Is Leadership Biblical?

In a recent article, David Finch attempts to make the case that leadership as we know it is not a biblical model. While pastors are indeed called to show responsibility and concern for others, the way that leadership is described in Christian conferences and books is often based on a model that does not come from the Bible. Finch lines up five main points which help him make his point that leadership is not a Biblical model. These five points include 1. The word leader is generally not included in the New Testament. 2. Whenever the word leader is used in the New Testament, it is subverted by the church. 3. Jesus Himself subverted the term leadership. 4. Christian leadership is defined by the posture of submission- to the world this is not leadership. 5. The business model of leadership will handicap us from leading into mission. I think that Finch brings up many intriguing points in his article. I do think, however, that Finch is not arguing against leadership in the church, but merely against the prevailing notion of what society or the world says a leader should be. While the article title “Is Leadership Biblical?” is an eye catching title, I don’t think it best captures what Finch is arguing for in his article. I think that what Finch is really railing against is the corporate culture that can sometimes take over a church work force, and not “leadership” in general.

Leadership

The authors of this article ask three questions: “Where have all the leaders gone? Why is it so difficult to recognize displays of leadership today? Are we in a leadership vacuum? And is failed leadership behind the failure of moral and ethical patterns of service?”

Patrick Lattore summarizes the original book, The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity by Robert Banks and R. Paul Stevens discussed the questions rose. The Leadership models that have been adopted in the church are from the predominant worldview which “places high value on independence and self-sufficiency, accomplishing tasks and goals without concern for relationships, and the focus is on the ‘bottom-line’ outcomes.” The secular model is now found to be embracing “character, spirituality, community and relationship.” The Christian perspective on leadership differs in the sense that Christian theology “contemplates the model of a triune God. Christian leadership is about spirituality, character and community, “says Lattore. Christian leadership is defined as “an art form of worshiping Christ, teaching and serving process that envisions, influences, shapes and enhances so that both leaders and followers realize God’s goals for change within their community.”

The model that Lattore is condensing from the original The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, discusses the ways that Christian Leadership is defined, and eleven ways that Christian Leadership is attained. They both include Servant Leadership, Community, God’s values, discipling and empowering God’s people, and being a shepherd to the community. We as leaders need to understand the difference between secular and Christian leadership and remain committed to maintaining God’s model of leadership.

Originally published in The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity by Robert Banks and R. Paul Stevens. ©1997 by Robert Banks and R. Paul Stevens. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA. www.ivpress.com

Mosaic Church

Erwin Raphael McManus authored the book, "An Unstoppable Force: Daring to become the church GOD had in mind." The book describes developing one's spiritual gifts in order to be effective in growing one's Church. McManus writes from years of experience as a visionary and innovator of a multi-cutural authentic faith community. The book shows what has went wrong with the church and offers hope to catch the momentum of the Holy Spirit to join in God's revolution. He is quite honest in pointing out that the diminishing influence of the American church on American society is not simply because fewer people are going to church, but fewer people are in church because of the diminishing influence of Christ on the church itself. McManus continues to say that the church fell asleep and has lost the power to transform culture. Warnings are given that when relationships become stagnant and the community of Christ closes itself to the outside world, the result is an institution instead of a movement. The church is influenced by the world around her and is called to influence the world in which she exists. The culture has a deep interest in spiritual things, but not Christianity. McManus claims that people are rejecting Christ because of the church. The church shifted from a church on mission to a church that supported missions. Instead the church became a refuge from the world rather a force in the world. He claims the church lost her immediacy and responsiveness to obeying God's call to reach the nations.

Postmodern Leadership

This article presents a great point on how leaders need to adapt to the postmodern culture around them. The gospel message reaches all generations, and leaders need to give up the old forms of leadership to give way to postmodern leadership. In this culture, we need to, " re-evaluate, re-imagine, and re-tell our Story in ways that our listeners can understand and embrace." Those who have embraced a postmodern style of leadership, perhaps joining the communal search for truth alongside this generation, have had success in discovering what it means to be a leader in this culture. Leaders can no longer be looking for personal advancement. People are looking for a self-sacrificing leader (ironically, they are searching for a leader that resembles Jesus Christ). I know this article may be a little too obvi0us in that we are now years into this postmodern society, but I do not think that Christian leadership has always stayed up to date with what reaches the lost most effectively. I think that we have an amazing opportunity as Christian leaders in a postmodern society that was not available in the modern generation. Modernity was a time when Jesus was distrusted and made to look a fraud, the era of the Jesus seminar. Postmodernity is a time where people are extremely interested in Jesus and want to know as much about him as they can, but are suspect when it comes to the established church. I think it is much better for people to distrust the church but love Jesus than the other way around.

