Choosing Where To Be Present December 3, 2007
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Choosing Where to be Present: A Sign of Excellence
“What advice do you have?,” I asked a veteran bishop as I prepared to assume that same office after my election in 1992.
“Choose carefully where to be present, especially your first Sunday,” he replied. “Where you decide to be will be remembered longer than what you say or do when you get there. And, where and with whom you spend your time will shape your view of the church and your role in it.”
Though not at all what I had expected to hear, these words of guidance from a long-time bishop proved to be some of the most important advice I have ever received. More than a practical scheduling suggestion, it was a profound theological affirmation and insightful missional strategy that had significant implications for my own formation as a person and a bishop.
Presence is an essential aspect of both leadership and ministry. Where leaders choose to be is the initial act of leadership and a determining factor in the formation of both the leader and the institution that he or she leads. Whether we are pastors, teachers, administrators, judicatory officials, or managers, where we choose to be present is a sign and instrument of our own formation and the direction of the community in which we serve. (Read more)
