16. Church MisLeadership

The dean of St Paul's Cathedral, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, resigned due to fierce criticism of the cathedral's response to the Occupy London movement. "The past fortnight has been a testing time for the chapter and for me personally... It has become increasingly clear to me that, as criticism of the cathedral has mounted in the press, media and in public opinion, my position as dean of St Paul's was becoming untenable. In order to give the opportunity for a fresh approach to the complex and vital questions facing St Paul's, I have thought it best to stand down as dean, to allow new leadership to be exercised."

Individual deans, the cathedral and the whole Anglican church have struggled to find a valid response to the group, their initial reaction being a knee-jerk threat to forcibly evict and sue the protestors for lost revenue which resulted from the cathedral's decision to close due to 'health and safety issues' - subsequently shown to be unfounded. Four days before Graeme Knowles resigned, one of his canon Giles Fraser resigned because of the forcible eviction threat, which he viewed as an unsuitable response from the church.

Resigning and failing to act in these circumstances is a display of Missing Leadership. These people have occupied high level posts with all sorts of status and other benefits, then when a difficult situation appears, they pathetically resign rather than taking on the challenge.

The slogan 'What would Jesus do?' has been used by the Occupy movement to goad the church into action, basically an appeal for support and leadership. Anyone who believes in Jesus would be convinced that he certainly would not have resigned!

The St Paul's chapter which governs the cathedral has asked the bishop of London Dr Richard Chartres to provide temporary assistance. Chartres said he hoped St Paul's could become as significant now as it was during the second world war, when its survival amid the Blitz became a symbol of national defiance. "The church has a very important role to play in providing reasoned debate, in a context which is moral and spiritual."

Yesterday the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams joined the debate: "The events of the last couple of weeks have shown very clearly how decisions made in good faith by good people under unusual pressure can have utterly unforeseen and unwelcome consequences...The urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's remain very much on the table and we need – as a church and as society as a whole – to work to make sure that they are properly addressed."

He backed calls for a 'Robin Hood' tax on financial trading, stating that the St Paul's protests proved the public felt changes to financial institutions were not coming fast enough, specifically the unfinished business of reform covering relationships between governments and banks so as to deliver a more just and rational system. Dr Williams said the levy would be one way of advancing the moral agenda of the protesters outside St Paul's, others being ideas put forward by the Vatican for creating ethical regulation of financial markets.

Finding a valid response would at least show an ability to react, but what is even more striking is the fact that the church has shown no ability to lead in the current financial and related crises. Surely the moral and spiritual agenda here is central to the role of the church. The lack of a clear objective and mission on which to base its decisions illustrates MisGuided Leadership by the church. Our Global Fitness Framework considers the physical, mental and spiritual fitness of individuals, groups and societies.

David Cameron responded to Dr Williams call for a Robin Hood tax by saying there is widespread support for the principles of such a tax but it had to be adopted globally. This smells of Missing Leadership too.

Our next blog considers the current G20 meeting and its leadership.