. Throw out the tape-measures. We do not know the hearts of people. So let’s stop pretending.
The fine art photograph is by my friend Jorgen Klausen and is from his Metamorphosis series.
Cartoonist.
Artist.
Spirituality Coach.
Writer.
Speaker.
In a sense, I agree with you. We are the body of Christ. It isn’t up to the thumb to decide what the big toe should be doing for the benefit of the head. We also shouldn’t be fruit inspectors trying to determine if our brother is where he should be in his Christian walk.
I do think that there is a certain amount of collectively beneficial management that should take place. For example, it is undesirable for a 6 year old to attend an adult Sunday school class. There is nothing wrong in planning and organizing events and fellowships. So, in this sense it is like a business. It’s nothing that has to be measured of course.
Or…maybe I missed your point.
AMEN. I could easy just say amen and nod passionately in agreement with everything you’ve said lately – - I just wanted you to know that you are providing encouragement, insight, wisdom and helpful direction to a new generation of community builders here in Colorado. Thank you!
The “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it” style of management is useful only in particular situations found in business environments and is a disaster when applied outside those specific areas, ESPECIALLY when applied to managing relationships. People’s walk with Christ is a relationship. The working of the Church within itself and with those outside is a relationship. Kids playing on a playground have relationships.
Trying to apply a management style of measurement and regulation to relationships will wind up in disaster. Relationships need management of encouragement to good and focus upon growing together. Using the wrong type of management in a situation is a recipe for disaster.
I don’t think the really important things ever can be measured. Not in any meaningful way at least. But measuring things that aren’t really important and making a big show of managing them keeps a bunch of people in work. That’s how it is in the business world. Makes me kind of sad when it seems that Churches want to go down the same dead-end road…
One of the things that I have learned raising boys is that when they do something wrong and they are still alive, I consider it an opportunity.
There have been a number of times where one of my boys has done something that some in our culture would consider very serious. At first I was thinking, what got into him that made him do that. I then thought, well he could have done something much worse. No one was harmed and he’s still alive and is feeling pretty crappy.
Those moments were places where I developed the deepest connections with my sons. We went through the consequences together and they learned some very good lessons that will probably save their lives.
I think that is much more valuable than “managing” and “rating” behavior.
Yo I put it down….agreed!
You strike a note with me again. I work in a church which has a heavily managerial style of leadership – my boss used to work for a large corporation as a manager, and it’s carried across into the church. I feel like I’m being groomed to be a manager though that is not my temperament at all, but rather more of a relational, creative, let’s-get-together-and-see-what-happens kind of leader.
There are things to learn from this style – things do need to be done, and maintained and got ready, but in terms of the overall values that give shape to the community, I would put management some way down the list.
The previous comment sounds a lot like some of the experiences I have had over the past year or so. If I didn’t know better I wouldswear I wrote it. (I didn’t by the way)
Well, yes and no. “Managing” relationship is a terrible idea and all those who bring it up must be subjected to 50 whacks with the metaphorical whiffle-ball bat of righteous doom. On the other hand, “measurable” is a good thing when setting short and long term goals. People often try to make these as ambiguous as possible, so it doesn’t matter if we accomplish our goals – so much so when you try to makes some goals concrete (like, say, “let’s set a date now for when we’d like to have our prayer-room opened up”) people actually get flustered. A measurable goal means, after all, that you can say to someone, “You said you’d do this for our church family, and you didn’t follow through on it. That really hurts the trust we put in you.”
At least some of discipleship is measurable. But not all. The actions of Grace are not necessarily measurable and thus are not manageable.
It reminds me of your other entry in which you described the fear of Grace.
good post.
-pick up the book ‘liquid church’ by pete ward if you want to look at what a church might look like without the need for a tape measure.
A great account of “church without tape measure” is “Velvet Elvis” by Rob Bell.
there is a really beautiful story at the following link which i think says it all. http://celtic_difference.typepad.com/a_difference_that_makes_a/2007/03/growth.html
Can you train me in the ways of The Force Master?
Awesome stuff lately. Really awesome!
Great way to put it. Found you via SLICE – I find my best blog reader additions based on what those guys hate