namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

The Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of Canterbury: Spiritual leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, political leaders—or all of the above?

We all think we know what we mean when we say 'spiritual leader' and we may have a corresponding image of someone who fits the bill.

But is a religious community leader the same as a spiritual leader? Can one person be a 'spiritual person' and a 'community leader' at the same time?

One devotee, Bhakta Leon Prabhu, recently moved here from London. Upon his arrival he gave me a very thoughtful gift, a book, "The little Flowers of St. Francis" translated by Raphael Brown. The book was written by a monk in the order of St. Francis about 100 years after he disappeared from this world, and it was a compilation of many different stories and anecdotes about the life and teachings of St. Francis

I met Joe Myers a few years ago at an Emergent event and have enjoyed getting to know him since then, as we’ve run into each other a couple times and as I’ve had the chance to read both of his great books, The Search to Belong (short review here) and his newest book, Organic Community.

One thing I really enjoyed about Joe Myers’ work is his different take on small groups and community in a church. Many churches have the mentality that “if we build it, they will come” and the goal is to create a small groups program at the church, and get everyone into a small group. But the reality is—that simply doesn’t work for all people. Sure, small groups are a place where people can really connect and experience some community and intimacy—but some people just don’t work that way. And by trying to force that on your church, you might be doing more harm than good.