Michigan’s new Assistant to the Bishop, the Rev. John Boley, shares his first blog in the series, “Drinking the Cup.”
REV. JOHN W. BOLEY
Assistant to the Bishop, Michigan Area
It was just before Thanksgiving last year when Bishop Deb asked if I would serve as Clergy Assistant to the Bishop. The question was a total surprise as I did not yet know that Melanie Carey had discerned a need and desire to return to the parish.
In the course of a wide ranging and somewhat surreal conversation, I remember telling Bishop Deb that I thought that as a District Superintendent I had already risen to my level of incompetence. She chuckled and then continued with the conversation. And here I am – so apparently Bishop Deb believes that there are still additional levels of incompetence within me.
This management thought process – that everyone rises to the level of their incompetence – is actually a management theory called, “The Peter Principle.” It is named after Dr. Laurence J. Peter. Dr. Peter laid out this theory originally as a satire on how hierarchical structures end up having too many incapable people in place. He suggested that people are promoted based on past performance, but that they are not necessarily qualified for the new position – and they become incapable. Thus, most hierarchical organizations have mostly incompetent people in place. Another way of describing the Peter Principle is that “the cream rises until it sours.” You may or may not agree with this satirical theory, but in any event, we Christians can put a powerful twist on it.
Actually, although I don’t necessarily agree with the Peter Principle, it probably contains some truth and I am challenged by it. All of us need to be pushed outside of our comfort zones in order to meet the challenges placed on us as disciples of Christ. We all need to take a leap of faith. We all need to be willing to fail on occasion. We are all called to think and act beyond ourselves – we are called to things higher than our tightly controlled personalities and worldview.
A while ago there was a guy named Peter, who might have lived the Peter Principle. He was bombastic, called “Satan” by his leader, could never quite grasp it all, and ultimately denied his Master when the going got tough. A good case could be made that Peter, a fisherman by trade, had indeed risen to his level of incompetence in this new and bewildering movement. But Jesus never cut him loose. Instead, the Risen Christ restored him by the seashore, and sent him back out to feed Christ’s sheep. And we know the rest of the story. The Pentecostal Spirit grabbed him and then Peter rose above all of his inclinations and abilities to lead our worldwide movement.
Perhaps another way of saying that we rise to the level of our incompetence is that we are called to take risks and act boldly for Christ with gifts and graces that are sometimes not readily apparent and are still in development. I am intimidated by the challenges of being Clergy Assistant to the Bishop, especially with a new Bishop on the way, a General Conference in turmoil, and a new Annual Conference to build. And yet, I am willing to risk failure, willing to be pushed beyond my comfort zone, and willing to take this leap of faith for the
sake of Christ’s Church. As a local church pastor, I often felt inadequate, so why should I stop now?
As I look where our Michigan Area is headed, I am thankful that we have so many leaders who are willing to risk in order to build a new Michigan Conference. Our project of building a new conference is a journey where no one knows all of the answers and everyone is on an unfamiliar path headed to something new and different.
I just returned from the North Central Jurisdictional Conference. It was an amazing week. It included a very powerful Episcopal Address by Bishop Deb. And we elected four new Bishops (Shout out to Bishop Bard and Bishop Haller!!!) and then witnessed the assignment of all nine of our Bishops to our Annual Conferences. My guess is that all nine of these great disciples and human beings often wonder about their own abilities in facing monumental joys and challenges. And yet they have made themselves available for the work of Christ in very challenging times. And the Holy Spirit moved powerfully last week in Peoria.
And that is ultimately the difference between us and the average hierarchical structure – we call on the power of the Holy Spirit and are led by the Risen Christ. It took Peter the disciple to places unthinkable – even to the heart of the Empire. It empowers new Episcopal Leaders, Design Team leaders, local church leaders, and clergy and laity of all stripes.
So bring on The Peter Principle! Thanks be to God for the power of the Holy Spirit to take us beyond ourselves to new heights!
Last Updated on December 15, 2023