Does your leadership style fit new ways of doing church--leadership that is organic and elastic and that finds ways to seize God-given opportunities? Looking back and drawing on the ancient Christian tradition, Bob Whitesel describes seven traitsfor successful leadership, which he characterizes by seven symbols: O   (the Greek symbol theta) – the first letter of the Greek word theos stresses that God is the source of the burden for others and provides the power to help them. Rx (the medical prescription symbol) – an emphasis on addressing the spiritual and physical health of leaders. G  (a stylized “G” for “graffiti”)– the edgy, colorful, and artful collages that help define contemporary organizations. A  (inspired by the recycle symbol) – the idea of recycling places, experiences and people rather than discarding them. N  - emerging networks that connect people more quickly, efficiently, precisely and continuously. I  - an emphasis on “incarnation”, a going “in the flesh” to serve others rather than sending surrogates. X  (the Jerusalem cross with a number in each quadrant) – four types of measurement observed in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47), which at their core point to Christ’s work on the cross.     Taken together, thesesymbols spell out the word “organix” and represent a fundamentally new way tothink about your church and how you can best lead. Bob Whitesel is a sought-after speaker/consultant on changing a church and has been called “the key spokesperson on change in the church today.” He is the author of twelve books. He is the founding professor of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University and a Fellow of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism (BGCE) at Wheaton College. When not helping churches bring about healthy change, he helps churches recapture the multiethnic and missional methods of John Wesley in popular “Land and Leadership of Wesley Tours” to England. His websites are www.WesleyTour.com and www.ChurchHealth.expert. Organix Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church By Bob Whitesel Abingdon Press Copyright © 2011 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-4082-4 Contents Foreword by Dan Kimball, Acknowledgments, Introduction: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church, Others and their needs drive the leader., Others are souls to be nurtured., Others are led by integrity., God strengthens the leader for the work., God's presence is a sign of the leader's need., God examines the leader's participation in the missio Dei., The prescription for a healthy church is healthy people., The prescription for spiritual health results from a personal and communal effort., The prescription for volunteer health is a network of small groups., Graffiti leadership embraces risk., Graffiti leadership practices and repeats reconciliation., Graffiti leadership grows mosaic churches., Recycle defective people to honor their creation in the image of God., Recycle resources glocally., Recycle worship., Networks of relationships are just as important as organizational networks., Networks should be accessible., Network restrictions may be personal, but are necessary., Go in person., Teach and be taught., Gathering is a supernatural encounter., Measure a church's growth in maturity., Measure a church's growth in unity., Measure a church's growth in favor among non-churchgoers., Measure a church's growth in conversion., Afterword: The Missio Mesh, Notes, CHAPTER 1 If the gospel we hear is not good news to the poor and freedom for the oppressed, then it is not the gospel of Jesus, no matter how many followers there are. —Shane Claiborne, co-founder of the Potter Street Community WHERE DOES MILLENNIAL LEADERSHIP START? Leadership is a interdependent mixture of intuition, experience, and inspiration. And precisely because of this extraordinary fusion a starting place becomes difficult, if not impossible, to assign. An easy entry point is one of the most common behaviors of millennial leaders, represented first by an O in chapter 1, and then by a T (Greek: theta) in chapter 2. STAYING POWER As the weekend retreat ended, two influential elders of Clarkston Church drew me aside. "We've decided to call for Pastor Gordon's removal," began Julian. "It's not that we haven't tried," continued Rosa, "but Gordon is single-minded and stubborn. This weekend has been one long sales job. He's just trying to get us to buy his vision for a new building." Within a week I received an e-mail announcing that the elders were bringing Gordon before the council for removal. As I thought back to my two years working as a consultant with this church, I marveled how quickly things had changed. Two years ago, Gordon was fresh out of seminary and following a popular pastor at Clarkston Church named Joan. Joan had turned a dying church of forty attendees into a growing congregation of more than 120 worshipers. Tapped as her successor, Gordon had graduated