Tag: Leadership

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The Two Faces of Leadership

Leadership Face One

Many of us have heard it taught that God ordains leaders and places them in their positions of authority and influence. I believe this.

A paraphrased look at the three most popular passages that we get this teaching from is…. Daniel 4:17, it tells us that, “the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses, even the lowliest of men.” Romans 13:1 tells us that those in positions of authority have been placed there by God; and finally 1 Peter 2:13-14 tells us to respect all human authority…kings…heads of state…or officials….he has appointed.

This is one face of leadership.

As Andy Stanley shared at the Catalyst Conference several years ago. Leadership is a stewardship, it is temporary and leaders will be held accountable for the influence God has entrusted to us.

If God ordains one to a position of leadership, that leader should steward that influence well. Andy presented three truths as to how we can steward our influence as leaders well: 1) Diligence – As Colossians 3:23 instructs us, we should work at whatever we do (or are called to do) with all our hearts. 2) Fearlessness – The final statement given to us in Colossians 3:23 is this, as for the Lord and not for men. A leader can only lead well when his concern for disobeying God is greater than his fear of disappointing people. 3) Humility – God placed us in the positions that he has placed us in; therefore we have no reason and no room to be arrogant or prideful in our leading.

This part of leadership is what everyone talks about. But, what about the second part of leadership? The part that is implied but unspoken? The part that most overlook and never talk about?

Leadership’s Second Face

I know several people that have a history of leadership, but for some reason they are struggling to get hired as a pastor or a youth pastor or as a manager or in some other leadership capacity that they’ve served as in the past. They want to be leaders again, but the door is not opening.

I also know several people that have never been leaders that would probably chew off their right arm (or left, if they are right handed) to be placed in a leadership position. Several of the people I can place in this category have a misconception about leadership and it’s requirements. They see what they perceive as the “perks” of leadership, but they have no idea about the struggles, the pain and the difficulties that come with the position. They think a leadership title of director, pastor or manager will change their life. For some, it’s an issue of power and control. They fail to understand that Being bossy doesn’t make someone a boss.

If it is true that God appoints people to their position of leadership then it must also be true that God does not appoint some people into positions of leadership. This is another face of leadership. It’s a truth we don’t point out much.

But, it is healthy to point it out. People need to know that it is okay to serve in support roles. To be the associate or the assistant or even a volunteer. We glorify the leadership position too much, so much so that people want the glorification of the position. They think it will provide them more perks or more rights, whereas the truth of leadership remains that in positions of leadership our rights decrease while our responsibilities increase.

If one loves the organization that God has placed them in and they truly want the best for that organization, they will serve and support wherever the need is. Someone that’s out for their own glory, power, prestige and/or position will hinder the organization by attempting to force themselves into a position God did not appoint them to, or they will hijack progress by refusing to cooperate fully within the role God has placed them in. Colossians 3:23 and 1 Corinthians 10:31 applies to people filling support roles as much as it applies to those God has placed in leadership positions. With every verse that we are told that God appoints people to positions of leadership, we also get as much instruction (or more) to follow those leaders and to follow them well.

If I am not serving in a leadership position, does that mean God will never appoint me to a leadership position? No, but but there is the possibility that he might not. The question should be, “Am I willing to serve in whatever role God has for me?” If you are not in a leadership position and you are trying to get back into a leadership position or you are trying to obtain a leadership position for the first time, here are some ideas that may be of help to you:

  • Pray – Make your requests and desires known to God while you wait
  • Prepare – Everyone influences someone. Prepare for the possibility of assuming a future leadership position by developing your leadership skills with those God has allowed you to have influence over (family, children, etc.) How do you communicate to them? How do you develop them? Work on those skills.
  • Properly Support – Along the lines of preparing to be in a leadership position, how you support those in leadership positions go a long way to how you develop into a stronger leader. John Maxwell has a great article on “Leading from the Middle of the Pack” that gives great insight into this.
  • Patience and Flexibility – God places people into positions. If it is his desire for you to be there, he will place you there. God gave Joseph a dream that he would one day be in a leadership position, but it took him approximately 22 years to see that dream come to pass. But, what if God does not have a position for you? Remain flexible and fulfill your support role to the glory of God.
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The “L” in Leadership is Not for “Liar”

There are several things that would disqualify a person from being a leader or at least from being considered a leader, but there are two particular reasons I want to discuss which happen to fall under the same category.

