Tag: Church

The Future of Leadership

Leading is about the future. From a spiritual perspective, nothing is more important than what the eternal future holds.

However, on a more pragmatic level, leaders need to consider what the future of their leadership looks like.

Will the future hold growth and development for the church or will we be stagnant?

Will our vision point to a future where leadership is stronger or will leadership decline?

Asking questions can be unending. Yet, in the end, we must consider the necessity of planning today to ensure the future of growth and stronger leadership.

To do so, requires us to have a vision for it!

God’s Design for Leadership

God’s design involves the necessity of leadership in the home, church, and world. The foundation, however, that motivates us to establish leadership in each area narrows down to this one point: eternity matters.

Why would God’s design include the role of leadership within the home, church, and world? Because God knows eternity matters.

He understands the brevity of our life on this earth. He longs to share what He has prepared for us.

If we could wrap our minds around this great truth, eternity matters, our entire perspective just might change and the direction for every area of our life would become a bit more urgent.

Pray and Prepare

How can we focus on leadership development?

First, we must pray. Recently, it was suggested that the church spend a Sunday evening in prayer for the leaders of our country. While this is needed, should we not be more concerned with praying about leaders for the church? What will become of the church if we have the leaders we want for our country, but have no leaders in the church?

Second, we must be diligent to prepare others to lead. Consider the fact that we diligently prepare, train, and educate leaders in the corporate setting. Somehow, we have not exercised the same diligence in the church, and we are experiencing the consequences.

The Urgency of Leadership

A description of the need to study leadership covers a wide spectrum. God’s design is the overarching premise by which we understand the necessity of leadership.

The lack of leadership, or the representation of poor leadership, is plaguing the church.

Decisions are left to the majority vote in a men’s business or congregational meeting. Sadly, the minority generally rules when this occurs.

According to God’s design, elders (leaders) were appointed to shepherd and provide biblical direction for God’s people. When this does not occur, the church suffers.

Therefore, the urgency for biblical leadership must be a priority for His church today.

Leading in the Home

Scripture indicates that God designed every area of leadership, beginning with the home.

God designed the home with leadership. Paul reminds us of that design, “The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church” (Ep. 5:23). This explains why he instructs husbands, “Love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v. 25).

Love indicates something significant in the direction of leadership. Husbands must give their best in the home.

To properly lead in other areas of life, we must build the right foundation in the home and ensure that husbands give their best in leading our wives and loving them as Christ loved the church.

Win or Learn

We live in a competitive world and winning dominates every sport. Individuals and teams desire to be winners at all cost. Losing is not an option.

Nelson Mandela said, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Imagine this mindset. The concept of losing doesn’t exist, but rather learning.

When we think in terms of losing, we miss the opportunity to improve. We can easily fall into the trap of compromise in order to win. We cut corners, minimize relationships, and view people as objects to our own end.

We must learn, improving who we are and what we do for the benefit of God’s church and His glory.

Someday

Janet Dailey is credited with saying, “Someday is not a day of the week.”

When we consider the urgency of leadership within the church today, one has to wonder if years ago the thought was, “Someday I will lead.”

Apathy and indifference has influenced the church to the point we now have a generation that lacks the desire to lead.

Where is the passion that drives us to excel as Paul instructed? What happened to the desire to improve who we are in order to help others grow?

The time is NOW! We must not delay to meet the urgency of the situation.

Mission

A mission often relates to accomplishing specific tasks within a designated time frame: military tactics, political advancements, corporate positioning, and religious direction.

God’s mission was established before the foundation of the world (Ep. 1:4), promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-4), prophesied to David (2 Sam. 7:12), fulfilled in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Mt. – Jn.), and directed through the apostles (Mt. 28:19-20; Ep. 4:11-16).

Leaders play a significant role in the mission of God to lead His people to a better place.

If our mission today does not align with His mission, then we need to refocus our purpose.

Urgency

When we consider what’s on the line as it relates to leadership, we begin to understand the urgency.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments we find God’s provisions for leaders. He positioned individuals to lead.

God designed His church to function with leaders. Their function is outlined in the letter to Ephesus (Ep. 4:11-13).

People need someone to follow. Christians should provide an example of leading in the family, workplace, and community.

The breakdown of the family indicates an urgency for husbands, wives, and parents to keep a more biblical focus.

May God bless us with the courage and boldness to fulfill our responsibilities.

Flexibility

Travel increases the awareness of flexibility. Cultures vary from one country to the next. At the same time, each culture establishes their own practices and finds a rhythm that flows through the people who participate in the daily activities of life.

While leadership is complicated enough, add the cultural factors among the various backgrounds and relationships of people who make up the church, and complexity reaches a new level.

Leaders need flexibility. I do not mean compromising truth, but leadership focuses on the needs of those who follow.

Flexibility becomes critical to the twists and turns that factor into leading a multi-cultural people.