Dispersed Community: Leadership

By Andrea Lingle

What is a leader?

My mom loves to describe a cartoon she saw once. Imagine a turtle decked out in a sweat band trailing behind a collection of other animals. The turtle's neck is fully extended, willing its thick legs onward, and the caption reads, "But I'm supposed to be the leader!"

Leadership isn't simply being someone that people follow. Leadership is remembering to check in. Leadership is anticipating needing a plan for that. Leadership is caring for others, casting hopeful nets into empty waters, and knowing when to try something and when to say no.

At the Missional Wisdom Foundation, the Leadership level supporters are asked to provide us with this kind of leadership. They have joined us for prayer on Zoom, helped us pick titles for Incarnational Studies, been MWF pilgrims, and much more. 

Yes, it is a giving level, but, for the most part, those who have partnered with the MWF at the Leadership Level do so because they care about loving the world missionally. 

So, you ask, "How is supporting the MWF loving the world missionally?" Good question. I am glad you asked.

The MWF is a team of people who believe that we can do more to love the world together. That's where we start. We start by sitting with what is—becoming a part of what we feel "called to do." The MWF believes that it is not enough to show up with a great idea in hand. Living missionally is the slow work of walking with. It is years of developing relationships. It is being aware that everywhere you are is calling you deeper in. We teach that we are called into not to. 

We are a group of people who have learned to walk through all this together. With you.