Rector’s Reflections
Wednesday 7th May 2025
Christian Leadership in Today’s World
In the previous reflections in the current series, we have looked at three of the qualities which I think should characterise Christian leadership in today’s world: compassion; the search for the common good; and a willingness to embrace complexity and messiness.
In the days ahead, I will look at three further qualities which I think are particularly relevant to leadership in our own time and culture.
In today’s reflections, I wish to suggest that leaders should also be men and women who are willing to embrace the truth: the truth about themselves as individuals; the truth about the organisations they lead; and the truth about the communities they serve.
This may seem an obvious statement, but how often do our leaders actually seek out the truth? The truth can be embarrassing and profoundly inconvenient. We like to promote a particular narrative which supports our own agenda, and bolsters our sense of self-worth. And so while we will accept the truth, we will only do so to the extent that the truth supports our own particular agenda.
One particular problem is the idol of success. Everyone likes to be a success. Every organisation likes to be successful. So we bow down and worship at the idol of success. This is true of the Church, at every level. Congregation attendance figures can be inflated so that the particular minster feels good. A deanery or a diocese will have its mission plan, and the reporting back will of course show how successful the plan has been. I have a colleague who refers to “Stalinist tractor quotas” in the context of Church life. Issues of fear and power mean that the data will of necessity show successful delivery of the latest plan, but the data tells us little if anything about the reality on the ground. Of course, the reality on the ground is largely irrelevant for these purposes. The key thing is to celebrate the amazing success of the plan set out by our glorious leaders.
But the inconvenient truths remain. So what are we to do with them? One option is to ignore them altogether. Another option is not to ask the questions which we know or suspect will lead to answers which we do not wish to hear. Sometimes our leaders may well take the view that there are times and occasions when it is necessary or acceptable to “turn a blind eye” to a particular situation. Probably all leaders do this, from time to time, and there can sometimes be good reasons to “look the other way”. But there can also be problems over such an approach. In the worst case, it can lead to the powers that be ignoring situations of abuse, and failing to grasp nettles that need to be grasped.
A further option is recognise the inconvenient truths, but to dismiss them as fabrications, or to say that they are of little significance.
I think we need leaders who will not be afraid to champion the truth in all its richness – leaders who will promote the truth, simply because it is the truth, regardless of whether or not the truth happens to be convenient for their own particular agenda.
To do this, we need leaders who will seek out alternative narratives, and be open to different perspectives. We need leaders who do not need to surround themselves with a bunch of yes-men and yes-women, but who seek out colleagues who will challenge and hold them to account.
We also need leaders who have the humility and courage to accept their own mistakes and failings. A public commitment to promoting truth means that we need to be willing to acknowledge our own ignorance and the mistakes we have made. We also need to be prepared to change our mind, in the light of fresh evidence or a new understanding. Changing our mind about something or someone isn’t necessarily a sign of weakness. It can be a sign of great strength.