This afternoon while I was reading for a repair estimate on our car, I sipped a complimentary coffee and used my Treo 650 to read Kathy Sierra’s excellent post on not asking employees to be passionate about the company.

As I read, the corrollary of (not) asking people to be passionate about their local church sprang inevitably to mind, contrasted with passion for the message, or the Man. It seems obvious that believers are often expected to — and it isn’t normally phrased this way — show more passion for the church than for Christ. As Kathy describes it, those who have passion for the work (Christ) may tend not to fit well within a company (church) who wants their employees (parishoners) to toe the line of committment to the company first. As the characteristics are described, they all sound applicable.

I was in my mind composing something of a blog post to point out this excellent article, but when I sat down this evening to get it done, I discovered Bill Kinnon had already posted it, beating me to the puch with some of the same comparisons. Bill goes further though, in his mention of the “missional maverick.” Excellent reading, good stuff for further thought.