“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Bill Gates

We will not be able to sufficiently cover every area associated with the idea of empowering others. However, the more I learn the more I am convinced we must be diligent to the task of empowering others to lead.

We must eliminate the mindset of “if you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself.” We cannot allow our ego, pride, fear of replacement, or any other area hinder us from helping others reach their potential.

In reality, the true work of a leader is to empower others to lead.

Identify the skills sets of each individual.

Extend opportunities to learn and grow their abilities.

Provide the necessary tools to succeed.

Motivate, motivate, and motivate more.

Turn it loose and let them work at the task.

Celebrate each success.

When we think of others, along with the overall good and purpose of the church, we will stop procrastinating the need at hand. Develop others to lead, empower them, and watch how God will work to make it grow.

Our country celebrates a very special day each year at this time called Thanksgiving. Families and friends gather to share a meal and enjoy time together.

A common thought is often expressed in the need to be thankful everyday and not just one day each year. We would all agree, and I believe most of us do express our gratitude.

Spiritual leaders have much for which to be thankful. The God-given responsibility of leading can be a heavy burden, but the rewards are rich in eternal blessings. I will not be able to exhaust the list, but let me share a few. I am thankful for the…

…incredible God who created me, loved me, and was willing to die for me.

…beautiful wife, children and grandchildren that surround my life.

…wonderful opportunity of working with the greatest people on earth, Christians.

…generosity of trust from the faithful supporters who make this work possible.

…abundant blessings of both a physical and spiritual nature.

…perfect Word that provides direction, strength, hope, and promise.

If we think about it, there are many areas for which we should be thankful. Give thanks.

I remember seeing the movie based on Jules Verne’s book Around The World In 80 Days. Just the thought of traveling in a hot air balloon around the world was exciting. The places to see and people to meet, the adventure all seemed thrilling.

Advancing to the 21st century has ushered in a few changes. Seeing places, meeting people, or experiencing adventure no longer takes 80 days, or 80 minutes, or even 80 seconds.  In less than one-second, with the touch of a button, all of these can be experienced through the internet.

Technology has certainly changed the way we view, and how our life is connected to, the world.

Leading in such a time has caused us to drastically rethink how we approach relationships with family, friends, and organizations, including the church.

The speed of communication has made it possible to address matters instantly that took months just a few years ago.

What this means for leaders is an opportunity for expediting the message of the gospel to the world. How are we using the tools God has given us to communicate the hope of Christianity?

Life is filled with the process of making decisions. The challenging nature of making decisions is often wrapped up in the multiplicity of options available.

While many of the decisions we make have little or no consequence to them, there are some decisions that change the course of our lives physically and eternally.

One of the greatest struggles in leadership is knowing that decisions change the course of our own lives, but also the lives of others who are following. Perhaps this is why we are warned about being teachers of God’s word, knowing we will face a stricter judgment (Jas. 3:1).

A few simple ideas will help us in the decision making process.

Pray for help, strength and guidance in this decision.

Remember, indecision is a decision. We must decide!

Investigate all possible consequences to the decision.

Do not always decide on the “easiest” course of action.

Give complete dedication to the decision made.

Always consider the motive behind the decision.

If we will take a moment to consider a few simple steps, we can develop greater confidence in our decisions.

Before you begin thinking this idea is about firing every staff member, let me give some background.

After several years of accumulating “stuff” in my office, it was time to do some deep cleaning. Several trips to the dumpster, a can of wood cleaner, and about 5 hours of time, created a much cleaner and healthier work environment. However, there were some reasons more related to leadership underlying the decision to clean house.

1) Perception is reality. As leaders, we need to consider the perception others may have of who we are by the way our office looks. Is the perception sloppy or neat? Lazy or diligent? Indifferent or serious?

2) Appearance communicates volumes. As much as we may not like to think about it, the appearance of our work environment communicates priorities, time management, and professionalism.

3) Morale increases with organization. Knowing the office space where I work is cleaner and more organized makes it more exciting for me to be in the office. An increase in productivity should be the result.

If we, as leaders, would do a little house cleaning occasionally, we might find a healthier leadership.