The “L” in Leadership is Not for “Liar”

Lying and/or Deception (which is essentially lying) is one of the top actions to disqualify a person from being a leader. Sure, they may posses a leadership position, but that doesn’t mean they are a leader; no more than my putting a golf ball in an egg carton makes it an egg.

Leadership is the ability to influence people towards a specific vision or goal. When an individual resorts to the art of lying or the use of deception, they are no longer considered a leader, but rather a manipulator (and that’s only if they are able to successfully maneuver people as a result of the lies).

Leadership is the ability to influence people towards a specific vision or goal. The use of lies and deception eliminates the key verb, “influence” in that definition. Lying is not influencing; its the attempt to appease another person (telling them what they want to hear) or its an effort to try and avoid difficult conversations or issues. A leader does not hide from confrontation, he addresses it head on (see Saul vs. Jonathan in 1 Samuel 13-14). A person will also be found resorting to lies and deception when they’re attempting to reach their own goal in a dishonest manner.

  • It could be a supervisor saying what they think an employee wants to hear in order to deceive them into believing they have an opportunity to retain employment when the supervisor’s goal is to keep them employed until the person they really want to work with is available.  Even if the supervisor is able to keep that employee in place until the perfect timing to replace them, the supervisor did not reach this goal through influence, rather by deceiving the current employee that they had an opportunity.
  • It could be a sales manger who promises a salesperson specific rewards or bonuses if they reach a specific sales number and then backtracks on that promise with some type of petty excuse once the salesperson reaches their goal. The sales manager reached their goal of higher sales from their salesperson, but they didn’t use influence, they used lies.
  • It could be a pastor with a specific vision or goal for his church and when facing opposition and friction from his leadership team and/or elders, he pushes harder, lies and deceives to paint a picture of horrible consequences if they do not go along with his idea. Even if the pastor gets his way, he will not have done it through any influence of his own, rather through manipulation.
  • Ditto point #2, just change the person in question with a politician and change the vision for the church to an idea for the country. I think you can figure it out.

Join the conversation: Are you a leader that’s resorted to lying and deception to get your way? Why?

Have you been in an organization where the “leader” above you used lies and deception versus influence to obtain what they wanted? What was the results?

 

 

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Why We Don’t Beg People to Stay

I have a firm rule as a pastor. I DO NOT beg (or ask) people to stay at New Passion.

I’ve always had my reasons why, but this verse, though simple, is very profound, I couldn’t have said it better myself…

These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. 1 John 2:19

Here are a few of my (personal) reasons…

1. Protection – Jesus warned against false prophets who come in the church dressed as one of the sheep, but are as vicious wolves on the inside (Matthew 7:15). I believe this verse can be extended beyond “prophets” to those who would prey on the flock God has entrusted into my leadership and the leadership of the other church leaders. It is my responsibility to care for this flock that Jesus entrusted to me (1 Peter 5:2 “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly…“)

    Why do “wolves” prey on the flock?
  • Sexual Gain – There are people who’ll infiltrate the church to manipulate members of the opposite sex for sexual gain.
  • Financial Gain – There are people, especially in businesses who rely on sales, marketing, and networking who will infiltrate the church to prey on others financially to build their own businesses and to profit personally from the people within the church. This is one of the reasons the “rich” and “successful” people flock to the largest churches in town, it’s good for business because there’s more people to “befriend.” And we all know that’s why Jesus established His church.
  • Wicked Intentions – The fact is…there are evil people in this world and they have wicked intentions (whatever category they fall in). You are not going to convert a wolf into a vegetarian. Their nature is to devour meat. A “spiritual” wolf’s nature is to produce wickedness. Their goal is to cause chaos and destruction in the church. As Matt Chandler once asked, [paraphrased] “Would you dip your kids in blood and allow them to play with wolves?” “So why would we be okay with wolves hanging around our flock?

