photo credit: Kathrin & Stefan Driftwood via photopin (license)
As we wrap up the month of February and our focus on the Second Commandment—“No Idols”—I recognize that the people of Israel often turned to idols slowly, over time. In fact, God commanded them not to inter-marry with people who worshipped other gods because their hearts would be turned away from Him. Solomon learned that lesson the hard way.
Individuals and organizations face the same challenge. Peter Greer and Chris Horst describe it well in their book Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches. As they put it, too often, drift is fundamentally unintended, the result not of sober and faithful choices in response to wider changes but simply unchosen, unreflective assimilation.
Mission Drift addresses two dimensions. First is a call to personal humility and accountability. Leaders most often fail precisely at the moments when they seem to be succeeding. The greatest temptations seem to come at moments of great success or promise of success—those times when it is easiest to forget our desperate need for God, without whom we can do nothing truly good or enduring. Second is a call to institutional humility and accountability, as organizations face similar challenges.
Click here for my summary.