Canoeing the Mountains – Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory

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For the upper and middle sections of the river you don’t need any experience or any particular level of fitness. It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another. Margaret Wheatley, “When Change Is Out of Control” Is the church really in decline or is it the Western, Christendom form of church life that is now less effective? Paddling Pacific Northwest Whitewater is the definitive guide to the best rivers and creeks for kayaking and rafting in Washington and Oregon—home to some of the most fun (and challenging) whitewater in the world. Including over 240 detailed run descriptions from local area paddlers who know these rivers and creeks better than anyone else, this is the only book you’ll ever need for a lifetime’s-worth of paddling in the Pacific Northwest.

Whether your interest in kayaking stems from the desire to get outside and exercise, spend time with your friends and family, or explore the endless waterways that surround you, this easy-to-read guide makes paddling fun and safe for both new and experienced paddlers looking to broaden their horizons. Like Lewis and Clark, we must stay on course with the same goal, but be ready to change how we’re going to get there. Next time you drive across that bridge on your way to work look down at the river below and ask it where did it come from and where is it going. Then ask yourself if you would like to thru-paddle that river from beginning to end and see first it hand for yourself, with all of its mysteries and all of its adventures. If the answer is yes, or even maybe, you will enjoy reading Five Hundred Miles to the Sea. Two illustrations: 1) We regularly use three words to talk about the people with whom we want to serve--character, chemistry and competency. Bolsinger uses the word capacity instead of competency. That subtle change is huge. It's the power of the right word. We use competency but that implies a set of skills. In our explanation we always say that we can teach what we want. Capacity captures that. 2) We're all familiar with Covey's "win-win" scenario. Bolsinger realistically and convincingly argues that win-win almost always causes us to maintain the status quo. If we are truly going to move people at a pace they can tolerate (paraphrase of his definition of leadership) then someone is going to lose something. Like swimming in the Thames, kayaking the Wye is a great way to embrace the beautiful outdoors of the UK. It’s also probably a lot easier than you think.Over the last ten years, I have had one church leader after another whisper to me the same frustrated confession: “Seminary didn’t train me for this. I don’t know if I can do it. I just don’t know . . .” Most of us who have been asked to consider leadership have big cheering sections. We are used to applause, affirmation and feeling successful. But the minute we accept the call to adaptive leadership that brings transformation, we should expect most of the cheering to stop." (137) So, while you are still on the map – taking care of Sunday school, youth group, Bible studies, etc. – build the credibility, connections, and culture that you want to carry with you off the map.

The river now carries you downstream where you can laze about, stop for picnics, go for a swim or rush through the rapids. Now and then you need to decide which side of the river to take, but if there is any potentially dangerous sections (i.e. a tree down on the side of the river that you need to avoid) the hire company will have told you which way to go. This new 40 th anniversary edition has been completely updated in line with the latest sea kayaking developments by Wayne Horodowich, a longtime friend of Hutchinson’s and the founder of University of Sea Kayaking. But if we are convinced that a change is necessary, how do we bring it without alienating the whole church? How do we face the losses and fears in our congregations, the opposition and resistance in our leaders, and the anxieties and insecurities in ourselves to truly lead the church through this adventure-or-die moment? How do we develop leaders for mission in this rapidly changing, uncharted-territory world?” Canoes are for 2 or 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 or 2 young children. They are almost twice as long as a kayak and weigh about 30kg. This makes them more stable and more difficult to capsize, but also more difficult to steer.This special edition of No Barriers introduces kids to the incredible true story of Erik’s most terrifying journey: solo kayaking the thunderous whitewater of the Grand Canyon. Erik and his friends form a courageous crew to do battle with some of the harshest elements nature has to offer. Along the course of Erik’s journey, he meets other trailblazers: adventurers, scientists, artists, and activists who show Erik the way forward and teach him the meaning of No Barriers―“What’s Within You is Stronger Than What’s in Your Way.” Relational congruence is the ability to be fundamentally the same person with the same values in every relationship, in every circumstance and especially amidst crisis. It is the internal capacity to keep promises to God, to self and to one's relationships that consistently express one's identity and values in spiritually and emotionally healthy ways. Relational congruence is about both constancy and care at the same time. It is about both character and affection, and self-knowledge and authentic self-expression. Relational congruence is the leader's ability to cultivate strong, healthy, caring relationships; maintaining healthy boundaries; and communicating clear expectations, all while staying focused on the mission.”

Very stimulating read. Pretty light on the gospel - being more biblically grounded and gospel centred would've made the whole thing much stronger for me. In particular I thought he could've made use of Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 9 - 'I have become all things to all people that by all possible means I might save some ... I do all this for the gospel ...' - which would've been far more compelling ground to urge us to change for the cause of reaching out to the lost around us. Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance. Registered charity 251549 (England & Wales) and SC037754 (Scotland). Leadership is disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb. RONALD HEIFETZ AND MARTY LINSKY” Seminary didn't train me for this." "Our church is dying and I have no clue what to do." Over and over, Tod Bolsinger encountered these statements in his consulting work. Pastors are trained in teaching, liturgics, and pastoral care, and often, those tools just don't seem enough in our changing world. Bolsinger likens this to the moment Lewis and Clark climbed the Lemhi Pass, having canoed up the Missouri River, and instead of expecting to find a river on the other side of the mountain that would carry them to the Pacific, they found...mountains. The needed to exchange canoes for horses, and adapt to an "off the map" situation. In this book, Bolsinger considers the adaptive leadership of Lewis and Clark, and applies it to Christian leaders often tempted to try to "canoe the mountains," because they don't know any other way to lead. Often, they may be the greatest obstacle to transformative change in their churches or organizations. The choice they face is between adventure and organizational death. All of this is part of understanding the "uncharted territory" that calls for a new kind of leadership. Luxury accommodation in Ross on Wye with direct access to the river and a beautiful garden setting.This concise guide, written by Registered Maine Guide and inveterate paddler Michael Daugherty, features 50 of the best sea kayaking adventures along the New England coast, from Maine’s Bold Coast south to the mouth of the Connecticut River. These are trips that can be done in a day or turned into an overnight, perfect for beginner to intermediate kayakers looking to explore the storied coastlines of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The book includes day trips near large northeastern cities like New York City and Boston. Each of the trips features a full description and map of the route, plus bullets on distance and time, where to launch, tide and currents, “plan B” routes, and nearby attractions. An at-a-glance trip planner and a selection of nature and history essays round out the offerings in this essential sea kayaker’s guidebook. If large crowds put you off then head upstream to Hay on Wye or book outside the July and August summer holidays. Management is about keeping promises to a constituency; leadership is about an organization fulfilling its mission and realizing its reason for being.”

Finally, if you are heading out for a full day or multi-day plan your food stops. There are many pubs along the way that provide food and drink, but most paddlers choose to bring a picnic and have a lazy meal on the riverbanks.This seems to me to be a critically important book for leadership teams and pastors. So often our approach when things are not working is simply to double down and try harder, which, as someone has pointed out, is a definition of insanity. The willingness to leave the canoes behind, and learn new skills, to get up on the balcony, and then try new interventions rooted in careful observation and interpretation and not reaction, and to stay relentlessly focused on mission separated Lewis and Clark from other explorers. For Christian leaders this means that ministry is not only the means to bring the gospel to the world, ministry together is how God makes a congregation into a corps that is ready to continually bring the gospel in new ways to a changing world. As missionaries who have been thrown together into unfamiliar surroundings with little more than a sense of call and commitment to each other, when we love each other and are dedicated to our mission, we change.”