Team Leadership from the Top

I read this article three years ago and it has never left my memory. As a student of leadership, I've often wondered if team leadership is really possible. Studying leadership and churches while in college gave me great hope that--perhaps--team leadership could be the future of the church. I considered this a great connection between the modern church and the first church.

Objections to team leadership abound, often stated in memorable witticisms:

"God called Moses to lead Israel into the Promised Land; He didn't call a committee"

"When God sent his son, he didn't send twins"

But is team leadership--team leadership from the top--possible? This article says so. Interestingly enough, I have one of those "3 degrees from Kevin Bacon" connections with this ministry. In 2002, while a student at Nyack College, I had an internship at a church in New Jersey with the Lead Pastor. Prior to coming to NJ he was the lead pastor at Applewood Baptist, the same church mentioned in this article.

A few weeks ago, at a district conference, I was speaking with another pastor serving in Dayton (who graduated a year after me at Nyack) when I was surprised to find that he and another pastor were using the team leadership model in a restart project. Both he and Blake serve as lead pastors; neither one has a trump card over the other. And it is working well! Their church is growing and reaching out to the community. People are growing in their faith and new people are coming to faith.

Here's what I find: it takes the right people to do this. Team leadership is not impossible, but it is difficult. It may not be for everyone.

Transformational Leadership: Vision and Empowering

Transformational leadership, according to this article, is defined as “a leadership style focused on effecting revolutionary change in organizations through a commitment to the organization’s vision.” The author breaks this style down with 4 major characteristics: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. 1. Idealized Influence This is where the leader gains trust, loyalty, and admiration through charismatic roll modeling and enthusiasm, incorporating high levels of ethical and moral value into their actions. 2. Inspirational Motivation The leader makes a future sales pitch to energize their followers to come alongside the vision while the leader gives positive reinforcement and promotes sharing the work of the vision through enthusiastic teamwork. 3. Intellectual stimulation This involves raising awareness to problems while creating environments for examination, encouraging creativity, and empowering others with the leader’s radical ideas for change. 4. Individualized Consideration The leader takes each person’s abilities, talents, goals (whole person consideration) into consideration for better use and management, while utilizing people skills to communicate with their followers. Simply put, first you gain trust by leading in charismatic example and embodying ethical decisions. Second, come up with and get support for a vision by sharing the work to achieve the goals. Third, be sure to keep the people informed and activated in ideas for change. This may be allowing your ideas to become their ideas. Last, continue distributing the vision by further involving the followers in their gift and call. I love transformational leadership because it is visionary and involves others participation and empowering to work.

Developing Healthy Relationships Among Church Staff/Leaders

In this brief post/article, Joe McKeever describes his top eight ways that the pastor/leader of the church can build healthy working relationships among his/her staff. In his opinion, with which I agree, strife among church leaders is not good for them or the congregation. On the other hand, leaders loving one another has the potential to bless the church community. I will highlight some of his suggestions.

First, staff members should “play” together, whether it’s “tennis or golf or…bowling” to build camaraderie. Second, staff families should spend time together regularly so that relationships can develop among them (strengthening bonds and mutual commitment). Third, leaders should communicate appreciation for each other publicly. This expresses personal gratitude and is a visible celebration of what individuals have contributed (and how much they mean) to the organization. Finally, you should not skimp on regular staff meetings, which should be given the proper attention and be seen as a valuable part of the rhythm of the organization.. These provide an opportunity to strengthen relationships, communicate progress, evaluate operations, and discuss other important issues.

Even though some of these might sound simplistic, I found them to be insightful for leaders who are trying to create environments in which healthy, meaningful working relationships can exist. These suggestions do not seem to allow for much “breathing room” among staff members, though; between work, church services, and other activities, they’re spending a lot of time together, which could be overwhelming. Also, since conflict is inevitable no matter how much effort we put into prevention, resolution strategies would be helpful.

Does my past prevent me from effectively handling conflict?

http://www.christianleadershipalliance.org/?page=conflict_resolution

In this article, Ron Jenson discusses conflict resolution as Christian Leaders. He gives key points from the God’s word of how we should react during conflict: strive to maintain the unity of faith, be perfected in unity, esteem others higher than yourself, admonish a brother in a spirit of humility, be reconciled first to your brother, if you’re offended go to your brother and speak to him, forgive one another and speak the truth in love. I believe it was necessary to incorporate these points because as leaders we should all meditate on these passages to be sure that we apply these Scriptures in our lives. Benson also gives 12 steps to resolving conflict that are integral as leaders. He begins discussing why we react to conflict the way we do, then talks about handling anger, learning to listen instead of trying to win, jumping to conclusions, learning when to share your feelings, taming your tongue, speaking the truth in love, no personal attacks, being specific, dealing with the person and not complaining to others and being gentle. This article is great for all leaders to effectively handle conflicts in love. How often do we handle conflict incorrectly and later think how we could have handled it differently? Do we humbly go back and try to rectify the situation or admit our error? Do we look within first and resolve any unhealthy tendencies resulting from our past that are interfering with us being effective Christian leaders? As you read look inward to discover where you may need growth.

Why Leaders Must Feel Pain

This article in the Harvard Business Review, recounts Peter Bregman's experiences at The Radically Alive Leader learning about empathic leadership, "A leadership workshop with crying? Touching? Extreme self-disclosure?" Bregman describes the experience of one attendee, exhausted, who avoided delegating because she feels the need to save the day. At the workshop, she was able to physically release, lying on a mattress and allowing others to hold her while she cried. She realized that her micromanagement stemmed from her inability to save a brother from suicide, years ago. Bregman says, that this is not a leadership skills issue, but that, until she faced, "not just intellectually, but physically and emotionally — that she couldn't save her brother, all the delegation skills in the world will not help her." Bregman discusses his own life as a child whose mother narrowly escaped the holocaust, "I grew up thinking daily of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, thinking that because of them, my life had better amount to something." Never measuring up has worn on him. He has decided though, that he must be genuine in this pressure and pain:

"We cannot lead without feeling the pain of living because the things we do to avoid feeling pain result in poor leadership. We don't acknowledge others. We try to control everything. We lose our temper and criticize others disproportionately. If we don't feel our emotions, we are controlled by them."

To read more of Bregman's words on same conference, visit here.

The Heart of a Servant Leader

The heart of a servant leader needs to remember that they are a servant first before one can be a true leader. I am reminded about how one must be a servant leader like Jesus Christ. I think so many times leaders start to think of themselves as bigger and better than the people that they are leading. The article makes me remember the kind of leader that I want to be and that I need to be. The article talks about the importance of having Christ at the center of your heart and being fully devoted to Him. I think many times when leaders have successfully lead for a while that they start to get comfortable and start leading from themselves and not from being fully devoted and connected to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit within them. This reminds me that I am nothing without Jesus Christ. So many times the thought creeps into my mind that I’m better than others or good enough to lead from my own self, but I am not. I am nothing without Jesus Christ and I need to cling to him with all that I am. I am reminded of how important it is to cling to Christ and be a servant who leads by example and from God’s heart within me.. I need to cling to Christ, without Him I am nothing. I need to remember that! Are you fully depending on Jesus Christ or are you leading from your own strength?

Church Can Learn A Lot from 'Servant Leadership'

This article presents an interview with Fr. William Byron, a Jesuit priest in the Catholic Church. In the interview, he discusses servant leadership and how this relates to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Byron notes that Greenleaf’s thesis of servant leadership, which points out the problems of “top-down” power structures in leadership, may seem antithetical to the Catholic hierarchy. Indeed, he points out that various popes and bishops do try to rule those under them, instead of leaving them. This is not true of all Catholic leaders, however, as there are those like St. Ignatius of Loyola who have advocated for a more servant form of leadership. Indeed, Ignatius stated that a superior general of a religious community ought to have an admonitor with him, one who had no authority but would remind the general of his responsibility to his flock.

It seems that Byron does well to recognize the potential for autocracy within the Church’s hierarchy. Indeed, he notes that a pope or bishop will only adopt a servant model of leadership if he so desires. The reality is, as he points out, that organizations like the Church are made up of human beings, so there will always be a potential for abuse of power. Given this, I must admit that I am at a loss as to what regulations could be put in place that could ensure a servant model of leadership. It seems that someone will only be a servant if he or she has that mindset.

Leadership Requires Courage (The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell)

Maxwell states in his chapter on courage that every successful leader shares something in common: "the willingness to risk" (pg.40). A willingness to risk requires that leaders possess a great deal of courage. Maxwell gives wonderful truths surrounding courage in leadership. (1) "Courage begins with an inward battle" (pg.40). Maxwell claims that every leader must learn to embrace fear and then fight to overcome it. He emphasizes that leaders are not fearless, but they do refuse to allow fear to keep them from standing up for what they know is right. Fear of rejection sometimes keeps me from standing up for what I believe in. Therefore, I need to have the courage to face rejection so that I may be a more effective leader. If I do not face this fear, I will consistently exchange my calling to lead for a desire to be accepted by people. (2) "Courage in a leader inspires commitment from followers" (pg.41). When I served as a board member in my former church in Columbus, I recall a particular incident in which I felt someone needed to stand up and challenge a particular person. But I was afraid that I would be the only person who felt this way. Once I faced my fear and found the courage to speak up, I was shocked by how many supporters quickly backed me up. Maxwell cites this great quote by Billy Graham: "When a brave [person] takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened" (pg.41).

Which Medium is the Message?

In his article “What Medium is the Message?”, author Marshall Shelley discusses the impact of media and entertainment on ministry. He notes that the average person consumes about four hours of TV, video games, Facebook, music and sports entertainment per day. In other words, we live in a very entertainment saturated world. How then should we as leaders in the church let this startling reality affect our ministry and how we deliver the message of the Gospel? Should we become entertainers ourselves, do we refuse, or does the answer lie somewhere inbetween? The author notes that throughout history, the medium that God used to deliver his message changed. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He used a bronze snake to remind the people of His presence among them and for them to look upon it to be healed, but later this same image became an idol and hindered their worship. Shelley concludes that the medium in our ever changing, entertainment-focused world may shift, the message remains the same. That message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is unchanging and ever constant mediator. As leaders, especially preachers and teachers, it will always be necessary for us to use some form of media to communicate the Gospel, whether that be speaking, art, music, PowerPoint or writing. How else would we get our point across to those who we are trying to lead. It is important however, never to confuse the medium with the message. However we communicate, it should be Christ that is communicated.

How to Lead All the Time Without Leading All the Time

This article gives good advice about how to prepare a ministry team to help lead so the head pastor is able to rest at times to avoid burnout. The main idea here is to rotate the leaders as time and projects progress. The suggestions given are these: • Give young leaders small projects so they know how to carry the full load • Make organization-wide campaigns, and let another take the lead • Turn meetings over to other leaders to help others follow someone else • Make another leader the point man for a season • Form a leadership team on a project and rotate the leaders This is not a long article, but the information here is essential. We have been hearing about the percentage of pastors who leave the ministry. There are many reasons for this fact, but one of the most prominent seems to be burnout. So many times pastors think that they are indispensible. They are afraid that the church will fall apart in their absence. Many times this does happen if the church has not been prepared to follow a variety of leaders. In this article we are reminded that we should prepare the church to follow other leaders, as well as, to help in leading. By realizing that we need to teach others to help us lead our congregations, we are able to take much needed breaks throughout our time of ministry. The hardest thing mentioned here may be for us to realize when we need a break.

A Beginning IS Change

In his article, George Olive shares that, “Leaders must work together to communicate and to remind people that God is the One who creates wonderful gifts from what appears to be chaos.” He explains that during creation, in God’s infinite wisdom, that God chose to create everything else before He created humans. What does this say about us and how we might object to change? When one thinks about it, if we were there in the beginning, I’m sure as well as George is, that there would have been some objections to what God was creating. Such as creepy crawly things, who needs those? How about rocks? George points out, “they hurt our feet.” Of course that’s because Adam and Eve could not go to DSW warehouse for a good deal on shoes or boots. Our model as leaders, as to handling change and or opposition, can be taken from Jesus. He faced opposition daily, yet He handled it with love, patience, tolerance, kindness and a whole lot of prayer. Our ambition as leaders then takes on the format of keeping the congregation focused on the pursuit of God’s will for the church, not the pursuit of happiness as Hollywood would have us believe. We need to stay focused and remember how God created such a wonderful place for us out of the chaos in the beginning. He just may have been able to accomplish so much in so little time, simply because He didn’t have to seek the approval of a committee.

Are You A Trusted Leader?

How do you measure up to the most trusted leaders of the world? Steven Covey has identified the following thirteen trademark behaviors of that elite group of leaders.

1. Talk Straight

2. Demonstrate Respect 3. Create Transparency 4. Right Wrongs 5. Show Loyalty 6. Deliver Results 7. Get Better 8. Confront Reality 9. Clarify Expectation 10. Practice Accountability 11. Listen First 12. Keep Commitments 13. Extend Trust

Covey writes that there is a great need for trust in organizations and institutions today. Trust is missing in a lot of places. A lack of trusts costs businesses money. Covey says to imagine the lack of trust as a tax on an organization, and a healthy amount of trust as a dividend. Trust “undergirds and affects the quality of every relationship, every communication, every work project, every business venture, every effort in which we are engaged. It changes the quality of every present moment and alters the trajectory and outcome of every future moment of our lives – both personally and professionally.”

Covey seems right on his description of the importance for trust, and his challenge for leaders to lead the way by extending an accountable and sensible trust in other people. If we hold these behaviors up to the example of Jesus we find that he did all of the above, with the one Divine exception to “getting better.” My question for you is this: What would pastoral leadership look like in our lives if we practice these thirteen behaviors with consistency?

http://www.leadershipnow.com/CoveyOnTrust.html

The Three Fundamentals of Effective Leadership

In this article, the author talks about three “critically important skills” that all great leaders have shown regardless of their “personality/leadership style.” He writes that all effective leaders: 1. Have been driven by an inspiring vision of success. 2. Have excelled at communication. 3. Have exercised superior judgment. The author first mentions that a compelling vision must inspire, clarify, and focus the work of individuals--and preferably entire organizations--for a lengthy span of time. He breaks it down by saying to pick something that matters and that excites you and the people you work with. He then illustrates the importance of sharing your strategies with your staff and to communicate effectively with them—which involves listening and giving time for questions as opposed to simply sending out a memo or giving a speech (without leaving time for questions). This approach seems to really value those that are working with you as you treat them as equals and valuable members of the team. The third element of successful leadership the author mentions involves judgment. As noted by the author, “In the end, your judgment calls, which are rooted in your character, become your legacy. Without the right values, judgment can easily be trumped by perverse incentives that encourage poor ethical choices.” I really appreciated how this article did not focus on a particular “leadership style/theory” but rather focused on some of the “critically important skills.” And no matter what “personality/leadership style” you are, I believe that we will all benefit if we master the skills mentioned above.

Pastor as Master of All Things?

Gary Fenton, pastor in Alabama, supplied the eight volume of Leadership’s “Pastor’s Soul” series, in which he describes the heart of his pastoral struggles throughout the course of his ministry. For Fenton, the pastor works in three areas of ministry: communication, pastoral care, and leadership. Fenton then describes that as his ministry developed, he consequently developed in competency in each of these areas until he became a sort of “general practitioner”, drawing on the medical field as his metaphor. Unfortunately I believe Fenton’s article, an excerpt from his book which delves into this issue of mastery in every phase of the pastoral field, leaves readers with a sense of needing to be all things for all people. For me this is one of the biggest fallacies we as pastors buy into: a sense that we must become experts in every aspect of the wide spectrum of pastoral leadership. Does this not smack directly in the face of Paul’s “Body of Christ” imagery? Fenton argues that as ministry develops, the pastor will eventually be faced with challenges where he has the opportunity to grow in competency in every area of pastoral leadership, communication, and care. But unfortunately, the monopolization of these broad categories of ministry leaves little room for lay ministry, and perhaps as well an unnecessary burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the pastor. I think about the apostles commissioning of stewards to take care of the needs of widows in the Acts Church. It doesn’t seem like Fenton would be willing to allow for such delegation. For article see: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2000/winter/18.108.html?start=1

Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership is based on the idea that effective organizations foster and draw upon the flow of ideas from throughout the organization. In order to do that, the organization must be structured to facilitate that process:

· An open environment built on trust and integrity. People must feel empowered to offer new ideas and provide constructive feedback.

