In his book, A Failure of Nerve, Ed Friedman writes about the tendency of ineffective leaders who exhibit the tendency to seek the “quick fix†and the obsession with methods, techniques, and programs rather than engage in the hard work of leadership that focuses on challenge which leads to growth. He said,
“The difference between a professional and a hack is not in their degree or training. Both may do what they do with polish; but the hack is not transformed by his experience.†(p. 88).
I think that’s a challenging word to congregational educators. It speaks to the dependency of educators on packaged programs that provide the “quick fix†for quelling the anxious voices who want to be entertained rather than challenged, who want to have “the answer†rather than struggle with the questions, and who cater to the whining voices of those who cannot tolerate being “bored†by engaging in the very practices and disciplines that lead to growth.
I think Friedman’s words may also challenge the educator’s own lack of personal and professional growth. I often tell search committees to value personal maturity over “experience.” Some people have years of “experience” but seem to have learned nothing from it. I see too many resident congregational educators who seem to spend their careers running a Sunday School as the end-all and be-all of what constitutes Christian education. Too many seem to not have been transformed by the very discipline they are engaged in: education. For example, too few congregational educators seem able to articulate a well-defined philosophy of education that informs the basic educational questions: What constitutes learning? To what end are we educating? What is the nature and role of the teacher? What is the nature and role of the learner? What criteria do we use to discern what is worth learning from what is trivia? What does it mean to educate in faith? How do people actually learn, and therefore, how should we teach them? Etc.
“Always remember that you’re unique just like everyone else.”
