This document discusses the concept of spiritual leadership. It begins by defining the difference between faith, which refers to concepts and doctrines, and spirituality, which refers to feelings and actions. It states that everyone has some form of spirituality. It then discusses how spirituality is about belief, awe, transcendence, meaning and self-knowledge, but that it cannot be vague. It provides examples to illustrate this point. The document goes on to discuss how a leader can develop and communicate their spiritual leadership in an authentic way by focusing on purpose, priorities, sharing their vision, drawing from various resources and addressing challenges. It emphasizes that spiritual leadership cannot be forced but must be genuine.
5. The weasel word Spiritual, but not religious Religious, but not spiritual
6. Faith and Spirituality Faith The concepts Spirituality The actions and doctrines: God, and feelings Forgiveness
7. We all have a spirituality I am the only child of parents who weighed, measured, and priced everything; for whom what could not be weighed, measured, and priced, had no existence. Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit
8. It could be damaging Nothing now can come to any good
9. It is very often… I went for a walk in the woods
12. It must not be vague William Matthews the four subjects of poetry: I went out into the woods today, and it made me feel, you know, sort of religious. We're not getting any younger. It sure is cold and lonely (a) without you, honey, or (b) with you, honey. Sadness seems but the other side of the coin of happiness, and vice versa, and in any case the coin is too soon spent, and on what we know not what.
14. The fixed is the world without fire – dead flint, dead tinder; and nowhere a spark. It is motion without direction, force without power
15. Put another way… A boat that needs wind A school that needs purpose, direction, a spirit The spirit is breath andspeech
16. A sense of purpose Where are we going? Why? Why is it important?
17. How? It needs to be yours A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval Mark Twain
18. How? The very real danger The root of all sin is fear, the very deep fear that we are nothing… To sin is always to construct an illusory self that we can only admire, instead of the real self that we can only love Herbert McCabe
19. How? Can you name it? What matters? Why does it matter? How do I set priorities?
20. How? Can you share and communicate it? I say there are three very basic things that someone who accepts a senior leadership post requires. First, that they understand what it is to serve. Second, that their love and respect for what their colleagues are about is robust. Third, I don’t have to question their commitment. (Bishop Mike) They are authentic
21. Can you resource it? Where are the wells? Who helps? If it is all about noticing do you have a vantage point?
22. How? What are the challenges? Fear Muddying the water The temptation of office Objectives Despair Overwork and exhaustion
23. Spirituality Mr Gove said: “We need to refocus inspection on the principal purpose of schools improving teaching and learning and dramatically reduce the time and energy spent on other existing bureaucratic duties.” Or Hope?
24. Not forced, not defined Angels fly because they take themselves lightly G K Chesterton
25. Billy Collins I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a colour slide… I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poemwaving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.
Editor's Notes
What is spirituality?Contemporarymages of spirituality are pretty, solitary and hint at enlightenmentIt is all a bit goo-ey (drowning in honey, may be beguiling, but it is fatal)
Note the treatment of spirituality in this image – violence and malice are hereSpirituality must meet these challenges
The great temptation is to think you need to be somewhere else to do it right, to be spiritualIf only I could be by a lake, or looking at a sunset I would do better – if only I didn’t have these problems, work with these people.In the Bruegel image we are confronted by the consequence of sloth – not laziness, but postponmentThe clock at is at the eleventh hour and the ringing bells suggest it has become urgent.Real spirituality has to be done here and now (Christ resists the temptation represented by ‘Let the cup pass from me’)
Spirituality and religion are not the same– the religious woman’s shawl is ademon
The difference between faith and spiritualityIn the picture Jesus meets the woman caught in adultery and her accusers – doctrine confronts redemption
It can be deadly
It must be relevant, speak into a situation, it should be electric, it doesn’t have to be pious‘World is crazier and more of it than we think’ at the funeral of an 18 year old
Too often we settle for something less…
We need to notice and then express and share that sense of something momentous happeningHere the fall of Icarus is unobserved – spirituality is attentive
There is more to life than routineFabre and the pine moth processionaries that go round in a ringWe need the words of fire
Spirituality is our ability to communicate – for Christians it is Pentecost and the gift of language
Do we have purpose, can we name it?In the chaos is there meaning?Can we explain what is important and where it leads us?
Not a spirituality provided by SLT, or Governors, or OFSTED – but our own
What is the key temptation of responsibility? Power or Compromise, Self Doubt or its denial.Christ is neither power nor compromise
Spirituality is lived and worked out in communityIt needs to be action as well as words, it needs to be authentic in the sense you must be the author of it
Spirituality is more than purpose, it sustains, it should be hopeful.
