I want to share a ministry secret.

Not my secret, mind you.

This secret is much better. And the best part is that you can put it to use whenever you wish.

Maybe you know about it already. Many do but, unfortunately, a small number actually do anything about it.

People routinely bemoan the ills that come from silos, attest to their drain on productivity and efficiency, detest the isolation they produce, and commit to their destruction. And yet silos continue. Even thrive. Why?

The likely culprit: perspective.

I've taken leadership tests and evaluations in the past, so I know how they usually work. They shape a better understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, giving us a boost of encouragement in the areas where we do well, and dispensing a healthy dose of reality in the areas where we lag. But they shouldn't typecast us.

I recently led a workshop with the pastoral and lay leadership of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, a grand and historic congregation in the Uptown area of New Orleans. Though this part of the city largely escaped the worst of Hurricane Katrina (the church's sanctuary was badly damaged but has been restored), this congregation has experienced a rebirth of a sense of mission in the wake of the storm.