Compassionate leadership? : some reflections on the work and life of Michael Lapsley
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
In June 2007, I had the privilege of attending a Healing of Memories workshop lead by Father Michael Lapsley, one of the founder members of the Institute for Healing of Memories. The purpose of the workshop was to help the predominantly white members of a middle class Dutch Reformed congregation in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town and the predominantly coloured members of a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elsies River on the Cape Flats, to share their stories of the past with regard to apartheid with each other. Apart from the stories that were told and the sharing of experiences about the apartheid history that took place, I was struck by the way in which Father Lapsley conducted the workshop. There was a deep compassion for all the participants as was embodied through the way in which he treated each of us with respect. But apart from his cordiality in leading the workshop, one could sense a deeper source of compassion, a source revealing a compassionate understanding of God’s presence amidst the violence and turmoil in our broken world. The aim of this article is to reflect on whether one could speak of something like ‘compassionate leadership’, and to take a closer look at the relationship between compassion and God images in the life and work of Michael Lapsley. Special attention will be given to the way in which he exercises leadership through his many involvements related to his own personal story of trauma.
Description
CITATION: Nell, I. A. 2016. Compassionate leadership? : some reflections on the work and life of Michael Lapsley. Verbum et Ecclesia 37(1):1-9, doi:10.4102/ve.v37i1.1629.
The original publication is available at http://verbumetecclesia.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
The original publication is available at http://verbumetecclesia.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
Keywords
Leadership -- Social aspects, Lapsley, Michael
Citation
Nell, I. A. 2016. Compassionate leadership? : some reflections on the work and life of Michael Lapsley. Verbum et Ecclesia 37(1):1-9, doi:10.4102/ve.v37i1.1629.