Monday 8 January 2018

Leadersmithing

My friends in the East of England tell me they're invited to a course on "Leadersmithing".  Naturally I looked it up and it turns out it's the name of a book, so it must be a thing.

Now I realise that this is following on from other trendy non-verbal nouns such as "Wordsmithing". But I do wonder. What a smith does is to heat up the raw materials of the craft, to the point where they are semi-molten, and then bang them with a heavy hammer. Is this really the way the church should be developing its leaders? I reckon it could be pretty painful.

Still, I look forward to the follow up books and courses. Instead of writing services, worship leaders will engage in Liturcraft. Minesterial training is now Pastorhewing. Using tea lights and pebbles in worship will now be Artisanal Worship.

The training for Pastoral Assistants will now be  Sympacrafting. Methodist Local Preachers will be produced by HymnSandwichCarving. People being called to episcopal office will be Talentpooled. Anglican people responsible for the buildings will be Wardensmelted.

Meanwhile, in the Beaker Folk, we're having no such verbal ingenuity. This afternoon's seminar on developing a sense for God is leading. No trendy terms. We're keeping it nice and simple.

We're calling it Prophet-earing.




Want a good laugh? Want to laugh at the church? Want to be secretly suspicious that the author has been sitting in your church committee meetings taking notes? Then Writes of the Church: Gripes and grumbles of people in the pews is probably the book for you.

From Amazon, Sarum Bookshop, The Bible Readers Fellowship and other good Christian bookshops. An excellent book for your churchgoing friends, relatives or vicar. By the creator of the Beaker Folk.

3 comments :

  1. I came here to learn about the relief of Ladysmith.
    Signed, a disappointed reader.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hurray! I'm the author, and it's great to hear your scepticism. That's why I wrote the book, because there is such nonsense written about leadership, and I know clergy in particular aren't that keen on the current 'leadership' regime. I'll send you a copy so you can see what you make of it - just contact me through evepoole.com. Here's the TEDx that explains the name, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73L1613KDnw

    ReplyDelete
  3. Douglas Adams was wrong. It is not shoe shops, it is books about leadership. The horizon will be reached when there are more books about leadership than there are leaders. We may have already passed it.

    ReplyDelete

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