· A team of passionate individuals with integrity, motivation, capacity, understanding, knowledge, and experience (in that order).

· A strategic framework to set goals. Goals and processes should align with the mission of the organization.

· A process to encourage and capture ideas. The process should include steps that agree upon goals and objectives, define and measure success, brainstorm and prioritize tasks, and allow team members to assume responsibility for tasks.

· A leader willing to step aside. The key in leading collaboratively is that decision-making is decentralized. The leader wields influence more than authority, shares information and accountability, and trusts in the team to accomplish the goals that have been set.

· A focus on purpose and results over personal agendas and control.

While this article does not have a Christian focus, I believe collaborative leadership could be used beneficially in the church setting. As the author states, “It's no longer enough to respond to change—organizations must lead change or be left behind.” Rather than being led by the changing dynamics of an increasingly more secularized society, the church must become a laboratory of ideas that remain true to the Gospel and meet the needs of the people it strives to reach for Christ.

Leading From the Margins

In Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones’ edited work An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, Tim Keel present as article entitled, Leading from the Margins. In this article he notes a contemporary shift “altering our basic understanding of reality.” As Keel points out, there was, and is, an occurring shift from a modern milieu, which “was ruled by science and structures of control” to a postmodern milieu, which operates on “creative, artistic, intuitive, organic, prophetic and poetic” structures. As Tim states, this shift in emphases necessitates a shift in our approach to leadership.

This is not to say that one must be creative and intuitive to be a leader, but it does mean that it will require them to create the necessary space for people with these skills to lead. As Tim states, “Leaders in the emerging world must be able to help create, shape, and nurture environments where life can emerge and grow organically.” The previous power structure and leadership style, only aided in the marginalization of creative and intuitive forms of leadership. Tim Keels thesis is that “we need men and women who have previously been on the margins to come forth and lead us. [Because] in focusing so exclusively on our cognitive capacities, we have lost our imagination.”

Minding the Gap

This article is about a gap in a leader's vision for the congregation and the strategies and systems in place for the congregation to implement the vision. The author mentions how several leaders are great at communicating their vision and getting the people of the congregation unified behind the vision. However, pastors lack implementing strategies and systems in place for the members of the congregation to carry out the vision the pastor has for the community. According to the author, this causes people to do "church" instead of the vision. He says that it leads to the church having a different vision than the church down the street but they both function in the same way. The writer gives leaders five warning signs of this gap being in their particular congregation. The first is the loudest person in the church will decide the strategies and systems of the church. The second is the loss of staff and lay leaders to other churches because they have not been empowered. The third is good people with good intentions will try to fill the gap thus causing the church to be pulled in several directions. The fourth is more meetings being required in regards to the vision because it has not been clearly articulated. The last warning sign is the giving plateaus or declines because people do no know what they are giving to. It is important to note that this article is a part of the series and the next part is about the biblical basis for implementing strategies and systems in the church.

Genuine and False Burdens

Note: You do have to create an account to watch this video, but Pastor Mark Driscoll's resources are a great resource for both young and established pastors.

In this video, Pastor Mark clarifies what many misunderstand when Paul says to “bear one another’s burdens” in Galatians 6:2-5. Mark argues that as pastors we must be discerning as to what constitutes a “burden” or not. Many times we as leaders are asked (or ask others) for help when it is clearly something that they/we are capable of doing on our own. A genuine burden is not something for which we are clearly responsible. An example of something that is a false burden that Pastor Mark gives is a man asking him to call him every morning because he has trouble getting out of bed to go to work. Clearly, this man ought to be capable of getting out of bed himself.

If we as leaders do not distinguish between the genuine and false, we will go around carrying “50 backpacks of everybody else’s load.” But “then a real load comes” and we as leaders will be unable to respond. Often leaders do this with good intentions (compassion, willingness, and even call). With that mentality, we will be overwhelmed with all the things that others should be carrying themselves or even what other members of the body should be helping them carry. Even more, when we carry false burdens we are actually stifling spiritual growth. Pastors need to help facilitate a type of culture where people own what they need to own while at the same time are sensitive to what is genuinely a need. If we do not, we will create consumers instead of genuine burden carrying disciples.

