Page 3 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

Connection
A Message from the General Secretary
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Presbyterian Connection is a a newspaper published quarterly by the national of ce of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Barb Summers: Editor Thank you to all volunteer
contributing writers. ________________________
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The Presbyterian Church in Canada is a community of nearly 850 congregations in Canada. To nd a congregation near you, visit presbyterian.ca/church- nder
moderator of 143rd General assembly:
The Rev. Peter Bush
General Secretary:
The Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald
Principal Clerk:
The Rev. Stephen Kendall
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Presbyterian Connection
newspaper is supported by gifts to Presbyterians Sharing.
presbyterian.ca
fall 2017
By the Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald, General Secretary, Life and Mission Agency
Start with Why.
The Right to Lead.
Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading. Leaders Eat Last.
There is no shortage of books about leadership. Even as our neighbour to the south—arguably the most pow-
er ful force in the world—suffers from a spectacular crisis of leader- ship, the disastrous results of which will be long-lasting, the worlds of business, spor ts, schools, politics and religion are focused on leader- ship as key.
The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada has identified “Visionary Lead- ership” as one of the essential fo- cuses in its strategic plan. There is no question that the church needs leaders. The question is, what kind? The political horror show playing out in the U.S.A. is a catastrophic reminder that populist authoritative leaders who promise easy answers from on-high to complex issues may be a tempting option, but they are ultimately a feeble and danger- ous one—and the church has not been immune to the impulse.
The church would do better to look for and invest in leaders who do not offer easy answers, but rather seek to follow the model we
have been given in Christ, who was willing to do and say things—often unpopular and unsettling things— that led to the transformation of hu- man and civil life. As Ronald Heifetz of Harvard University has written in Lessons in Leadership, “We should be calling for leadership that will challenge us to face the problems for which there are no simple, pain- less solutions—the problems that require us to learn new ways.”
Visionary Leadership enables the church to learn to live and be the church in new ways that are fitted for the world that is coming into fo- cus as new realities emerge on the horizon. But Visionary Leadership is a multifaceted calling and cannot be reduced to one definition any more than leadership should be reduced to a list of techniques. Visionary lead- ers need to look at circumstances and see them clearly and name them for what they truly are, rather than as we might like them to be; reality
testing and honesty are vital features of Visionary Leadership. Respect—a word that is related to vision—is also a characteristic of leadership where the church—to its shame—needs to invest time thinking about and nurtur- ing, especially at this time in its life.
In this edition of the Presbyterian Connection, there is an ar ticle en- titled “The Power and Intention be- hind Leadership” by Peter Coutts, a book review of Rabbi Sack’s book and an interview with the Rev. Dr. Dorcas Gordon, all of which focus on leadership. We will feature a fo- cus on leadership in every future edition so that we may benefit from a broad discussion about vision and leadership in the church today.
Visit presbyterian.ca/connection to subscribe to the Presbyterian Connection, to submit an article or photo, to ask questions and offer suggestions, or to make a donation.
Presbyterians Sharing Packs a Punch
By Karen Plater, Associate Secretary, Stewardship & Planned Giving
I always feel like each year has two beginnings: the new year in Janu- ary and the church/academic year in September. This functional new year begins, in part, with Presbyte- rian Sharing Sunday on September 24 (although it can be moved to a day that works for you!). It is a day that reminds us that together we do a surprising number of things that have a large impact in the world. I would even dare say that the PCC punches well above our weight, as a little over 800 congregations across Canada contribute over $8 million to collec- tively put faith into action in ways that transform communities and lives around the world.
Not only does Presbyterians Shar- ing support the Presbyterian Con- nection newspaper, but the funds are used to:
• equip congregations, ministries and presbyteries
• engage in evangelism, outreach and discipleship
• embrace mission locally, nation- ally and internationally
• empower youth
• provide tools for faithful ministry
• create and suppor t new faith
communities
• engage in healing and reconcili-
ation
• suppor t biblical and theological
reflection and dialogue
• discern, prepare and support vi-
sionary leadership
• pursue spiritual renewal
• live out God’s call to justice
As you flip through the pages of this fall edition, you will learn about a few of the things that happen be- cause congregations and individuals generously support Presbyterians Sharing.
You will discover how a heal- ing and reconciliation mission trip has continued and begun journeys of reconciliation. The Moderator shares his experiences meeting Presbyterians in Taiwan and the leg- acy that our collective work has had, and continues to have, while Paul McLean writes about the impact Bi- ble translation is having on commu- nities in Taiwan. Amy Zavitz shares reflections on mission trips, after a year of working in Malawi through International Ministries with support from Presbyterians Sharing. Gifts to Presbyterians Sharing provide core funding for Canada Youth and sup- port our work in the Canadian Coun- cil of Churches and World Com- munion of Reformed Churches, and even helps keep PWS&D’s admin- istrative costs low. Presbyterians Sharing facilitates the E.H. Johnson committee, suppor ts the theologi- cal colleges and provides coaching and empowering resources for con- gregations on discipleship, congre- gational growth and development, stewardship and planned giving. Place of Hope Presbyterian Church is suppor ted through Winnipeg Inner City Missions.
Watch for the stamps throughout this issue to quickly see some ways that the Presbyterian Church is at work in the world through your gifts to Presbyterians Sharing.
david martin is the director of admissions at the Presbyterian Church of Gha- na’s Ramseyer Lay Leader Training Centre – which has received support from Presbyterians Sharing.