So You Want to Lead – 4

So You Want to Lead – 4

Subject: Developing Leaders in the Church

by Rick Welborne

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.”

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

A. Character

B. Competence

--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.

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.”

--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. We have a destination in mind.

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. 

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

D. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Communication.

–It is imperative that leaders keep their people regularly informed about what is taking place in their church, business, or family. 

–There are so many ways of getting information to people...video announcements, bulletins, e-mail, web-sites...the idea is to over inform so that your credibility is high.

–My professors over emphasized that too much information is better than too little...I wholeheartedly agree.  

E. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Conviction.

–One of the apparent needs in the church and other institutions is leadership with conviction.

Steven Bornstein and Anthony Smith - conviction is the passion and commitment a person demonstrates toward his or her vision. Thus, conviction consists of two key ingredients - passion and commitment.

–Conviction is not a list of the things we abstain from but it is a passion, a commitment to be pro-active for what is important to the Lord, His will.

–Passion is all about how deeply we care or how strongly we feel about our life or the vision God has given us.  

–The other side of conviction is commitment. Passion affects the emotions, whereas, commitment tends to be more rational. 

–It involves the leader’s conscious intentional investment of time and effort to be sure that a vision or cause is realized. The leader’s commitment signals what is important to that leader and what ultimately will get done.

F. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Courage.

–Courage supplies the strength to lead in these difficult circumstances, meaning that courageous leaders are strong and unlikely to quit. 

–Courage displays itself in leaders when they are willing to stand up for their beliefs in difficult situations, confront others, admit mistakes (be vulnerable), change their view when wrong, and not quit.

–The payoff is exceptional credibility and influence, because followers like what they see in courageous leaders.

G. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Care.

–Everybody wants to know that someone cares about them and have their best interest in mind. When people sense that someone cares, they tend to trust that person.

Acts 20:28-29 (NKJV)
²⁸  Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
²⁹  For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

–In the same way, congregations and employees trust leaders who demonstrate their care.

Theodore Roosevelt:   People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

–Care is the leader’s demonstration of concern for the well-being of his or her followers that flows from love for them. God cares for His people and He wants us to care for them too.

Ex 4:31 (NLT)

31 The leaders were soon convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. And when they realized that the LORD had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.  

John 21:16 (NLT)

16 Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said. 

–In 1Peter 5:2 Peter points out that our followers are under our care. Care involves respecting them and having their best interest at heart.

–We need to try to be aware of people’s needs, hurts, and fears and be willing to help them deal Scripturally with these matters.

–When we do, we shouldn’t be surprised that these people trust our leadership and grant us the credibility (influence) that we need to lead them on behalf of our Savior.

H. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Composure.

–Unfortunately most Christian leaders (except for some Christian counselors) have largely ignored the emotional dimension of leadership in ministry.

–Because of our John Wayne culture - ‘don’t let-em see ya cry’ - mentality we have cultivated men that are not in touch with their emotions.

–Satan has convinced the average male in America that masculinity is all about being emotionally tough...men are not supposed to show much emotion except for anger. Our culture is shifting…feminizing our men.

–So what’s the big deal?  This mentality can have a devastating effect on a congregation or a family.

–Because the way leaders handle their emotions creates a culture that sets the mood or climate for a ministry, business, or the home.

Malphur: A healthy composure creates a climate where information is shared, leaders are trusted, learning flourishes, and risks are taken.  An unhealthy emotional composure creates a setting swarming with fear and anxiety.

–Composure is the leader’s consistent display of appropriate emotional health or maturity that sets a positive ministry mood, especially in difficult or crisis situations.

–In light of our discussion, strong, healthy composure builds leadership credibility, while poor composure, or the expression of inappropriate emotions, is the silent killer of credibility...Be angry and sin not!

–To have a composure that leads to ministry credibility and influence, a leader must develop emotional well-being that fosters a positive, healthy ministry culture. One of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible:

John 11:35 (NKJV) 

35 Jesus wept. 

III. Leadership willing to be the Change They Want to See

2 Kings 7:3 (NLT)
³  Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.

--Be the change you want to see…like these lepers in this story I want us to realize that we bear responsibility in changing whatever we consider to be out of whack in our home, church, or business.

--They were starving, their city was starving, and everything seemed hopeless until they made the decision to do something…Why should we sit here waiting to die…why sit here until we die?

--Now you can make a decision to stay where you are, and if you do, there is not too much I can do to help you but if you are ready for change…get ready for insight that will help you.

A. To be the change you want to see; attitude will be everything.

Rob Ketterling: Attitude is everything. Your posture will send a message that you’re all in or always looking for the next reason to opt out. If, however, you accept the challenge to invest personally, emotionally, and spiritually in accomplishing a shared vision, you can help create movement and achieve extraordinary change.

--In any institution it is easy to sit in the back ground and criticize the decisions and actions of those who are leading. It is not easy to become the change you want to see take place.

--This attitude…this decision is precisely what defines both those who hold organizations back and those who propel them forward.

--Many of us will say we want to see change and change is really what it is all about. Change doesn’t begin out there somewhere…it begins with us individually. We must have the attitude of Jesus.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
⁵  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
⁷  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
⁸  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

B. The worst thing about those who stay in the background instead of stepping up is that they have so much to offer their families, their churches, or their organizations.

--Let me clarify that we have all been a part of a job, a family, or even a church that we have seen things that needed to be changed…how we react to that is the key…we either help or we hurt the situation.

Galatians 6:1-3 (NLT)
¹  Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
²  Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
³  If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

C. The danger in you not being the change you want to see is that you become the creator of disunity. 

--Critics have the ability to stir up trouble but if they would use the same energy for the good of the organization what a difference they could make.

--Think about this…when you complain, undermine, and find an audience to listen to all that you are upset with, you risk causing disunity…this is something that needs to be given much thought especially in the church.

John 17:20-23 (NIV)
²⁰  "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
²¹  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
²²  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
²³  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

--If we selfishly have to prove our point we usually create wreckage for the entirety of those who are involved.

When we think we have to win to win, it usually ends up with division. Don’t try to be right, be righteous!