Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Robert Ricciardelli

Home
About

Home
New Visions
The Leadership Pendulum by Garris Elkins

The Leadership Pendulum by Garris Elkins

Last updated on: April 2, 2012 at 3:08 pm by editorconvergingzone

The Leadership Pendulum by Garris Elkins 2012-04-02T15:08:02-08:00 editorconvergingzone

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Garris Elkins I remember the first time I heard a concept that I knew was a leadership principle. At the time I was in my 20s and studying for the ministry. A wise leader said the Church is like a pendulum – it is constantly swinging back and forth to find a place of balance. As the years have gone by I’ve come to realize that this pendulum never stops, but continues to swing from side to side as the Church enters and departs different seasons of life and development.

I have lived long enough to see the Church change and transition over time. I have seen the pendulum swing widely through areas of understanding in gender roles, the ministry of the Spirit, interpretations of God’s sovereignty and a host of other issues.

This continuous motion of the pendulum is not because God is unsettled, or even that the Church is neurotic; it is because from our viewpoint we only see things in part, not the whole, and all of us are on a constant search for balance.

This is how the Church moves forward – we advance by reconciling imbalance. Someone once told me that the very act of walking is linked to a series of movements that have us seeking balance with each new step. To walk forward we need to let go of our last foothold and pass through a swinging gait of imbalance to gain a new balanced foothold.

The pendulum of the Church continues to swing because in any given moment we are out of balance in our current understanding about what God is doing upon the earth. I am not saying what we currently understand is wrong – it is simply not yet fully developed, no matter how mature we think we are. There is always more than we are seeing in any given moment.

Our tendency is to park our comprehension of God and His Kingdom somewhere along the timeline of certain events or revelations that we have experienced. When this happens we begin to build our concept of ministry around that stationary observation. The outcome of this way of thinking is that we actually stop growing and learning. Narrow vision sets in and we begin to view life and ministry with the blinders on. From this stationary posture we can begin to construct a defensive compound from which to protect our limited understanding against any perceived change from outside our position.

Motion Means You Are Alive

The pendulum has been swinging throughout the entire history of the Church. I think this is actually God’s plan. Growing things are never static. Motion means you are alive.

Just when I think I fully understand a point of theology, or how the Church should be led, or what the best model is for doing church on Sunday morning, God will lovingly take me to a wider and more expanded view of what He is accomplishing in His people. He does this by showing me the smallness of what I have chosen to see. Realizing the smallness of my own vision allows me to repent and begin live in greater humility and see the value of differing opinions than the one I hold.

Realizing we don’t know all things keeps us open to expanding our circle of fellowship to include others who may not process life like us. A willingness to admit my limited understanding deconstructs the pride that comes when I think I fully see and understand all that is happening along the swinging arc of the pendulum.

I have learned a few things as I have watched this swinging pendulum of understanding within the Church.

I have learned that I need to be careful to not capture and define what I think God is doing mid-swing in the pendulum arc and build a definition around that limited understanding. The leaders I observe, who lead from a place of peace, are not trying to get the pendulum to stop so they can define something. These leaders step back and watch the pendulum from a distance and try to anticipate in what direction God is taking His Church and then begin to move their lives and ministries in that direction.

I have learned that it is wise to resist the urge to park our understanding anywhere along the arc of a developing principle. At the point where we park we become irrelevant in our ability to engage developing realities and emerging generations of leadership. To finish well means that we must remain mobile in the way we think about our lives and ministries so that past seasons don’t define us.

I have learned that the older a person gets the more the desire surfaces to return to “the good old days.” This desire must be seen as a warning that we are not engaging the moment. We all have preferences and life-experiences that warm our hearts. They were never intended to lead us, rather, they are to be stones of remembrance left behind along the trail of our developing journey. The destination is always out in front.

Finally, I have learned that the pendulum is a teacher. Too many times I have felt I had some current issue all figured out and then God had me sit in front of the swinging pendulum and simply watch. As I watched, I realized that some of what I thought ten years ago I no longer processed the same way today. Those people and ministries I disapproved of years ago are now closer in thought and fellowship to me than ever before. The swinging pendulum has taught me to let go of snap judgments and it has freed me to wait a while until the pendulum swings back my way with a new and clearer understanding of what is taking place in the Church.

Garris Elkins, Senior Leader

Living Waters Church – Medford, Oregon

Email: [email protected]

Garris Elkins‘ ministry, Prophetic Horizons, is a ministry of teaching, writing and prophecy committed to raising up a prophetic generation to speak to the cultures of our world with the empowered voice of Heaven. Garris and his wife, Jan, are the Senior Leaders of Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon, and have two grown children, Anna and David.

Previous Post

April 2, 2012

Freedom: the Good Life We Were Born For by John C. Meyer

Next Post

April 2, 2012 The Bible Can be Dangerous with the Wrong Heart by Robert Ricciardelli

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Arts & Entertainment Business Coach Robert Coaching Community Education Faith Family/Relationships Government Health History/Biography Leadership Marriage Mindset Musings Science Technology

Select a Month June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Cornelius was a Roman centurion who was the first Gentile convert.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE