Who is John R. Mott? Why does he still matter to the Y? What can we learn from him today about leadership, spirituality, peace-making, Christian ministry, and serving amidst severe adversity?
Below are brief excerpts about his extraordinarily significant life regarding his being awarded in 1946 the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as his brilliant lifelong Christian ecumenical mission work. The main feature of this post is to highlight Mott’s 15 leadership lessons, referenced from a 2006 YMCA Christian leadership book.
Mott seems to have been mothballed, memory of his achievements have become marginalized; yet: we need to retrieve as much wisdom from him as possible in light of the “old” conflicts re-erupting in our culture and to which the YMCA is adapting still…
“Friendship among Christians Brings Peace”
“The Peace Prize for 1946 was awarded to the head of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), the American John Raleigh Mott, who according to the Nobel Committee had contributed to the creation of a peace-promoting religious brotherhood across national boundaries.”
“Mott grew up in a settler family in Iowa, strongly influenced by Puritan ideals, and took a bachelor’s degree in history at Cornell University. As a student Mott received a religious call to spread the Gospel, after which he devoted most of his life to the YMCA, to missionary activities, and ecumenical work.”
“As general-secretary of the International Committee of the YMCA and president of YMCA’s World Committee, Mott sought to advance understanding and reconciliation. He organized youth exchanges, set up study groups, and arranged international youth camps. Mott was at the same time a leading figure in the field of international Christian student and missionary cooperation, and took part during both World Wars in relief work for prisoners of war. He criticised the oppression of colonial peoples and was a pioneer in the struggle against racial discrimination.”
After a lifetime in Christian work and extensive travel in eighty-three nations, I would suggest for your consideration fifteen basic lessons that I have learned:
from remarks by John R. Mott at the North American Association of YMCA Secretaries meeting, May 25, 1948 Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Jesus Christ is the Foundation: He provides the direction and the zest for life. If we understand his teachings and his personality, he will make his own impression on our lives and it will be revolutionary.
- Rule by the Heart: People are reached “via the heart” – There is no substitute for love and kindness and sympathy.
- Study priorities: No human can do all the good to be done in the world. We need to list and study our own priorities daily.
- We Can Trust Others: We can afford great acts of trust. I can testify that I have never had others disappoint me.
- Study and Promote the Use of the Bible: It has been said that the cause of all evil is the lack of interest in religious writing. If I were to stay longer, I would give a frontline place to reawakening interest in the religious writings of Christianity. There is nothing to take their place.
- The Discipline of Prayer is Essential: “He departed a stone’s cast beyond the Apostles, and kneeled down and prayed.” I need only to say that we must make prayer one of the primary objectives of this brotherhood.
- Do “Multiplying” Work: “He that does the work is not as profitably employed as he who multiplies the doers.” Enlisting volunteers is one of our greatest tasks.
- Use the “Heroic Appeal”: A heroic appeal often gets a heroic response. It is good to have difficulties because it calls out the most in you, it drives you to get the cooperation of others, it drives you to God.
- Strategy Is Important: There are strategic points which if captured, make easy all that lies behind them. There are strategic classes and strategic races, strategic times, strategic methods, strategic places. We must know what they are.
- We need to Get into the Field: You cannot develop a Christian from an office chair. We need to be out meeting and dealing with personalities.
- Small Groups are of Great Value: Christ sent them out “two by two.” At one time, he had five disciples, at another time three, another time eleven, and at another, twelve. Why did Christ attach importance to small groups? I long ago decided that it was wise to follow Christ in this method.
- Adolescence is a Crucial Time: If I had my life to live over I would spend much time on the adolescents age group. These are the habit forming years, the years of determining life attitude and tendencies, the years of creativeness.
- Don’t Overlook Old People: Here is wisdom and experience for our asking. Here, also, is a group to whom we must give kindness and affection.
- Emphasize the Immediate: We need to live under the spell of immediacy. What other time will there be? What other generations than the present can we work with?
- Be Attentive Unto God: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” And, “My soul, be silent unto God,” say what I mean. We must put out other sounds – noises of selfish ambition – prepare ourselves to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”
And more about Mott the missionary leader:
During his life Mott interacted with eight American presidents, most notably Woodrow Wilson, who called him “one of the most nobly useful men in the world.”
When Mott declined to succeed Wilson as president of Princeton University, Wilson commented, “Mr. Mott can’t afford to take the presidency of a great university; Mr. Mott occupies a certain spiritual presidency in the spiritual university of the world.”
Although he declined several diplomatic positions, he did serve on Wilson’s Root Commission to Russia in 1917 and became the president’s most trusted advisor on Russian affairs.
In 1946, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.”
[Gordon R. Doss, John R. Mott, 1865-1955: Mission Leader Extraordinaire]