“I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” Ralph Nader

Leaders producing more leaders is not a unique thought to Mr. Nader. John Maxwell’s spin states, “If you want to grow, lead followers. If you want to multiply, lead leaders.”

The picture is basically the same. The emphasis is on reproducing leadership.

From my limited observation, I have seen and heard about struggles within the church concerning the lack of leadership. The church seems to be reaping the consequences of little or no planning over the past 40-50 years for future leaders.

I am not trying to cast blame or make blanket accusations. I am only expressing a limited observation. You are free to agree or disagree.

However, regardless of agreeing or disagreeing concerning this assessment, the truth remains the same. We must plan and prepare now for the leadership of the church for tomorrow.

We need to…

Encourage the young and old to prepare themselves for leadership.
Provide opportunities to learn how to lead.
Mentor leadership within the family.

Let us begin today preparing for tomorrow.

Approaching the end of November is always a reminder of Thanksgiving. Everyone seems to enjoy the time together with family and friends while enjoying a delicious meal.

More often than not, the male side of the equation is not as in tune with the planning that goes into the wonderful activities of the day. The female side of this equation, however, knows it is all in the planning.

From the time I was a child I witnessed my grandmother, mother, and now my wife, plan for weeks in advance for one meal.

The menu must be just right (although it is generally the same each year), the perfect ingredients purchased, and the timing of when to begin the cooking process must follow schedule.

I wonder what our leadership would look like if we gave the same attention to planning in the various areas of developing who we are as a leader, the activities we pursue toward the goal, and the preparation of others to reach their potential.

Considering the whole of spiritual leaders, we can easily say “It’s all in the planning.”

Southwest Airlines offers a program called “Rapid Rewards.” The incentive is to fly Southwest Airlines and accumulate points that can be converted into rewards, i.e. free flights or merchandise.

What fascinates me is the marketing terminology used to appeal to our desire for the immediate.

Our culture is one driven by the immediate. We get frustrated when we pull up to a “drive through” and have to wait 2-3 minutes for a fast-food restaurant to bring our food to the car.

With the use of microwaves, computers, cell phones, and high speed internet, we tend to expect everything in an instant.

Sadly, this carries over into various areas of our leadership.

We want to take a class, read a book, or search the internet to find all we need to know about leadership. Lifelong development is not appealing.

We also place expectations on others with the same mindset. We expect others to make life altering changes immediately.

While we find benefits and consequences to the rapid approach to leadership, we are better served to learn we grow into the leader God is shaping us to be over a lifetime.

Several years ago I heard an equation I thought interesting and accurate. If it is true, then it leaves us with the need to understand each component.

Ability + opportunity = responsibility

Everyone has ability. These abilities fall into the categories of natural, acquired and spiritual (God given). Not everyone has the same ability, thus the design of the church so it will function properly, as God designed it (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12).

Opportunities are circumstances presenting possibility. The interesting fact about opportunities is that unless we can see the possibility, we will never take advantage of the opportunity. We must recognize the possibilities and look for the opportunities God provides.

Therefore, we are responsible to use our abilities, consider the possibilities, and seek the God given opportunities.

Imagine what God could do through us in changing our community, or maybe the world, if we were to assume such responsibility.

Perhaps it would help us to consider the fact that we are going to be held accountable for what we do in this physical body. Let us take our responsibility seriously.

Numerous statistics, at the extremes, exist concerning the perspective people have about being a leader.

One report claims that 70-80% of people think they are a leader and only 2-3% actually are a leader. Another report claims that only 2-3% even see themselves as a leader.

Wherever you and I fall into this statistical information, leading others is the chance of a lifetime. I do not say this because of the glory, glamor, power or prestige that may be affiliated with the idea of leading others. More accurately, I say it for opposite reasons.

We know the blessing of being a Christian. We know the significance of what God has done for us through Christ. We know the beautiful nature of the church Jesus came to build. We also know the responsibility God’s word teaches us of leading others to Jesus.

Consider the opportunity of helping someone who is walking in darkness see the light, leading them out of the consequences of sin into the joy of salvation.

Now that is a chance of a lifetime! Think Souls.