So You Want to Lead - 2

So You Want to Lead - 2

Subject: Developing Leaders in the Church

by Rick Welborne

Mark 1:16-20 (NKJV)
¹⁶  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
¹⁷  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
¹⁸  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
¹⁹  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.
²⁰  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

John 13:13-17 (NKJV)
¹³  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
¹⁴  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
¹⁵  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
¹⁶  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
¹⁷  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

I.  Introduction - John Maxwell’s Law of Influence

Maxwell - “The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.”

–Examples of the Law of Influence: Mother Teresa and Princess Diana

A. Let’s look at this question of leadership in light of Princess Diana.

–Princess Diana has been characterized in many different ways but you have probably never heard of anyone describing her as a leader. Yet that is what she was. Ultimately, she made things happen because she was an influencer, and leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.

--On the service, the two women could not have been more different. One was a tall, young, glamorous princess from England who circulated in the highest society.

--The other, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was a small, elderly Catholic nun born in Albania, who served the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India. 

--In 1996, the year before both died, the London Daily Mail did a poll which concluded that Princess Diana and Mother Teresa were voted number one and number two of the world’s most caring people. 

B. We have a misconception about leadership that if someone has an impressive title or a leadership position, we assume that person must be a leader.

C. Sometimes that is true, but in reality titles don’t have much value when it comes to leading.

D. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned.  It comes from influence and that cannot be mandated, it must be earned.

E. The only thing a title can buy you is time—either to increase your level of influence with others or to erase it.

F. This is especially true in organizations that work with volunteers such as churches...without influence your ministry, class, gift, will be ineffective. 

Harry A. Overstreet - “The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.”

G. Followers in volunteer organizations cannot not be forced to get on board and without influence the leader will not get them to follow him or her.

Dr. Wayne Lee - “Dwight Eisenhower defines leadership as the ability to discern what needs to be done and then get others to do it. Therefore, leadership has to do with accomplishing goals through people. It is the ability to instill confidence and inspire followers. Most leaders agree that leadership is tested by what one leaves behind in others.”

Example: Abraham Lincoln’s struggle with the Law of Influence.

H. John Maxwell’s favorite leadership proverb: “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.

I. If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you.  And if they won’t follow you, you are not a leader. That’s the Law of Influence!

II. Let’s Look at Ingredients to building Leadership Credibility or Influence

A. Character

1. Godly character is the foundation of Christian leadership, the essential qualifying element. Unfortunately, in our society, charisma is more important than character (politicians).

2. Because it earns people’s respect and, most important, produces trust, character is the most crucial factor in all relationships.

3. This may be hard for some to swallow but...Your vision for ministry, your strategy, even your ability to communicate the Bible, are less important than your character. 

4. The truth is...people do not follow the ministry’s mission or vision statement—at least not for long. They follow you, the leader.

5. Only after they are convinced that you are a person of good character who is worthy of leading will they follow the mission and vision you are promoting.

6. To be a leader, you do not have to be the sharpest pencil in the drawer, but you do have to display godly character.

1 Tim 4:8 (NIV)

8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.   

Aubrey Malphurs defines character - the sum total of a person’s distinct qualities, both good and bad, that reflect who he or she is (being) and affect what he or she does (behavior). Who we are affects what we do—being impacts doing.

7. Jesus said that you can recognize people by their fruit. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit.

8. We must all be careful not to become fruit inspectors because nothing hurts good character like being too judgmental. 

9. McIntosh and Rima in their book Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership reminds us that we all have some degree of personal dysfunction. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

10. Character tells me that I must not attempt to get the tooth pick out of my brother’s eye when I have a telephone pole in mine. We all have our junk!

B. Competence

1. According to the research of Kouzes and Posner (two of the premiere authorities on Christian leadership) says that competence is one of the attributes that people look for and admire most in leaders.

2. This helps us to understand the first law of leadership, “If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.”

3. Malphur says that competence is the leader’s capability to perform well in a specific context, having the expertise and ability to get things done.

4. He says competent Christian leaders have the gifts, the knowledge, and the skills needed to perform well in their service to the Savior.

5. A competent leader will have confident followers...true with family, church, and business.  Without competence...insecurity tends to be the result.

6. When God calls us to a place of leadership we can be assured that He will give us the needed gifts to accomplish His will. 

7. Can these gifts be developed?  Yes, through experience and discipleship. 

8. People want their leaders to not only know what to do but how to do it.

9. Knowing what to do is only half of the battle, being able to carry it out assures us of the victory.

10. A competent leader is a confident leader as long as he depends on the Lord instead of his gifts, knowledge, or skill. Every good gift comes from above!

James 1:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
¹⁷  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Malphur: “Finally, our competence has limits (Mat. 25:14-30).  Though we can grow and increase our level of competence by using our gifts, expanding our knowledge of ministry, and further developing our ministry skills, most leaders will eventually reach the limit of their competence. That is when servant leaders are willing to step aside or move to another ministry so as not to hinder God’s work.

C. Clarity of Direction 

Kouzes and Posner in their book Credibility says, “We expect our leaders to have a sense of direction and a concern for the future of the organization.  Leaders must know where they are going.  They must have a destination in mind when asking us to join them on a journey into the unknown.”

1. I often tell new people to come and talk to me about the direction of our church because I tell them that I would not get on a bus unless I knew where it was going.

2. Kouzes and Posner say that clarity of direction is only second to honesty when it comes to leadership credibility.

3. In the uncertain times that we live in people are looking for a clear direction or path to follow that will lead them to their desired destination.

4. All leaders, not just pastors, should be constantly seeking God for his direction in their homes, churches, and families.

Prov 3:56 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

5. The leader and the leadership board should give heartfelt consideration about the direction of the organization, define it, and communicate it clearly to those who choose to follow them.

6. When this happens...the confidence of the people grows while those who are following attribute competence to their leadership.

7. The church’s direction must be twofold. First, it consists of the church’s mission – what Christ has called us to accomplish throughout the world.  

--This is what we call the Great Commission–to make and mature believers at home and abroad.

8. The second direction must consist of the church’s vision.  Vision can be defined as a clear, challenging picture of the future of the church, as leaders believe that it can be and must be. 

9. The vision is what the Great Commission looks like when it is fleshed out by those who have believed and embraced it. 

10. The vision communicates not what is, but what could be.

11. It answers the question: What will it look like around here when our people become passionate about the Great Commission and making disciples.

Habakkuk 2:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.
²  Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
³  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
⁴  "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.