Not Quite Everest!

No This is a snap of intrepid Borkett at 500ft above Burbage Moor!

Earlier this week I went to see the adventure film Everest. Its based on the true story of events in 1996. Kiwi Mountaineer turned entreprenuer Rob Hall started a business taking amateur climbers up Everest. Others soon muscled in and before long the ascent starts to resemble a busy highway.

As the drama unfolds, Rob leads a disparate group of experienced climbers in what starts out as ideal conditions. As the weather  deteriorates most climbers come off the summit but one is desperate to reach the highest peak having failed twice before. His dream is to show his school class that ordinary people can achieve anything. Rob goes against his better judgement and all the  advice - instead of turning back from the final stage he presses on so the team member can achieve his dream. They make it but immediately the weather closes in. The consequence is excruciatingly inevitable to the observers. As a direct result of this decision, Rob and three other  team members loose their lives to  the mountain.

Reflecting on this on my very much less adventurous stroll in Derbyshire, I was reminded of the leadership theory of John Adair which has always been my favourite model of management. He uses three interlocking circles labelled Task, Team and Individual .  The leadership task is to hold all three areas in equilibrium as represented by three circles of equal size. If too much attention is given to any one of the areas there will be inbalance and inevitable problems. Rob's Task was to bring the Team down the mountain safely. Tragically,  he paid disproportionate attention to one Individual and as a result - disaster .

The three interlocking circles are great ways of describing all sorts of situations:

Father, Son, Spirit,

In terms of the church's concerns:Local, National, Global

For me, during this sabbatical I have been conscious of the need to balance:

Personal life/ Discipleship, Ministry, Superintendency.

Frost and Hirsch in The Shaping of Things to Come use the three circles to illustrate the missional task of the Missional Incarnatonal Apostolic mode of church which they promote throughout the book. Here the three circles are labeled:

God,  World,  Church.
The places of overlap relate to their four main themes (197)

Balance and equilibrium are definitely Biblical principles!