Though it has been a few weeks
since I posted the last discussion on biblical leadership, I am returning to
that all-important subject. So far we have examined the first four
components of leadership as set forth in the Pastoral Epistles and confirmed
elsewhere in the Bible. We have discovered biblical leaders must do the
following:
Lay before self and others our
ultimate purpose—God’s glory by enjoying him.
Embody love as a key purpose in
the church.
Attend to truth as a very
important means of accomplishing our purposes in the Church.
Depend upon God with a humble,
praying, Holy-Spirit-trusting, gospel-directed life.
This now brings us to the mid-way point in our discussion and to the
heart of what leaders do. It has been said that, “Spiritual leadership
[is] knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means
in reliance on God’s power.”[1] This
succinct statement uncovers the essence of what leaders do as communicated in
our fifth leadership principle:
Escort others
in the right direction courageously, even when it is hard.
This
Truth Supported From The Pastoral Epistles
Because we live in a
fallen, broken world that opposes God, often leading in the right direction
means that we are calling people to go places that run counter to where they
want to go at the moment. So, sometimes, we must graciously, but firmly,
correct people when they are wrong (2 Tim. 2:24-26), call people away from the
false teaching they are propagating (1 Tim. 1:3-4), and understand that not all
will be convinced we are going the right direction—and so won’t go with us
(1:19-20). The Christian leader is called to lead, not out of fear, but instead
out of his God-given power, love, and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7), not out of
shame, but boldly (2 Tim. 1:8)—and the strength for this comes from the grace
that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 1:12; 2:1). Biblical leaders must lead
faithfully according to God’s truth, no matter how many agree or oppose him (2
Tim. 3:1-17; 4:1-5; Titus 1:9-16). In other words, true biblical leaders lead
people in accordance with the gospel, the core of the Bible, and so lead them
in the way God wants them to go (cf. 1 Tim. 1:11; Titus 2:1-15, esp. 15). The
biblical leader gains his courage and hope not only from the Lord working in
him (2 Tim. 1:7), but also from keeping his eyes on his ultimate prize—i.e. the
eternal perspective (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
This fifth component
of leadership reminds the leader he must have a good idea of where God wants
him to take the church or the ministry he oversees and, keeping in mind the
other principles of leadership, he must boldly lead in that direction.
This
Truth Supported From The Rest Of The Bible
The Bible is full of
leaders who have been called to lead courageously in the direction that God was
calling his people to go and to keep going in dependence on God when things are
hard.
Here are some examples.
Moses was called to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised
Land, even when it was hard (e.g. Exodus 4-12, 15-17; 32-34) and when he was repeatedly
opposed (e.g. Numbers 14, 16). Joshua was the successor to Moses as Israel’s
leader and was called by God to follow God’s Word closely and so lead the
people with strength and great courage, since God would be with him (Joshua
1:1-9). Nehemiah was called by God to give leadership to the rebuilding of the
wall around Jerusalem so that God’s post-exilic people could be protected, and
also to lead them in accordance with God’s Word (Neh. 1:4-11; 8:1), even though
there was much opposition (e.g. Neh. 4, 6). And, of course, Jesus is our
ultimate example of a leader who lived and led in accordance with God’s Word
(John 4:34; 5:30; 8:28-29), to take God’s people where they needed to go (Eph.
5:25-27; Philippians 2:5-11; Heb. 12:2), even though he faced much opposition
(e.g. John 1:10-11; 11:46-57; 18:1-19:42).
Practical Application Of This Truth
1. Leaders must develop a certain degree of
competence in leading and managing (1 Tim. 3:4-5). This includes developing
good skills at dealing with people and also setting purpose and mission for
ministry and being able to cast vision in that direction.
“If you want
to build a ship, don’t [only] drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and
give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn
for the vast and endless sea.” -From Milfred Minatrea at an
April 8, 2006 workshop.
“Choose whom to lose. By being clear upfront
about who we are and are not, we will cause some people not to join us. That is a good thing. We want to clearly communicate our mission
and values BEFORE people are invested relationally. Better to lose them up
front. It is kinder to them, and it is
wise shepherding for us.” - Brad Brinson, Two Rivers Church
2. A sense of vision for purpose and mission
tends to leak from a church or organization. This means that a leader is wise
to keep the vision regularly in front of people.
3. When it comes to casting vision for the
purpose and mission, it is necessary to be clear, simple, and memorable so
people can get their heads and hearts around it and follow it.
4. Leaders are well-served by an ability to
set goals along with other leaders and to guide others in implementing those
goals.
5. Leaders lead well when they are led by the
Spirit. See Luke 4:1, 18; Col. 1:9.
“Join God in what he is doing. When God is blessing something we should
ask, “How can we pour jet fuel on what He has ignited?” We must ask, “How can
we join God in what He is doing?” - Brad Brinson, Two Rivers Church
6. Some of the hardest areas in which a
Christian leader will lead have to do with those where men outside and even
inside the church may disagree. In such cases, we can run up against
deeply-held beliefs on the part of others who very quickly become angered when
they are opposed or when opposing the leader. The wise leader meets anger with
grace and care, but also with firmness and confidence in what the Spirit has
led him to do through the Word (cf. Prov. 15:1; 1 Tim. 3:2, 3; 2 Tim. 2:24-26).
“Be patient
with immaturity, but [deal quickly with] rebellion. We all make mistakes. Teachable people welcome coaching when they
blow it and get better. But if you encounter a person refusing correction- [do not
give undo time to them]. They are a
train wreck waiting to happen. Help them
crash before they hurt others.” (See Titus 3:10) -Brad Brinson, Two Rivers Church
7. It is true that leaders should want to prepare
and plan for projects well (Prov. 6:6-10) that they might be done with
excellence (Prov. 14:35; 22:29; 31:10-31; Is. 60:5-9, 13-14; Dan. 6:1-5).
However, the leader also must be careful not to fall into a perfectionism that
is often fearful to “pull the trigger” on a ministry or project. It must be
remembered that few things take off perfectly or without the need of being
tweaked or fixed down the road. Perfectionism can kill the leader and his
effectiveness, just as a lack of preparation can.
8. Do not be paralyzed by fear of situations
or people (Psalm 56:3-4; 9-11; 2 Tim. 1:7). Our courage comes from God and is
built upon our view of him and his presence with us (see Josh. 1:6-9; Is.
46:8-11).
9. Don’t fear the “big ask.” People will
rarely rise above where you set the bar. However, often they will rise to the
bar. The only way we can call people to where God wants them to be is often to
give them the “big ask.”
10. As you lead people, you can remember that
we can glean help from leaders who are not necessarily Christian leaders.
However, don’t let the extra-biblical-material-on-leadership wag the
missional/biblical dog. If we are to remain truly biblical leaders, we must not
lose sight of how the Bible defines the world, people, us, and our task.
11. Understand that some will be better at
this fifth aspect of leadership than others, but it is only one aspect of
leadership. Some are super at this and yet fail since they fail in other key areas
(see especially #’s 1, 2, and 6!).
12. Though God works through means and we must
give attention to those means (e.g. planning: Prov. 6:6-10), we are not to
trust ultimately in means, but in God. See Pss. 20:7; 44:4-7; 144:1.
13. Memorize and pray this fifth principle often.
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