It is a good practice to read widely and not always in genres with which one naturally resonates. That is why I pick up books on science or at least read reputable articles. That is why I read authors from radically different backgrounds than my own. That is why, at the recommendation of a wise friend, I read Greg McKeown’s book “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.”
Now, I am familiar with the trend to simplify and declutter a la Marie Kondo. (Her book is gathering dust on my desk as I write this. It doesn’t bring me joy. I should get rid of it.) However, given that I don’t often wander through the business and management section of the bookstore, I was not aware of Greg McKeown, best-selling author and Harvard Business Review writer that he is. I didn’t resonate totally with his style and found myself questioning his assumptions about the range of choice and control he assumes in his readers (many people are not seeking to jettison opportunities, but rather are desperately trying to pay the bills however possible). However, there were still many points he made that I found valid and helpful.
There were sections where words like “prayer” and “sabbath” and “finitude” and “call” could have been substituted for those he uses such as “clarity” and “escape” and “limit” and “select.” The language wasn’t necessarily theological (although he has a section labeled “discern”), but some of the concepts certainly could be. Subsequently, I found myself applying McKeown’s ideas to the church as I read.
McKeown’s discussion of the “essential intent” struck me as especially useful. He writes, “An essential intent … is both inspirational and concrete, both meaningful and measurable. Done right, an essential intent is one decision that settles one thousand later decisions.” I started to ponder what would happen if we as a church had clarity on our essential intent, rather than getting bogged down as we often do on debating our essential tenets.
Being clear about our essential intent would provide a means of discernment that would enable us to make the necessary trade-offs, painful as they are, to fulfill it. McKeown doesn’t coach this in terms of God’s vision or call, be we are free to do just that.
In this season of Pentecost it is appropriate to consider such a question. What is the Spirit revealing as our essential intent? No doubt, that intent will be consistent with the one given through wind and flame: preaching, breaking bread, fellowship, prayer. It will include glorifying and enjoying God. It will involve sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and serving in Christ’s name. But the details of that glorifying and sharing and serving should be concrete enough that the Body of Christ has legs, so to speak.
Could we prayerfully play around with this idea as we consider what our new national church structure will look like? Might we consider the answer to this question as a key to mapping the way forward?
McKeown poses this differently, having repeated the refrain “looking for our highest level of contribution” throughout the book. He asks, “If we could be truly excellent at only one thing, what would it be?” Or, put more theologically: What part of the body has God called us to be?
We need to ask that question together not only at the 222nd General Assembly, but in our local congregations as well — knowing that when the Spirit reveals the answer there will be large changes, new people around the table, much work to be done and much work that will need to be left undone.
As McKeown notes, “Creating an essential intent is hard. It takes courage, insight and foresight to see which activities and efforts add up to your single highest point of contribution. It takes asking tough questions, making real trade-offs and exercising serious discipline to cut out the competing priorities that distract us from our true intention. Yet it is worth the effort because only with clarity of purpose can people, teams and organizations fully mobilize and achieve something truly excellent.”
Imagine the impact of that effort empowered by the Holy Spirit and let’s bravely seek clarity of purpose, for Christ’s sake.
Grace and peace,
Jill
