Tuesday, January 27, 2009

EMyth (part 2)

As I continue to read The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber I sense a level of frustration and stimulation. I am frustrated in the sense the material is nothing more than basic business “101.” Any community college would present the same material and concepts as Gerber in an attempt to arouse the student’s awareness to systems thinking and principles. I guess I was hoping for more.

On the other hand I find myself stimulated by the Holy Spirit as a read this week. Though many of Gerber’s points are not new to me God has enabled me to reflect on some areas in my life and church where healthy change can occur and the system of operation tweaked some. Let me share a few of my ideas.

One, the church is nothing more than a distinct reflection of those who lead and attend. In many ways the church assumes the identity of the individual. If the leaders are sloppy and disorganized then so goes the church. If attendees are greedy and pursuing just their own interests then the church will never reflect the image of Christ or achieve the power of His influence. I must change for growth to occur and God has helped me identify some key areas where I can improve for greater personal effectiveness and for the overall good of the local institution I love.

Two, God is reminding me not to get caught up in the technical and managerial duties of my job and fail to dream. In a church of 1200 attendees it is easy for leaders to get caught up in the mechanics of the organization. Most pastors entered their profession to love people and influence the world for Christ and yet many feel unfulfilled and discouraged and their dream has all but disappeared. The exhilaration has turned into exhaustion and the fun has become despair. They have a terrible sense of loss. The loss of their dream, the special relationship they once had with their work and calling. Sometimes even the loss of purpose, family, and self.

To be a change agent at Willoughby Hills Friends Church I must continue to dream big for the glory of God. While performing the mechanics of my job I must find ways to turn the trivial and mundane into an exceptional opportunity for self and others. I must allow my God given dream to be the energy behind my activity. I must empower the people around me and enlist more to dream big with me.

I need to create systems within the church that will bring our dreams into the present and have them working toward an end result. Create systems that will transcend me as an employee and the personal limitations I present. Ones that are self perpetuating through the dreams of people and yet are well thought out and articulate. My goal is to develop a mature church where things are not left up to chance but where there is vision against which the present is shaped.

Those are my thoughts for today. Thanks for stopping by!
------
Adrian

3 comments:

  1. I'm Interested in your thoughts.. Does 37signals or E-myth have the right philosophy for business start-ups today? www.purlem.com/blog/?p=38

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  2. Hi Marty,
    I will need to brush up on 37 signals before I can give an educated answer your question. From what I remember however, I think E-myth has a more practical approach.

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  3. have you seen any further development between your connection of emyth to church work? If just begun reading the book and asked the same questions. Is there any place I can go to investigate this connection.

    robbie@thebeachsidechurch.com

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