(260 words minus the note)

Taking the First Step

As a visionary leader, we are constantly dreaming and visioning about the future. There is always the hope for what can be and the future possibilities. Yet what keeps me from stepping forward in my pursuit of these dreams? Of course, as a Christian, I say things like, “I don’t know if it is God’s will for my life,” but did I actually take time to pray about this dream? Most likely not.

Michael Hyatt says that this is because I am, we are, afraid to take the leap because of the uncertainty. We want to be guaranteed that we will succeed, and how shape that success will take. Yet every choice, every risk we take, is based upon limited and incomplete information. We do not know exhaustively all the potential outcomes. If we allow this lack of certainty to cause us to risk, then Hyatt says we risk “dying with the music in you.”

And it is interesting that as we step out and make the decision to risk, the provisions and unexpected resources and encouragement we receive. There would have been no way to account for these additional motivators. They could only be experienced through the risk taking of commitment.

It is the very experience of risk taking and stepping out on our dreams that reveal God’s ability to come through with all the resources that you needed. It is one thing to say God will provide. It is entirely another thing to attempt something as a leader that will fail if God does not come provide.

Leadership and character are one

Ghandi said “One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.” Since many of us today would agree that leadership is influence, we can also see very clearly that other parts of our lives that are not going so well could affect our leadership influence no matter how good we might be in our profession. James C. Hunter states in his book, The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle, “Leadership development and character development are one.” I agree with this statement having core values that we strive to uphold will create boundaries for us to work on. We must continually be working on our character to provide effective leadership. One important ingredient is missing here: the environment in which you lead. These traits are truly “inspirational;” however, a person would be seen as “odd” or “not of the group” and likely ostracized, never able to advance because the environment of the company or organization would not value these traits. It is amazing to me how it is assumed that “positive character” is seen as universally accepted and revered – it is not. It is important for a person to assure that the “environment” lines up with a person’s value system. Some environments may not allow you to lead. This is when you make tough decision to leave those environments. Having the ability to say no when no one is looking is having the strength of character to do the uncomfortable thing,

Prayer: The Leader's Secret Weapon

On page 28 in the Leading Today section of the May / June 2011 issue of Preaching Stan Toler has an article called Prayer: The Leader’s Secret Weapon. The article states

“Everyone depends on a leader for answers. “Where do we go next?” “What’s our goal?” “Should we move or wait?” It’s the leader who must make these decisions.”

When discussing leadership we often differentiate between secular leadership and church leadership, sometimes techniques that are used in the secular leadership are discounted. This is a mistake because there are things that are done in the secular world that will work just as well in the church. Prayer is one of the things that leaders in the secular world do well to learn from church leadership.

Without prayer when people come to the leader with the questions where do we go? What do we do? The only one that the leader has to turn to is themselves. The leader will be depending on their own skills, knowledge, or network of people that they know to find answers, sometimes these things will just not be enough. Without prayer these leaders have nothing to turn to greater than themselves.

In the article Toler discusses how the Christian leader has prayer to help them in time of need. There are four things that the leaders should be praying for.

Perspective: What is the big picture?

Wisdom: The ability to make the correct choices.

Guidance: Just as other ask the leader for Guidance the leader ask God for guidance.

Strength: The strength to endure.

"He meant Fair Well...."

Life church is one of those rare gold minds that is too good not to share. In fact I found it appropriate to quickly share one of their Social media Guidelines. Yeah, this church actually has a document that states their social media guidelines. I think that social media is a great outlet to reach the lost and defend the Christian faith. I think that it is a great way to connect. I think blogging is great! However, we need to be even more careful, as leaders, to be extra vigilant and cautious in everything that we post. I appreciated this little gem from the document:” “When in doubt, go positive. Whether you’re responding to a snarky comment, frustrated with a vendor, or trying to decide if you should write about something that’s bothering you, you’ll never regret taking the high road.” So often in today’s fast paced world we post pictures, comments, and tweet amidst being stalled at a red light. I can actually take a picture of a guy giving me the finger and text it to everyone I know before I get home on my daily commute. The ability to multi task and never actually concentrate on one thing at any time dominates our social media lifestyles. I am reminded of a situation that Rob Bell recently faced with comments such as, “Farewell Rob Bell.” Would the pastor who sent this tweet have been so quick in pressing the send button if he had sat down and thought about the backlash (both for and against)? We as leaders are called to a higher standard. We are not able to just vomit our emotional opinion on line no matter how witty or clever. The consequences and stakes are too high. (Please note that my post is 256 words w/o quote-website http://open.lifechurch.tv/tools)

