They Aren't JUST Quirks #2

This is the second post in the series I promised on plumblines—“They Aren’t JUST Quirks.” I highly suggest you read the first post first. In short, plumblines are those things a leader believes about ministry that shape the way he or she leads. A leader doesn’t need to explain them or justify them all the time. Larry Osborne says, “Plumb lines don’t represent the only way to do ministry. They represent your way of doing ministry. So don’t worry if they seem somewhat narrow or controversial or even if they thin the herd…”

Let’s take a look at another Westwinds plumbline.

I’m proud of Westwinds as an Idea Machine. I often feel like I work in a lab where ideas are tried on for size. We are a giant petri dish where ideas flourish.

But often, people will come up to us and suggest an idea. That WE should do. Not them, but us. A great idea for a fundraiser. A ministry. An event. A satellite. An initiative. A company. You name it.

Some of them are quite passionate about their idea and quite passionate about me or someone else making it happen. They are often surprised by my response. Sometimes, they are not too happy with my answers and my lack of willingness to take the reins.

Now, we believe strongly in funding dreams, giving direction, supporting, teaching, etc. But there is a difference between someone telling a leader what he or she should do and asking a leader to coach and support them as they work to shadow God, build the church, and heal the world. At Westwinds, we also believe strongly the church leadership does not exist to see other people’s dreams to fruition.

We have a deep seated belief about owning dreams that is expressed in this plumbline:

Plumbline #1 "What you do flows from who you are."


So we tell our staff, “for any idea/project/dream the leader (the person with the dream or idea) has to supply a truthful vision of the future. The leader has to go deep inside themselves and figure out what they want and why and how in order for it to work.

This is why we sometimes get impatient when other people (lay or staff or elder) come to us with good ideas that they don't want to lead themselves. If any idea is truly worth following through, it must come from somewhere. It must come from within the leader - the person who is willing to sacrifice to see the idea birthed into reality.”

In short . . . “No leader? No ministry” has been echoed many times. That may seem cold to some. After all, when someone comes to us with an idea to hand off to us they usually have in their mind it is the greatest idea in the world, Jesus will be lifted up, the city or world will change, and/or it is the answer to all our financial problems. This all may be true. And if it is, they should lead it. Because no one knows the idea like they do and no one will care for the idea like the one who imagined it.

But then someone will say, “but doesn’t our church always look for good ideas?” The answer is yes. But we still believe the energy to see things to fruition come from within. This is why we all need to stay sharp. I have always been fond of Howard Hendricks’ belief that all his students needed to drink “from a running stream rather than a stagnant pool.” Life long learning, listening, reading, networking, stretching . . . all vital to church leadership.

If someone has an idea at Westwinds, we require they write out their proposal and meet with a ministry leader to give them the steps they need to be successful with everything from promotion to funding to recruiting volunteers to branding and everything in-between. This process is not a hoop, it’s a jumpstart. Sometimes, this process is a moment of truth and the person realizes there is no possible way they can work this dream. Other times, it’s the impetus for self-actualization they need to start on a successful path.

Leaders also need to constantly be reinforcing the Westwinds' people our value that everyone needs perMission to follow the dreams inside of them for God. It is this permission that moves us forward, though we recognize that permission still needs coaching and accountability.