Translating Christian Leadership
Faith is not for the faint of heart.
Like many cradle Christians, I had a well-defined identity in Christian spaces. I could slip in and out of it without a thought. It was adaptive camouflage. It was code switching. It was oddly satisfying to go from the “real” world to the “church” world, and to instantly adapt to the language and customs, while picking up the subtleties of denominational nuance.
I was truly bilingual.
I loved theological debate. I knew my books of the Bible, and I was killer with the good old-fashioned Sword Drill. (For those that haven’t had the pleasure, it’s basically the first to hear someone reading from a random place in the Bible, find where he or she is reading, and interrupt reading at the exact same point.) Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and any time with my retired missionary grandparents, I was able to blend in as a local. I used the right words with the right cadence and the appropriate accompanying smile. I was truly bilingual.
Easily Relatable Examples
For those who are truly bilingual, you know there are subtleties and nuance to translating from one language to another. Translation is not a simple word-for-word explanation.
Have we layered on a language so cryptic that one must be bilingual to be a Christian?
I started realizing that many who were new to the Christian faith, or simply watching Christians interact, had a sense of confusion they were too nervous to admit. I found myself instinctively trying to translate concepts Christians take for granted into more easily relatable examples.
How can the words of Jesus be so relatable to so many, and attractive to those who need it most, but still listeners today struggle to see the relevance? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love that Jesus challenged those closest to him with parables that left them asking: “Who am I in this story?” or “What does that mean?” However, the examples Jesus used were incredibly relevant to those around him.
Have we layered on a language so cryptic that one must be bilingual to be a Christian?
CRISTA’s Experience
CRISTA Ministries introduced a new Mission Statement in 2019: We are a family of ministries empowered to serve the needs of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Serving needs and the gospel of Jesus Christ are not two languages, but one. Leadership and faith are not two sets of behaviors. Great leadership comes out of our faith. We believe Jesus Christ is the best example of true leadership. Our faith is based on the best leader to have ever walked the earth; what he said and did is directly transferable and applicable for us today.
CRISTA has partnered with Lead Like Jesus to take each level of our leadership team through two days of recognizing that today’s leadership principles are all rooted in the ministry of Jesus. There is a direct translation in setting a vision and mission, or in planning, setting values, coaching, mentoring or managing performance in a productive way.
The work of the Best Christian Workplace Institute also shows us that employee engagement in a faith-based environment is best measured through faith-based questions. Our faith is not a language to learn, but a foundation from which we draw our inspiration and direction to lead.
My work continues showing that Jesus modeled and taught the foundations of leadership and workplace topics such as diversity and inclusion, servant leadership, and succession planning. My goal is to put this in plain terms, and draw out those examples, so our faith’s foundation in how we lead is clear, repeatable and sustainable.
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Mike Cole is Executive Vice President and Chief Resource Officer for CRISTA Ministries, leading the organization’s legal, HR, brand and communication, facilities, and IT teams. He got his start in a multilingual and multi-cultural home with parents from opposite sides of the pond, and with Spanish spoken in the home by his missionary grandparents and father. He holds a Master’s degree from the Royal University of Manchester in Manchester, England. Mike previously held professional roles for companies including Target and Starbucks.