2. Preferences – The fact is, everyone has different preferences when it comes to church, and New Passion is not for everyone. We understand that and we are okay with that. Some people like chocolate ice cream, others prefer vanilla, while smart people (like me) choose strawberry. An Italian came along one day and decided he’d put all three together and it became known as “Neapolitan” Ice Cream. This would later become the blueprint for the church that offers a little bit of everything for everyone with a traditional service, contemporary service, Sunday School, and Small Groups. That’s okay for them, but it’s not for us. Our style is modern. Some people like a traditional style of worship or even a more toned down contemporary style. We know that people are going to come check us out and not everyone will be looking for what we are offering. That’s okay! It would be pointless to try and beg people to stay in an environment that they are uncomfortable with.

3. Prompting – Bottom-line, God leads people away from ministries in order to use them in other places. To try  and convince people to “stay” with your ministry is selfish and could serve as potential confusion for those trying to discern the still small voice of God that is prompting them to serve in another capacity within another ministry. This is usually easy to recognize because these people will be faithful servants already serving or attempting to serve in the church where God placed them for that season. Some people will use this as an excuse to make it easier to leave because they fear confrontation and it’s pretty easy to discern, because they aren’t really faithfully serving in the present where they are at. Let them go! If we have someone who is faithfully serving, but feels God is prompting them to move to another ministry, we will do our very best to support them and pray for them as God uses them in a new capacity.

    I was never the guy that dated a girl, broke up, dated again, broke up, dated again, etc, etc. I just didn’t see the point. I’ve been a part of churches where people would go to the leadership and announce that they felt it was time they found another church and through various forms of manipulation and “new” positions and jobs within the church, they would feel guilty and stay. In the end, the results were the same, but they spent several more months in misery. The reality is, no one can give me a single reason why any church or leader or pastor should beg anyone to stay…..yeah I didn’t think so.

    If you start the habit of babying people, you have to keep it up! If you beg people to stay because they are big givers, well, then I believe you are a faithless, hireling, and people’s money will always control you.

    Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. This is solely my personal opinion 🙂

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    Welcome to Oddville

    greg-drinking-coffeeI was going to tweet this but it’s too long:

    I think I died and woke up in an alternate universe, you know the kind where all the people are the same, but everything is different?

    We had our first New Passion Leadership Meeting where all four of our key leaders (Billy Wilson, Jonothan Powell, Gregory Hansel, and Myself) were together tonight.

    I found it funny and strangely odd that #1 I was the only one out of the group NOT tweeting and #2 the two newbies to twitter, who by the way, swore they would never tweet were having an in-depth discussion with each other about why they weren’t following each other.

    By the way, if you are the wife to one of these guys, my goal was to end by 8:30, it was 8:33 when I was finished with what I had to cover, but it also took me an extra five minutes to get them to put their phones down 🙂

    Oh how things change!

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    Stay in the Boat by Judah Smith

    This is the message by Judah Smith from the New Spring Leadership Conference I attended several weeks ago. The actual title was “Matters of the Meantime” but the overarching theme of the message was “Stay in the Boat.” I was following Judah on Twitter, but I had never heard one of his messages. I was kind of blown away by his attire, I had never seen a man wear leotard before (okay they were skinny, skinny jeans), but he preaches the Word with boldness and blew me away with his message, so he can wear leotards if he wants 🙂

    Check out more videos from the New Spring Leadership Conference.