GOOD TO GREAT - WHAT DO WE EXPECT of CSM ?
by Terry Wynn
Terry Wynn was an MEP for the North West of England from 1989 to 2006.
He is on the board of trustees for Action for Children, Vice Chairman of the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, Chairman of trustees for The Rock Bus, executive member of CSM, on the board of the European Parliament Pension Fund, a Methodist Local Preacher and Circuit Steward in the Wigan Circuit of the Methodist Church.
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When you discover something and it gives you that "Wow" feelng, that realization that the penny has finally dropped, that serendipidy moment, you just know that you have to share it.
When you discover something and it gives you that "Wow" feelng, that realization that the penny has finally dropped, that serendipidy moment, you just know that you have to share it.
On one occasion that it happened for me, a couple of years ago, my local Methodist Minister gave me a DVD and asked me to look at one of the sections on it. It was of a Christian gathering entitled The Global Leadership Summit 2006. It was led by Bill Hybels of the Willow Creek Association, an organization whose reputation is so admired that even the Times gave it a positive two page spread not that long ago.
I had been asked to watch an interview with Bill Hybels and Jim Collins, who operates, what they call, a management-research laboratory in Boulder Colorado. He is the author of several books on business success and his latest one at that time was “Good to Great.” In it he makes the point that too many companies think they are good without aspiring to be great and it’s the ones who do aspire to be great which are the successful ones.
He had realized that his business theories didn’t necessary apply to organizations that depended on volunteers and this is what Bill Hybels was interviewing him about. Whilst their conversation was about churches it could equally apply to CSM, Branches or CLPs.
But the interview was much more than how to run a church, it had some fundamental points which made me think about what we do in our churches and since then, as a Local Preacher, I’ve preached several sermons on this. Mainly because Jim Collins asks what would be lost if your church disappeared tomorrow? And the question we should ask is what would be lost if CSM disappeared tomorrow?
If CSM disappeared off the face of the earth who would be bothered? Or in the words of Catherine Tate, “Am I bovvered?” Who or what would miss us, what would be lost? Of course some would miss us, but what would be the impact on the political scene in the UK?
Let’s be clear, this is not a criticism of CSM, I have total admiration for it and those who dedicate their time to ensuring its success. It is a Good organization, like many Good Churches, but being “Good” is frankly not good enough if we are to have a significant Christian influence on the decision making process of this country. Jim Collins says that being “Good” means settling for the average. And that’s what too many churches settle for.
He also says that settling for the average means settling for the mediocre and therefore not aspiring to be great. Which CSM members reading this would not want CSM to be a great organization? To have a real impact on the politics of this country, influencing decisions on need and poverty, care and child welfare, third world development and freedom from persecution, to actually matter in peoples lives?
Jim Collins says that for a society to be great it needs great institutions, including great churches and let’s include CSM in that..
He talks of a need for discipline and says some interesting things like, the moment you think you are great, you are not. Greatness is what you constantly aspire towards. Or, rarely are consensus decisions and the right decisions the same thing. Or, don’t get the wrong person on the bus, your work is too important to entrust it to the wrong people.
But here is his best comment for me. He says you need productively, neurotic people. God needs those who wake up each morning motivated to work for Him. How many of you who are politically active woke up thinking “Whatever I do today, I want to glorify God by the way that I do it.” Or does God come second to the politics?
If you were in awe of God you would want to do great things for Him. The first followers of Jesus wanted to make the early church great, they didn’t settle for average. How many of you would pool your possessions as they did, to give to those who have need? That’s Socialism, the first Co-operative, or simply Christianity, whatever you want to call it. As Christian Socialists we are not called to give away our possessions but we are a called to give our best in the politics that we are active in for Christ’s sake.
Y’know, this great God who created each and everyone of us gives us the chance to know Him and serve Him and once you realize that and acknowledge God’s greatness, you soon find yourself in absolute awe of Him. The “Christian” bit of our title should fill us so that we do wake up each day with an obsession to serve Him, in our homes, in our neighbourhoods, at work, amongst our mates, through the church and in the world of politics.
Great people will do great things because they wake up every day and they want to do the best they can at whatever they do. So says Jim Collins. He tells the story of Julie Tate Peach, a teacher of poor Latino kids in the State of Arizona. The education policy in the State was that each child would be able to read by a certain age. In the poor areas with few resources this target was a struggle to reach. But one school stood out from the rest. Its targets were being met even though it had all the same criteria of poverty and lack of resources as all the other poor performing schools. On analyses it was put down to this one teacher, Julie Tate Peach, whose attitude was “I will not capitulate, these kids will read, regardless of our meagre resources.” And they did because she was determined that they would do.
And this is what he says about this, “Building something great is not a function of your circumstances (or the constraints you are dealt). It’s a function of your choices and your discipline.” .
At a time of world economic slump, when the capitalist system has shown its shortcomings, when people are looking for something more certain than materialism, then we as Christians have to speak out. We have to be involved in and capable of influencing the world of politics to give people hope for a better future. So what will be our choices and how disciplined will we be? As individuals, life is not about what you achieve but what you contribute
So the question remains, what type of organization do we want CSM to be and what can we do about it? If it is about choices, discipline and contributing, then how should the Christian Socialist act. One thing is for sure, if we want to see the dawn of a post secular age now is the time to influence its onset and dream of great things.
Let me finish with a quote that I was sent earlier this year:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definately commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occured. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." (J.W. von Goethe)
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Terry Wynn, 01/03/2009 |
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