ANOTHER GREAT WEEK

This marks the end of week 4 and the beginning of week 5.

You are doing great! I really enjoy reading your blogs. You are finding some great resources.

Dan Lawson

Who's Holding Up Your Arms? (Wk 5)

This morning I received an email from my mom telling me about how her car is in the shop and various stresses in ministry. My first thought was, you need to find someone to keep your arms up. It’s a reference from Exodus 17 when the Israelites are fighting the Amalekites. When Moses holds his arms up toward heaven, the Israelites are winning, but when he puts them down, they begin to lose. Eventually Moses becomes tired and can no longer hold up his arms—yet his friends do, until the war is finally won.

This blog raises the question for leaders in ministry, who is holding your arms up? We may be called to ministry and to be the leader of such a ministry, but we all know we cannot do it on our own. How willing are we to accept the assistance of others? And who are our “arm holders”? Who is fit and appropriate for such a job? Your spouse? Your mother? Your staff? Someone completely unconnected to your ministry?

The author gives three steps for finding “arm-holders” in our lives. First, she writes, “Take it to God.” Pray and ask for a divine reveal of these trusted friends. Second, we need to take risks in developing these deep relationships. Finally, she reminds us that this takes time. However, we know that our sustainability as a leader is dependent upon accepting the help of others. How willing are you to ask someone else to hold you up?

Recapturing the Art of Inspiration

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
- John Quincy Adams ---- Vision often has a integral role in how one defines leadership. The ability to see that which is to come, that which is to be attained, or that to which the group should strive is the classical understanding of vision. John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States, seems to indicate however that there is a fundamental aspect of leadership in relation to vision casting that is not included in the above parameters of vision, namely the inspiration of others. It is one thing to understand the possibilities an organization, or in our case a church, can achieve. It is another thing altogether to inspire those who have vested interest in the future of the church to become personally active and responsible for that vision. I fear this is a lost art, especially in the realm of pastoral leadership. Too often I find the traditional pastor using his or her leadership privileges to negatively challenge a congregation in respect to what they are not. As we all should know, it is much more effective to inspire a group based on who they are and who they can become as opposed to placing guilt on them to be more because of what they lack. Adams seems to imply that without this keen understanding and employment of inspirational vision, the leader ceases to lead. Perhaps it is the recapturing of the vision of who the Church can be that will actually save us from our current drowning.

The Cosmopolitan Servant Leader

In the area of leadership the model that seems to be the Servant Leader model, this article by Allen H. Quist, speaks about how be even better in Servant Leadership by being a Cosmopolitan Servant Leader. Quist indicated ten characteristics of a Servant Leader: “(a) they listen with all of their minds, (b) they empathize with the people in difficulty, (c) they make the people around the feel stronger, (d) are aware of the their surroundings, (e) they use persuasion, (f) they have big ideas, (g) they are intuitive, they see the outcomes of the present action, (h) they consider themselves in a stewardship role, (i) they value people, hoping to see them grow and (j) they serve the community around them.”

The aspect of a Cosmopolitan Servant Leader combined with the above are: “the ability to prepare followers, focus followers, and activate followers.”

This article combines the global approach of the Cosmopolitan Leader with the ability to help others understand their own competencies and their weakness and use both to enhance the organization. Because most leadership is based on statistical data that is not actually represented in the real-life people who are a part of any organization he wanted to let the reader know the importance of combining the two aspects of leadership. In my opinion this model helps a leader not only get the most from the follower, but also helps the follower the by understanding the follower and using their competencies to help the follower become better as well as to enhance to the organizations effectiveness.

You can read the article in the Journal of Strategic Leadership.