Dale Followership

Robert Dale’s article entitled, Leadership-Followership: the Church's Challenge is an excellently written article in reference to the abandonment of followership. Dale approach followership from somewhat the same perspective as Rusty Ricketson’s Followerfirst: Rethinking Leading in the Church, model.

Dale’s theory suggests, even though, no group or organization functions well without leadership, it is a most misunderstood dynamic. Dale’s considerably correlating article to Ricketson’s view, proclaim, followership is the forgotten dimension. The writer (Dale) states, the Bible does not overlook followership by any means. Likewise, Ricketson states, the Bibles is an inspired book written by the Holy Spirit by followers, about followers, for
It is this reader’s belief that based on Dale’s illustration, he suggests, leaders and followers need each other. Ricketson also propose a leader and follower role that is intentional, interdependent, reciprocal, dynamic, and relational in order to achieve a common goal (Ricketson, 12). Dale’s article on the subject matter of roles resonate with Ricketson’s in that he also suggests, followership is as important in congregations as leadership, because leadership and follower-ship are linked functions; they are two sides of the same coin. The reader also recognizes Dale’s admission that because leadership and followership are roles lived out in interdependent relationships, and because effective leadership strengthens followers, and effective followership strengthens leaders, there would be neither leadership nor followership. Dale offers his readers a definition of followers as those who reflect the direction/trust mix in their relationships with leaders. At the same time, he introduces the interdependency of the relationship, by stating without followers, there are no leaders and without leaders, there are no followers. Dale adds, leaders and followers live in reciprocal relationships. Therefore, interdependency is