Integrity & Intervention
A Guideline for Catalyst Leaders
As a Catalyst leader you are expected to live with integrity and to care enough about those you lead to intervene on their behalf when necessary. As we talk about integrity and intervention, we will use our adopted 5 Leadership Practices as a framework.
I. Model the Way
Leaders Display the Character Expected From Others
The most common issues that can derail a leader’s integrity tend to be what we call the ‘Big 3’: Money, Sex, and Power. Catalyst leaders respond to these 3 as follows:
Money embraced with SIMPLICITY
As a leader we expect that you will not use all of your resources on yourself, but will live with generosity and avoid overly conspicuous purchases and unnecessary consumer debt. Intentional theft or embezzlement will be grounds for removal from a leadership position.
Sex embraced with FIDELITY
As a leader we expect that you will honor your relationships enough to be faithful in marriage and to practice sexual restraint outside of it. Adultery or promiscuity will be grounds for removal from a leadership position.
Power embraced with SERVICE
As a leader we expect that you will not use your authority to stroke your ego, advance some personal agenda, or to control other people. Excessive pride and unwillingness to work with a team will be grounds for removal from a leadership position.
Obviously there can be an endless number of possible areas where leaders can falter, but here are two more that we want to mention specifically:
Self-Destructive Behavior:
How can you effectively fulfill the Scriptural teaching to “love others as yourself” if you hate yourself? If your speech and actions suggest personally harmful behavior (i.e. eating disorders, substance abuse, addictions, suicidal tendencies, cutting), we will lovingly ask you to take a season of healing and restoration outside of a leadership position.
Under-Performance:
As a leader you are not in your position for purely social reasons, you have a job to do. Leaders Model the Way best when they ‘do what they say they will do’ and when they ‘walk their talk.’ If you repeatedly do poor work or fail to live up to your promises and responsibilities, clear feedback will be given as to how to improve. If no signs of improvement are evident, we do reserve the right to remove leaders for under-performance.
Any leader who is removed from a leadership position will be invited into a restoration process. Ultimately we are not just ‘modeling the way’ for others to follow, we also model The Way [John 14:6]. It is an honor.
II. Inspire a Shared Vision
Leaders Paint a Picture of Another Life Possible
Leadership is a relationship. As you serve others by leading you will get to know about their lives (and you should want to get to know about their lives!). Everybody has personal issues they are dealing with, and it is only a matter of time before some of those begin to present themselves. Take things seriously, but don’t overreact.
Your first task is to cast a vision for authentic community and the beauty of the alternative lifestyle Jesus and his followers speak of. Themes of hope, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, grace, and truth should be laced throughout your language. As a leader, you will discover that while authority and position can coerce compliance, it is authenticity and passion that can inspire a desire to change. Inspiration is better than coercion. Cast vision to, and pray intently for the people under your care. This part of the leadership relationship is never complete as long as you are leading.
For starters, read and reflect on the below portions of scripture and memorize the phrases that stand out to you. Let them become part of your ‘leadership language’ as you learn to paint word-pictures for others of the beautiful and powerful kind of alternative life possible in Christ.
Reflect on: Romans 12, 1Corinthians 13, Ephesians 5:1-21, Galatians 5
Learning to talk about Catalyst’s 3 Core Values is another way to find inspiring language to communicate to others. Read about the 3 Core Values in your ‘Leadership at Catalyst’ document, and talk to a pastor or elder about the values for more info.
3 Core Values: Journey together. Live different. Provoke change.
III. Challenge the Process
Leaders Care Enough to Confront
Sometimes the issues you see in someone begin to present tensions or problems that cause you legitimate concern for that person and their health or wellbeing (spiritually, relationally, emotionally, physically, etc.). Or it may cause you to be concerned for the health and wellbeing of others around that person (i.e. friends, family, co-workers) or the others in your group or team. Read and reflect on Matthew 18.
1. Seek to Understand:
Seek to understand the person and their situation. Ask lots of questions. Why are they thinking, saying, or doing the things they do? Is it a symptom of a bigger issue? How do they feel about it? Study resources available on the issue, both Biblically and other types of resources.
2. Express Your Concern Individually:
Express your concern for that person in a context of grace. Take them aside and share why you are worried about them, or how their behavior or attitude is concerning. Your relationship with them is your biggest asset in this. If they know you genuinely care about them as a person (and not just about their behavior), they will be less likely to get defensive. Start soft, lead with grace. Become firmer if they flippantly refuse to hear you. Ask if there is anything you can do to help them with the issue. Maybe they need encouragement, accountability, or a resource of some kind. Brainstorm creative solutions or options.
3. Invite Others to Express their Concern Also:
Your next task is to invite a couple other people in your group or team who share the same feelings you do to also share their concerns. Gather those who have current relationship with and authentic care for that person. Together confront the person and share your deep concerns for them. Be kind, loving and graceful. Also, be clear, firm and honest. If the nature of the concern seems like it should not be kept discreet, you may go directly to your supervisor for counsel.
