Leadership Principles
While in Uganda I was asked by the local pastor to speak at
a leadership conference. The
following are the main points I gave to these local church leaders and church planters:
1. The most important thing you bring to your
church is a spiritually-alive leader; do whatever it takes to remain
spiritually healthy.
What those we lead need more than anything else is not some
dynamic and charismatic personality.
It is not bold and aggressive leadership. It is not radical quotes on facebook and twitter. Rather, what those we lead need from us
more than anything else is a strong walk with God. They need to see us in love with Jesus. They need to see us spending time with
God. They need to see us growing
in the Lord. Therefore, do
whatever you need to do in order to stay close with God. If you are getting burned out because
you have been too busy to seek the Lord, then cancel appointments and get to a private
place for a day or more in order to get alone with God and get your heart
revived in Him.
2. Walk in humility; order to get God’s grace.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1
Peter 5:6). We sure don’t want God
opposing us in ministry. We have enough
things and people opposing us, already.
Oh, how we need God’s grace.
Humility is the pathway to God’s grace. To be humble means we realize we are nothing without God,
and can do nothing without God. At
the same time, to be humble means we know we can do all things through Christ
who strengthens us, but the emphasis is on “through Christ who strengthens us.”
3. Keep a wet blanket on your fatal flaw, lest
it burn your house down and possibly burn other houses down, as well.
Each of us has a fatal flaw. Our fatal flaw is that area of our life which we are most
prone and vulnerable to sin in. It
is that “besetting sin”/”sin that so easily entangles” spoken of in Hebrews
12:1. This area may never be taken
away. It might be there to keep us
more dependent on God. In any
case, it is that smoldering fire in the corner of our living room. If we don’t keep a wet blanket on this
smoldering fire, it can burn ours and other houses down. To keep a wet blanket on a fatal flaw
involves not putting ourselves in a tempting situation, having others hold us
accountable, being in God’s Word, keeping short accounts with God, and quickly
repenting if we even get close to falling. What is your fatal flaw? What are you doing to make sure it doesn’t burn your house
down?
4. Don’t sacrifice your family on the altar of
ministry.
Too many pastors get so busy, they neglect their
family. One of the qualifications
for an elder in God’s church is being able to manage his own family (1 Timothy
3). This is sobering and
challenging. For me, I need to
listen to my wife when she warns me of being too busy about the things of God
that I forget the most important disciples under my care: my family!
5. Depend totally on the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John
15:5). Do we really believe
this? I sure do. I know that without God’s power, no one
I minister to will ever be changed.
I am so grateful for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. He is available to us today! We must minister in the power of the
Spirit. We must ask Him to fill us over and over again. “Be ye continually filled with the
Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
6. Build into the lives of future leaders.
Paul told Timothy, “The things you have heard from me in the
presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable me, who will be able to teach
others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Like
Jesus, we must be strategic about how we spend our time. Jesus’ most fruitful time was not with
the masses, but rather with the twelve men He discipled. Who are we investing in? Who are we discipling? We are we equipping to take over when
we are gone?
7. Always be going deeper with God, as your
church can never grow deeper than its pastors and leaders.
Effective leaders are those who are always going deeper with
God. We need to be in the Word,
reading good books, shepherding our own heart, pursuing more of God, etc. Our church will never go deeper than we
go. We set the pace. Our people need to see us growing in
progressive sanctification. What
am I doing to “work out my salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians
2:12)?
8. Preach the Word.
This sounds so obvious and yet so few are doing it
today. Isaiah 55 says the Word
will not return void. The power is
in the Word. God blesses His
Word. The only way to speak
confidently and boldly is to speak God’s Word. We never go wrong if we stick to God’s Word. People today are perishing for lack of
knowledge, the knowledge of God’s Word, that is. We must use every available opportunity we have to bring God’s
Word to God’s people so that God’s Spirit can produce Godly disciples of Jesus.
9. Be alert to spiritual attack.
Our enemy, the Devil, is prowling around like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour, but resist him, standing firm in your faith”
(1 Peter 5:8-9). Leaders
have a target on their chest.
Satan goes after leaders, because he knows that if they fall, the
fallout will be great. Too many
leaders have fallen to sexual and financial sin. Be alert. Be aware. Be faithful to God.
