The Trinitarian Dance

How the Triune God Develops Transformational Leaders

Tam

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781630878511
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The Trinitarian Dance presents a model of leadership development based on the Holy Trinity. Part one analyzes the present state of the cultural and ecclesiastical situation in Canada, identifying specific trends and aspects relating to the need for development of effective leadership in the church. This section sets the stage for Part two, where a theology of trinitarian leadership is developed based on the dynamic of perichoresis, with the motif of a dance used to present a paradigm of transformational leadership. Part three offers church-based strategies for leadership development, concluding with a creative application of the doxological formula that captures the thrust of the entire book and leads it to a finale that includes a benediction of hope for the church through this leadership model.

Part 1

The State of Leadership in the Canadian Church

1

Why the Trinitarian Dance?

Imagine the Trinity as a parent who picks up and embraces a young child, spinning him around and around and around. Picture the joy and laughter of the child, the delight of the parent watching the child, and the both of them enjoying life together. Playing, laughing, enjoying one another’s company—these verbs do not usually describe the task of leadership, yet they are the essence of following the triune God. Leaders should not be denied such childlike faith, laughter, and enjoyment. A deeper understanding of the Trinitarian Dance reveals certain steps and rhythms that captivate, motivate, and transform as leaders participate in the dance with God.

The Trinitarian Dance approach to leadership development comes out of a conviction that the Trinity is foundational to Christian leadership. When I began researching this book, I had only a dim awareness of trinitarian theology and the current academic interest in the Trinity. Little did I realize that the Trinity was inviting me into a deeper investigative journey: probing the glorious mysteries of his inner life and exploring how that life reflects the leadership dance. The Trinity has been training me to dance in leadership with greater ease, more enjoyment, and increased impact. I want to share these movements and steps with you so that you might also experience greater ease, enjoyment, and impact in leadership. As dancers learn to move lightly and avoid stumbling over their feet, a Trinitarian Dance paradigm equips leaders to avoid being overburdened by duties and tripping over concerns. By dancing in your world with the triune God, you will be embraced and empowered to bring about authentic and lasting transformation, and resourced to train others to do the same.

The Trinity can be likened to three people dancing together in a circular pattern. Their movements are so intertwined that an observer cannot distinguish one dancer from another. Similarly, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dance through, around, and with one another, exuding a dynamic and creative energy that continually transforms, and ultimately restores, all of creation. This is the Trinitarian Dance. We are invited into this dynamic, creative, and joyous movement as dance partners with the triune God of love. But we have been crippled, deeply scarred, and wounded by a cataclysmic fall, ripped from the arms of our loving dance partner. We need Jesus to come, pick us up, and teach us how to dance again: effortlessly, creatively, and joyously. So often we stumble out of step with the dance of God, but in the Trinity we are invited to join in it once again, to choreograph our steps, and then to invite others to dance with us.

The church needs the Trinitarian Dance because the bride of Christ is crippled, hurting, tattered, bruised, and wounded, earnestly desiring to dance but not knowing how. Many have become disconnected from the Head of the Body, unable to hear his still small voice in the noise of distractions, and forgetting the song of the dance in the pursuit of success. Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension, and depression at rates higher than most other professions. In the last decade, statistics for pastors and Christian leaders in Canada have shown that the use of antidepressants has risen, while life expectancy has fallen among pastors and leaders. Many would change jobs if they could, and often leaders have no close friends in their immediate and daily contexts.

The Trinitarian Dance introduces a fresh approach. The motif of dance is used to frame essential leadership practices, principles, and skills. It is a model of leadership development that includes four major movements: demonstration, choreography, orchestration, and performance. Each movement begins with three steps. These steps and movements are not linear; rather, they are like recurring rhythms and motifs. As you learn to listen for and recognize the rhythms and motifs in the triune God’s song of love, you might feel your foot starting to tap and your soul starting to sway. Soon you will not be able to stay put because your dance partner invites you to rise and receive his embrace, practice the steps, join the dance, and invite others to join in as well. The triune God will guide you on a unique and exciting journey where you will need the flexibility, creativity, and ease of a trinitarian leadership dance to shine Christ’s light and hope in a dark and hurting world. In the process, your relationship with the Trinity will result in greater joy, laughter, creativity, and delight, and lead you to astonishing outcomes.

The experience of North American church leaders, however, does not always mirror the ease, joy, and delight of an adventure with a dancing God. More importantly, the resultant effect on the church is disappointing. Attendance is down in many churches across North America. Secularism has displaced Judeo-Christian values and morality from the “public square” and set up its own...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Abbreviations
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part One: The State of Leadership in the Canadian Church
• Part Two: A Theology of the Trinitarian Leadership Dance
• Part Three: Church-Based Strategies for the Trinitarian Leadership Dance
• Bibliography