4. Appeal to Church Leadership:
If they still refuse to respond to or acknowledge the care and intervention directed at them, then seek assistance from your supervisor or pastor. They will first ask if you have completed the above steps. Then they will bring the situation to a team of pastors and elders for advice and will make a decision on how to proceed. Depending on the issue, it might mean removal from the group or team. Other times it might mean recruiting professional medical, legal, or counseling support. For those willing to enter into a restoration process, they will lovingly walk with the individual through those steps. Catalyst’s ‘Restoration Process’ will include a few options and steps that the individual(s) can go through to help them repent, heal, and grow in loving community.
IV. Enable Others to Act
Leaders Create a Community of Mutual Concern
In Scripture Jesus uses ‘yeast’ as a metaphor to talk about influence. He has in mind the nature of how yeast pervasively works its way through a whole batch of dough. Certain strong influences have a tendency to spread throughout a group, team, or organization. What is interesting is that he uses the metaphor both to illustrate the positive influential nature of the Kingdom of God [Matt. 13:33, Luke 13:20-22] and to illustrate the negative influential nature of the Pharisees [Matt. 16:4-6, Mark 8:14-16, Luke 12:1-3]. As a leader it is important that you are intentional about the kind of environment you are allowing to develop in your group or team. Is a Christ-like attitude spreading and positively influencing those with lifestyle issues? Or are unhealthy patterns of thought and behavior negatively influencing others in your group or team? Empower the people in your group to be effective ‘yeast’ (to have positive influence). Imagine if totally on their own, multiple people in your group lovingly confronted someone because they all care enough and feel empowered enough to do so? That kind of atmosphere is powerfully influential, and has a way of calling out the best in people. Work that yeast through your batch of dough.
Paul also uses the metaphor of yeast when addressing issues in the churches of Corinth [1Corinthians 5] and Galatia [Galatians 5]. Read and reflect on both of these chapters. Notice how there are times where someone’s influence is problematic on others. Perhaps they are causing people to have deep doubts about their faith [different than healthy questioning], or are leading them to support or participate in clearly wrong practices. In these cases it may be your responsibility as a leader to see that person removed from your group or team for the good of the others.
However, Paul goes on to make very clear in 1Corinthians 5:9-13 that while you may have to confront fellow believers on their lifestyle, you are not called to judge anyone who does not call themselves a believer. Therefore, our church, groups, and teams are meant to be spiritually inviting and inclusive to those exploring Christ. It is only after they claim that Christ is at the core of their identity that we help point out the inconsistencies for their benefit.
To enable others to act, you may sometimes play the role of mediator or ‘ref’ as others share their concerns. Sometimes you will have to tone down the stinging words of those who are too willing to share ‘truth’ without grace. Sometimes you will need to encourage the people involved to lower their defenses and recognize this as honest concern and not personal attack. Sometimes you will have to help conflict-avoidant people to voice their feelings.
As the leader, people will likely come to you telling you about the issues they have with another person in their group or team before they have even talked to that person themselves. Unless it is a very sensitive kind of case, it is typically your job to direct them to speak to the individual first. In most cases you should not get involved until direct communication has happened between the two primary parties first. Use your judgment.
V. Encourage the Heart
Leaders Display Compassion In the Midst of Critique
Whenever feedback, critique, or confrontation happens it can often create negative emotional feelings for those involved (especially if it was not received well). So it is important that you also share positive feelings about the people involved. Tell the person you had to confront what strengths they have that you do admire. It will help them recognize that you do not see them as “all bad”. If it took someone a lot of courage to confront or challenge someone else, tell him or her how proud you are of them for caring enough to confront. Affirm the people involved, and remind them that all growth has seasons of pain and messiness. It is a good and natural part of maturing that is to be embraced and not avoided.
Finally, if someone has had to be removed from a group or team, we cannot forget that we do it for reasons of restoration and not retribution. In Matthew 18, right after Jesus talks about the best way to confront someone he goes on to say two things that are important for us to remember:
One: A fellow Christian who does not respond despite repeated attempts is meant to be treated like a ‘pagan or tax collector.’ It sounds harsh until you remember how Jesus treated pagans and tax collectors. To those with soft hearts he befriended them when others were scandalized by it. He invited a tax collector to be a disciple. He healed, taught, loved, and eventually died for ‘sinners’. A break of relationship is painful, and allows people time to reflect on what happened. Make it clear that it is only a break in relationship until they change their mind (repentance) on the issue of concern.
There will be times when someone says they follow Christ, but clearly their life reveals that they do not. In this case, helping them realize that they actually are not followers of Jesus is important, so that you can invite them to actually do so. That takes you back to the theme of ‘Inspire a Shared Vision.’
Two: No matter what someone has done, or how many times they have done it, we still have to be willing and ready to forgive them. Jesus, in Matthew 18, teaches to forgive “70 times seven” as a metaphor for a simple point: we never stop forgiving when people are willing to change. To learn and teach others to forgive is one of the most powerful ways to Encourage the Heart.
