{"id":7898,"date":"2016-01-25T08:31:56","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T00:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?p=7898"},"modified":"2016-01-25T08:31:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T00:31:56","slug":"beware-of-ministry-fragilistas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders.<\/p>\n

\"credit:<\/a>
credit: wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the one hand, you have the strategist<\/strong><\/span> who genuine understands the culture (s)he serves and grasps the interaction between missiology and theology. On the other hand, you have the administrator<\/strong><\/span>, who can \u201cdo\u201d a lot of things. His or her capacity to handle emails and paperwork impresses everyone. Of course, they would call themselves themselves \u201cstrategists.\u201d<\/p>\n

I came across a post by farnamstreetblog.com<\/a> that calls the second type of leader a \u201cfragilista.\u201d It serves as a good warning to ministry leaders as well as the those that select leaders. It\u2019s quite easy to<\/p>\n

[The fragilista] defaults to thinking that what he doesn\u2019t see is not there, or what he does not understand does not exist.<\/strong> At the core, he tends to mistake the unknown for the nonexistent.<\/p>\n

Fragilistas are naive rationalists.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The writer illustrates how a fragilista works.<\/p>\n

Fragilistas are everywhere<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They are the doctors who intervene too much in the body\u2019s natural ability to heal, prescribing powerful medications with small benefit and possibly severe side effects.<\/p>\n

There is the management fragilista who: (1) introduces a bureaucratic solution to what is really a people problem; (2) manages by best-seller; (3) seeks refuge in the false security of best-practices; (4) fails to come up with reasonable benchmarks for judging performance of solutions; (5) does everything and thus does nothing; etc.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The post reminds us that every decision has countless unforeseen consequences. We never just change one thing. So, the writer offers some advice, including:<\/p>\n

The point isn\u2019t to avoid risk or even intervention but rather to be humble about our knowledge, or lack of it.<\/p>\n

To know when we should avoid small, immediate, and visible benefits that introduce the possibility for large (and possibly invisible) side effects. Less is more.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I can\u2019t post everything that\u2019s in the blog, but if you are a leader or select leaders, it may be worth your time to check it out<\/a>. We fundamentally need strategists, not fragilistas.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who genuine understands the culture (s)he serves and grasps the interaction between missiology and theology. On the other hand, you have the administrator, who can \u201cdo\u201d a lot of things. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2368,"featured_media":7939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[158],"class_list":["post-7898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mission-methods","tag-leadership"],"yoast_head":"\nBeware of Ministry Fragilistas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saving God\u2019s Face\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2016\/01\/Computer_keyboard.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"198\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/\",\"name\":\"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\"},\"description\":\"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\",\"name\":\"Saving God\u2019s Face\",\"description\":\"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\",\"name\":\"Brad Vaughn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Vaughn\"},\"description\":\"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/savinggodsface.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas","description":"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas","og_description":"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/","og_site_name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","article_published_time":"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":198,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2016\/01\/Computer_keyboard.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Brad Vaughn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@savinggodsface","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Vaughn","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/","name":"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-25T00:31:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c"},"description":"When it comes to leadership in ministry (particularly among missionaries), one sees a few types of leaders. On the one hand, you have the strategist who","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2016\/01\/25\/beware-of-ministry-fragilistas\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beware of Ministry Fragilistas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/","name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","description":"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c","name":"Brad Vaughn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brad Vaughn"},"description":"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.","sameAs":["https:\/\/savinggodsface.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2368"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}