I would rather God take my life than my sin cause others to stumble.
10. Listen to God and follow His lead.
Jesus said, “My sheep will hear My voice” (John 10). God wants to lead and direct His
people. God wants to speak to us,
if we will simply get still enough to listen. Take time in prayer to just listen to God and then boldly do
what He says. People today are
hungry for leaders who will listen to God, and follow His lead. The best leaders are followers: followers of the Spirit of God.
11. Seek to birth “Isaacs” by the Spirit
instead of creating “Ishmael’s” in the flesh.
When God gave Abraham the promise of a son, Abraham and
Sarah got impatient and got a son through Hagar. This was a son of the flesh (Ishmael) and not the son of the
Spirit. God wanted them to patiently
wait on the son of the Spirit to be supernaturally birthed through Sarah. Isaac finally came after faith and
patience. I believe we often birth
things in ministry that are more like Ishmael than Isaac. Let’s be willing to wait on the Isaacs
of the Spirit. Let’s seek to do
things through God’s Spirit and not by mere human effort.
12. Allow your weaknesses to push you closer to
God.
God gave Paul a “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him
dependent on God (see 2 Corinthians 12).
This was not pleasant, but it was necessary. His feeling weak was the
very thing God used to help Him tap into God’s power. The same principle applies to us today. God will use our feeling weak to make
us more dependent on His power. I
have learned to embrace my weaknesses in order to experience God’s power.
13. Develop and share your God-inspired vision.
Without a vision the people go unrestrained. People will go off in their own
direction without leaders providing a God-inspired and God-led vision. Vision helps everyone go in the same
direction. We may each have a
different role in accomplishing the vision, but we need a vision to tell us
what direction to head. It is the
job of the leader to get this vision from God.
14. Boldly ask others to come around you to
support your vision.
Once you have a clear vision, it is imperative to recruit
other godly people to support this vision: with involvement, with time, and even with money. Don’t be shy about asking others to
support the vision, assuming you have a Godly vision!
15. Combine truth and grace in every situation.
Moses came with the Law, but Jesus came with Grace and
Truth. Jesus modeled ministry with
Grace and truth in a powerful way.
Sometimes truth was heavier than grace, like with the Pharisees. Other times, grace was heavier than
truth, as when people were sincerely repentant. As we minister as leaders, we should ask God to give us the
wisdom to combine truth with grace in ministry. The best example in the bible is when Jesus ministered to
the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
He told her, “Neither do I condemn you” (i.e., GRACE!) … “go and sin no
more” (i.e., TRUTH!).
16. Make disciples and don’t just win converts.
Jesus made it clear we are to make disciples of all nations
and not just win converts. We make
disciples by preaching God’s Word verse by verse. We make disciples by investing in a few good men. We make disciples by putting structures
in place that help people go deeper with God and one another. I believe the best structure to
accomplish this is small groups that meet in homes and is well led by a godly,
growing disciple.
17. Get your identity from God and not from
your ministry.
As leaders, it is easy to start defining ourselves by our
title or ministry results. This is
dangerous and lethal. It can lead
to pride. Instead, God wants our
identity and OKness with ourselves to come from who we are in Him. This never changes and can never be
taken away. God has given us a new
nature, and our greatest joy in life should come from simply being a child of
God, and not from our ministry achievements.
18. Be encouraged that you are making an
eternal difference.
Don’t be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall
reap if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).
If you are walking with God and serving Him, then you are making an
eternal difference, even if you don’t always see the visible fruit of your
labor. Continue to give yourself
to what will last forever. Be not
distracted by the temporal things in front of you each day.
19. Rest in God being the Lord of the harvest.
Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God causes the
growth. Leaders should sleep well
at night, realizing that only God can ultimately change a life. He does use us, but we are merely a
tool in His hand. The Spirit
convicts of sin to bring about conversion. God works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. As we ministry day in and day
out, let us rejoice that God is always at work to bring about His own glory!
Ministering for God and in God’s power is the greatest
privilege in the world. Continue
to faithfully minister for God’s glory!
Ask God to make you Christ-like and to empower your leadership for His
glory.
