I struggle with leadership. I don’t mean I struggle with leading, but rather I struggle with what leadership is and why leadership is important. Many people think of success when they think of leadership. They think on a large scale and of a large sphere of influence, so that often what happens is that the small things are despised for being small. Of course, those entrusted by God with larger ministries are those that were first faithful in the smaller ones. But again, the small is not always small because we’re being unfaithful or are a bad leader. Others think of success as businessmen think of success: profit and loss. But in the kingdom of God how do we measure profit? Or loss? Growth should be our aim. But is growth always evidenced in an increased budget for the new year? Or are financial struggles always an indication of an unhealthy church? I struggle with the constant focus on leadership as a skill to be learned and perfected. I struggle with the constant bombardment of books on how to do a better job and how to become better. I struggle with the goal and aim of much of what I read on leadership to be rising to the next level, breaking through and breaking out. If I’m honest, I think a lot of this is “me” centered and not “Christ” centered. It’s “ministry” focused, but not truly “Kingdom” focused. I struggle with the motivations behind these goals and aims, and with the goals and aims we are motivated to reach. Could it be that in our pursuit towards big leadership, we are actually doing mini leadership? Leaders that pursue greatness for the sake of greatness are small. Ministry’s that pursue success can be less Biblically successful than they think. Churches that pursue to impact their community could be more marginalized than they care to admit. The result of my struggling has been a personal and pastoral re-evaluation of what leadership is, why do I lead, where am I going, who is following and how can I measure success. Here are ten things that I believe are true of leadership:
1. INSTEAD OF focusing on what type of leader I want to be, I should be focusing on what type of followers I want to have - If the church is to become like the One it follows, than we can also say that the Christian is to become like the leader he or she is following. Positively, this means that if I am following Christ then others will be following Christ. Negatively, if I'm not following Christ and following something or someone else then those that follow me will be also. So, before I ask what type of followers I want to have, I must ask myself who am I following? The leader is supposed to imitate Christ through following Christ. We cannot imitate what we have not seen. Paul encouraged believers to imitate him as he imitated Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Therefore, Christ-likeness must always be the goal of the leader and of his leadership. It should also be the goal of every follower.
2. LEADERSHIP IS first about character, second about skill - Character holds skill in it’s hand and uses it in a way that is according to it’s principles and convictions. Therefore, according to the depth or shallowness of my character my skills will be either useful or wasteful. It’s character that God blesses or withholds blessing from.
3. THE GREATEST WAY to be a leader of men is to be a follower of Jesus Christ - What type of leader was Jesus? What type of followers did He have? Ultimately, followers who became leaders. In the Kingdom of God, it will always be true that those who are most successful in leading (whether it’s their marriage, family, business, ministry, etc.) will be those who are following Christ wholly and fully dependent upon Him. Only after I seek Christ can I lead people.
4. DEFINE LEADERSHIP by discipleship - In Acts 11:26 the disciples were called Christians for the very first time. Being a disciple of Christ is first and foremost in the life of every believer. Only disciples of Christ can be called Christians. The aim and goal of my life in my home and my church is to make disciples. When I see a person growing in Christ, in their love of the Word, in prayer, in their worship and in their Christ-likeness, I rejoice! Leadership is bearing fruit.
5. DO NOT BECOME so consumed with leadership training, ability and success that I use the people I’m leading to prove my leadership! This is self-serving, arrogant and shameful.
6. LEADERSHIP INVESTS in and makes much of the followers for their own good, not for it's own good - I am a servant of Christ to them, those given to my care. God’s love makes it possible for me to be most happy when I’m giving my life for others, not when a lot of people know who I am. Furthermore, while I’m called to serve them by leading, they are called to serve me by following. Both are done out of love for God.
7. LEADERSHIP IN THE KINGDOM is the abandonment of self-pursuit, my own dreams and ideas for the pursuit of Christ, His dream and His ideas - it’s not about me, at all! The godly leader's deepest and highest ambition is the glory of God. When ambition for His glory replaces my ambitions for my glory, both contentment (where I am now) and dreaming (where I am going next) flourish.
8. ALL MEANS AND ENDS of leadership must be subservient to Christ and His Gospel and His Kingdom - If a leader will serve the Gospel, then his leadership will be blessed. Christ died to save sinners in order that they might become disciples (Christians), so that He might build His church on earth and extend His kingdom throughout. My leadership can pretty much be summed up in preaching the Gospel, making disciples and sending them out into the world. Everything has to serve one of these three purposes.
9. A DANGER in leadership is that I can come to believe that I create my own success, that I can hold my heart in my hand, that I know the way, and that I control the future by my gifts and talents.
10. A DANGER in leadership is to take pride in the needs of the people because then I am needed and feel validated and think that I have all the answers - the aim of leadership is to make more leaders, those who are better prepared than me. It’s about transition and passing along the Gospel to the next generation. This means that I desire for people to get better, to grow and mature, so that they can help others without me.
Jared Wilson sums up what I am praying for myself, the leaders of my church and those that we are discipling and sending out: “Dear God, as you send missionaries to New England, please send those more excited about Christ's Lordship than their own leadership.”
good word pollo...
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