Category Archives: leadership

Thoughts on leadership

The pastoral leader as resident theologian

Posted on November 14, 2008 by igalindo

Students in my online class have been studying about leadership in the congregation. From their reading (The Hidden Lives of Congregations) they are discussing some of the concepts addressed in the book: (1) the function of leadership is influence, (2) … Continue reading →

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Functioning at one’s best

Posted on November 11, 2008 by igalindo

I received an interesting question about Bowen’s concept of self-differentiation. The question, an imaginative one, was “what if” some day scientists discovered a “differentiation gene.” It was fun to ponder, but, genes don’t work that way. More to the point, … Continue reading →

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Why triangles are “bad”

Posted on November 10, 2008 by igalindo

One misunderstanding about basic concepts of Bowen Family Systems theory has to do with assigning value statements. For example, the notion that overfunctioning is “bad.” Overfunctioning, like other behaviors are not “bad” or “good,” they are merely functions, symptoms, or … Continue reading →

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If it’s a choice between…

Posted on November 5, 2008 by igalindo

Self-differentiation is all about functioning. One manifestation of the extent to which one is functioning in a self-differentiated manner is how well one can separate feeling from thinking. I recently consulted with a normally steady and effective staff person who … Continue reading →

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50 skills every pastoral leader needs to have

Posted on November 4, 2008 by igalindo

I recently read an online article along the lines of “10 Skills Every Man Should Have.” I was pleased that I had them all (although it’s been a while since I’ve had the need to weld anything). I wondered what … Continue reading →

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How people stay stuck

Posted on November 3, 2008 by igalindo

I’ve been observing several persons in the process of making decisions. Some of the decisions are personal in nature (quitting one job to take another, ending or starting a relationship, going back to school, moving). Others pertain to leaders making … Continue reading →

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The Myth of Competence

Posted on October 30, 2008 by igalindo

Some years ago I did a presentation titled “The Myth of Competence.” It developed out of my observation that so many leaders live under a crushing load of performance-anxiety and a frame of mind I called the myth of competence. … Continue reading →

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”Everything takes five years”

Posted on October 29, 2008 by igalindo

These past few weeks I’ve had ocassion to be reminded of what my friend Margaret says about bringing about change in congregations, which is, ”Everything takes five years.” While that’s a bit tounge-in-cheek, it’s not far from the truth. Over … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational life, leadership, second chair | 1 Comment

How to learn BFST

Posted on October 27, 2008 by igalindo

I received an e-mail from a friend who has been studying Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) for the past few years. He has been reading the literature, asking good questions, and at one point sought out a therapist to serve … Continue reading →

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A list of names

Posted on October 23, 2008 by igalindo

At a recent workshop with a group of ministers from another denomination I asked the participants to introduce themselves and include in their introduction information about their context. When describing their context all participants shared the membership size of their … Continue reading →

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