Conan and Leno, they must be Methodists
Disclaimer: I like to find metaphors to help me better understand my world in the United Methodist Church. This particular metaphor leaves me in a very cynical place, and so I hope my friend Kevin Watson will forgive me for my cynicism.
I’m sure you, like me, are highly engaged in the latest news coming from Los Angeles about The Tonight Show. I never get into entertainment news, but this debacle of Leno vs. Conan is just too much. As I hear the plans of NBC, I just can’t help but think how this is a move I would expect from an organization like the United Methodist Church. Let me explain.
Why invest in Leno at this point to the exclusion of Conan (and especially Fallon)?Leno’s show is tanking. Conan’s show, while not doing great, is not nose-diving down in complete failure. So, I do admit that it makes sense to help Leno achieve success, but at what cost? Do you sacrifice a relationship with Conan? How many more years does Leno have in him? He’s already retired once. Conan has another 15 years for the Tonight Show and he is able to connect with a younger generation, which the Tonight Show has basically just handed over to the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.
The short-sightedness of this move is something I would expect from the United Methodist Church. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve heard and articles I’ve read about developing future young leaders. But I see so little action. Appointments are often made as a metaphorical Leno and Conan. The assumption is that “the Conans” in our system (or any system) will stick around until the metaphorical “Lenos” are finally done. Very short-sighted.
At some point, the “Conans” are going to jump ship. Can the larger organization fault a Conan for leaving? Is there a place where you will receive a chance to succeed then why not follow that path?
(by the way, I’m not trying to say that I am currently thinking about pulling a Conan and leaving the organization)
Brilliant analysis, Spencer. Also connected to our system is the relationship between money and decisions such as these (how often do we “promote” pastors because “it’s time for a raise”?).
I’ll admit that, while I’m also not planning a Conan jump, there are times that’s not far off. And if I was treated the way Conan has been, those other options will seem as palatable as they do to him. Unfortunately, as you and I know, there are more “Conans” out there in our generation who have been forced to leave (and become successful in other places) than we care to admit. Let’s hope that NBC sees the error of their ways, and that the UMC reads your analysis and doesn’t fall to the same error.
While reading this post, I began to wonder how old the NBC execs are. Perhaps some of this situation can be explained because those calling the shots are all from Leno’s generation…at NBC, of course.
The difference between the UMC and NBC, by the way, is that our “Conans” haven’t been pulling in millions of dollars a year, so unlike the real Conan, many of our “Conans” literally can’t afford to leave.
Well, of course this metaphor can only go so far. You bring up an interesting point though. I haven’t really thought about how many young UM pastors are really only in this system b/c of the paycheck. Do you think that if employment in another denomination/non-denomination was an easy thing more would pull out?
Well, that’s the thing. I think most of us do have an affinity, even a love, for Methodist ways of following Jesus. So let me just say this. If there was a Wesleyan non-denominational church planting organization that had significant resources, I think there might be some significant migration.
Well, I don’t know if I’d call us “Wesleyans” – although Wesleyans are welcome – but the Evangelical Covenant Church is my adopted home, and I love it. It is the best denomination I’ve ever found. It’s growing in all the right ways, and yes, it has a significant commitment to church planting. We count Bayside, Lifechurch.tv, Quest Church in Seattle and Newsong as some of our more notable churches… Amazing diversity is allowed, even encouraged. Diversity of style, approach, theological beliefs and of course ethnic and gender diversity is welcomed.
http://www.covchurch.org
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091216/evangelical-covenant-church-counters-denominational-trends/index.html