The Power of Common Values and Multiple Perspectives
Having different perspectives in the same room is powerful. Perspective comes from one’s life experience. So varied perspectives means varied life experiences and varied life experiences makes an organization rich, more effective in fulfilling its mission and more reflective of Christ’s Kingdom.
Yet differing perspectives and life experiences are not enough. Shared life commitments and values are also essential for mission fulfillment. And more importantly they’re required for an organization to better reflect the Kingdom of Christ.
Today I was in such a room. I was providing an orientation for two new SpringHill board members, David Bond and Eric Russ. These two men couldn’t be more different in their life experiences.
David grew up in a positive, faith filled suburban home. Eric grew up in a broken, drug and alcohol filled inner city home.
David followed a path of faith since childhood. Eric lived a life headed for prison or worse until his late teens.
Today David is a business owner in suburban Detroit. Eric is a pastor of a church in inner city Detroit. Their zip codes could not be more different.
David’s life and work brings him into relationships with primarily people of means. Eric’s life and work primarily brings him into relationships with those marginalized and have no voice in our society.
Their different lives bring very different but needed perspectives to our board and to SpringHill. For this I’m thankful.
But it’s what they have in common that brings power to their different perspectives.
Both Eric and David love and aligned with the mission and values of SpringHill.
More importantly both Eric and David bring a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to His Kingdom.
This means they both value the work of the Kingdom and are actively involved in it.
Their common values bring power to their varied perspectives.
What I watched in the meeting room today is a picture of what a healthy, effective organization looks like and more importantly a picture of what the reality of Christ’s Kingdom really is.