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TechnoratiDatema: When people think of Dr. Winter no longer being here, that scares them. So questions have been asked – and some of our own staff probably wonder about this – but people outside question if the organization is going to make it. When you have a founder-led organization and the founder dies, that can be really hard for the organization. But I have a lot of confidence in us.
I think that the single greatest loss to us as an organization – putting aside personal things – is his mind and the way he would seemingly always be a few steps ahead of everybody anticipating the issues related to missions.
But that begs the question, how are we now going to run that idea machine that Dr. Winter was? How are we going to replace that particular function of calling out the next big ideas? I think to me that is the single most important question. The single most easily seen question when you look at the organization during his time here and now after it.
CP: What would you say is the greatest thing you learned from Dr. Winter?
Datema: There are so many. The importance of thinking. I know it sounds trite. These here are all his most recent books. He bought books almost on a daily basis. If you would actually look at them you would find that they cover a huge breadth of topics. He had such an inquisitive mind. He used to talk about how he would devour books because of his desire to know. That was really unique about him. Most people don’t want to learn that bad that they would just spend their life like a sponge. He didn’t just soak up things about missions, but man, he was so widely read in so many areas.
This is the stack of magazines that represent his weekly subscriptions. They are piling it on my desk and asking me if I want to continue the subscriptions. Science news, you got your Newsweek and Time, Wired, The Economist - it goes on and on like that. It boggles your mind.
I mean he really believed in truth, in finding out the truth. He wasn’t just going to read Christian stuff. He was very widely read, doesn’t matter if they were Christian or not. He would read just about anything. He really would read just about anything if it would help him get a better understanding, if it would help him grasp the world better.
And so I think your question is what have I learned from him. I would say one of the greatest things is just the value of being a life-long learner. He’d often say that: ‘I learned more after I turned 70 than the previous 70 years combined.’ That just tells you how important it was to him to keep learning. He was never satisfied with great ideas, with great burst of understanding that he may have had. He would just continue like that until the day he died – just always trying to learn more. It was amazing.
CP: Is there anything you would like to change about the organization?
Datema: I think organizations tend to take on the persona of the leader, especially if it’s the founder. I’m concerned that our organization isn’t younger than it is. I think we need to really get a lot younger. And obviously, if you don’t attract the younger generation then you die organizationally. Continue »
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