another old unpublished post from last spring
Leadership, Programs, and Other Things
We've got this class at the school where I teach that is called "Leadership Class". It's made up of class officers, I think. Every day they have class during 5th hour to meet and plan how they are going to lead. I asked them the other day, "So...who are you leading?" Which got me some rather curious looks from the students, so I changed the question to one they could resonate with in a culture of accomplishment: "What do you do?" This was much easier. They told me how they planned this and that. Currently, they are planning a pizza party for the 8th graders (this is a class of high school officers). I asked them why do the party. They said, "To let them know that we think they're important, and we want them to be a part of high school." If you know me at all, you know where this conversation goes next. I said, "Soooo....you're going to show them you care by throwing them a pizza party?" One student (who quickly caught my...umm..angst) answered, "Well, we are buying it with our own money."

Now, at this point I'm sure you've got your own thoughts formulating. Tons of them ran through my head in just a moment. It ran something like this: "They can't be serious. No. No, they are serious. We've trained them to be this way. We've done everything we can in church and society to show these students that programs and activities--in some form--are always the answer. They really think this party is going to do something that will help the eighth graders to feel 'welcomed' and 'care for' by high schoolers. No...actually...they haven't even thought that far, because if they had they would realize how silly that sounds. They're just doing it because that's what we've told them leaders do...plan things. No reason to really ask the hard questions...the school year is almost over and it's time to make some contact with Middle School students, so its time for some sort thing, a party or whatever. We'll add the special touch by buying it ourselves." Never mind that we've ignored and even harrassed under classmen all year...now it's time to care.

It's too hard and too simple to do the obvious things. The advice I would give to this leadership class is similar to the advice I would give most churches. It goes something like this:

First, admit that we don't really care that much about the people we're trying to 'reach'. Admission of such things goes a long way to helping one decide if he or she is wasting time anyway. I mean, if you don't really care then you're just putting up a front to make ourselves look good or feel better. But why waste your time? Go do something else. End of problem.

Second, if we find that we don't really care but we want to (which is valid, I think), then we have a starting point. "I don't really care, but I want to...so what's the next step?"

Third, I think the next step is to begin caring. It's time consuming. It's difficult. It demands that one change his/her lifestyle, schedule, priorities. In terms of these high school students, it means that instead of planning a party, I go to 8th graders' games, events, hang-outs. In general "churchy" terms, maybe it's going to all the places 'good people' don't go. It means I invite them to do things with me and my friends. It means I spend a heck of a lot more time listening than talking. It means I share my own weakness and lack of answers. It means that I'm identified with the people I care about whether they be 8thh graders, alcoholics, gays, losers, fundamentalists, liberals, addicts, etc. I carry the joy and the flack for associating with those I for whom I care.

I'm not sure about leadership, but I think that's when we become Christian.

posted by Jimmy at 12:21 AM | |