There was a time when I didn't think that I was leadership material. Now, after a lot of study and maturity, I realize that we each have a responsibility as a leader. This does not mean everybody will lead thousands, but it does mean that there will be people in our lives that we need to lead. It could be our families, a Sunday school class, or a group of people at work. Either way, we need to learn to lead them, so that they can also grow into strong leaders.
We usually associate great leadership skills with natural born leaders. This is not true! Leaders come through studying and working on leadership skills every day. Many times, the people who become the greatest leaders are not considered talented. They just simply decide to work on their leadership skills, because they have nothing to lose. If natural born leaders do not work on their leadership skills on a daily basis, then they will not grow and mature into great leaders.
Lately, I have dedicated a lot of my time to studying leadership skills. This is an area that I believe is important to my teaching and writing career. Leadership is a part of Brenton and my ministry, so we work on developing the skills. Through this study of leadership, I have found that there are certain skills every leader needs to work on. These skills are becoming uncompromisingly righteous, tending the flock of God, learning to skillfully lead others, keeping up our strength, and becoming a servant like Christ.
Become Uncompromisingly Righteous
"When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh."
Proverbs 29:2
The first step to leadership development is to work on our relationship with Christ. It is easy to get discouraged when we are not in the Word and having daily devotions. If we discipline ourselves, we can have daily devotions that will mature and grow us. Daily devotions also help us build our relationship with God. In our relationship with God, we receive everything to successfully lead others.
Sometimes, daily devotions can seem time consuming and tedious. If we start off trying to do too much, we will get overwhelmed and end up quitting our devotions each day. On the other hand, if we start off small and slow, we can build up and lengthen our devotions over time. It is all about working on our devotions each day. The most important part of devotions is our heart. When we make it all about God and building our relationship with Him, devotions are more effective and we see amazing results.
For years, I dealt with depression and anxiety. After making a commitment to getting up in the morning to spend time with God, I found that I was more and more joyful and have not suffered from depression. This is because in God's presence we receive everything we need. My confidence in Christ has strengthened. He longs for us to spend time with Him, and He makes the commitment to devotions worth our while. This is especially true when we become leaders and witnesses to those around us.
Tend the Flock of God
"Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits [belonging to the office] but eagerly and cheerfully;"
I Peter 5:2
Once we become Christians and start our devotions, it is time to learn our leadership skills. These leadership skills will be use to help others inside and outside the church. This leadership comes in many forms. First, we can lead people by helping them receive their necessities. There are many people who desperately need basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. Just giving them these basic necessities can help lead them and encourage them to become better.
Second, we need to teach them the Word of God. There are times that we need to teach them the Word one-on-one. If they have a question, we need to make ourselves available. Other times, we need to teach a Bible class, which can be a small or large class. Some people may not want to teach small classes, but there are times where it is necessary. Smaller classes can lead to larger classes as we grow in God and His Word.
Third, we need to willingly listen to others. There was a time when I didn't pay enough attention to others. If someone had a problem, I would turn around and walk away. Sometimes, I would think they just needed to get over their problems and get on with their life. Now, I am a lot tenderer, because I started to ask God to show me people through His eyes. When someone is going through problems, I first pray and then I listen and comfort.
Learn to Skillfully Lead Others
"I indeed baptize you in (with) water because of repentance [that is, because of your changing your minds for the better, heartily amending your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins]. But He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy or fit to take off or carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Matthew 3:11
John the Baptist was talking about Jesus. Jesus was the greatest leader of all times. We need to follow Christ's example and effectively lead. There are certain principles that Christ taught us through His Word. These principles are choosing the right followers, teaching the followers, be influential, and commissioning our followers. As a perfect leader, Jesus shares His secrets in the gospels, so that we can also become great leaders.
Choosing the Right Followers
"Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Philip and Bartholomew [Nathaniel]; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus [Judas, not Iscariot];
Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."
Matthew 10:2-4
When Christ picked His disciples, he picked men with different talents and with from different backgrounds. Each disciple brought different skills to Christ's ministry. As Christian leaders, we need to appreciate each of our follower's talents and what they bring to our ministries. If we try to change others, we will not benefit from their uniqueness. The point of leadership is to help followers to develop their own gifts while they grow and mature, so they can become leaders themselves. After awhile, they will find someone to lead, which is exactly what happened to Christ and His disciples. When Christ ascended into Heaven, His disciples continued His ministry and lead many other men and women to Christ.
Teaching the Followers
"And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every weakness and infirmity among the people."
Matthew 4:23
Christ led others by teaching them. He not only taught His disciples, but He also taught the crowds that followed Him. This gave His followers all the information they needed to lead Christian lives. He went from town to town teaching everyone about the kingdom of Heaven. We also need to teach our followers, so they can learn, grow, and mature emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Be Influential
"The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He Who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives, He will tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us.
Jesus said to her, I Who now speak with you am He.
Then the woman left her water jar and went away to the town. And she began telling the people,"
John 4:25-26, 28
When people would meet Christ, they were compelled to listen to His message. Even if they were out to entrap Him, they always stopped and listened to Christ's words. This was due to His ability to influence others. The woman at the well was not only compelled to sit and listen to Him talk, but she also ran to town telling everyone about the man she had met at the well. Everyone came to hear Christ and what He had to say. We need to influence others through our words, too. It doesn't mean we try to manipulate people to do what we want them to do. Instead, we need to use God Word and influence people through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to use, and we also need to speak the Word over people's lives.
Commission our Followers
"Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Go then and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (So let it be)."
Matthew 28:18-20
Although Jesus had spent several years training His disciples, He still had one last thing He needed to do. In Matthew 28:18-20, He had called His disciples together to give them their assignments. He commissioned them to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe everything that that He commanded. If Jesus had not taught His disciples, this commission would be pointless. At this point, all of Christ's work was completed and the disciples work was just about to begin.
We need to do the same thing as leaders. Once we teach our followers, we then need to give them instruction, so they are not guessing what they are to do. A leader who is teaching others to work in the kid's ministry needs to instruct the ministers concerning their responsibilities. When the children's ministers teach their class, they won't have to guess what they need to do. They will be ready to minister and take their responsibilities seriously.
Keep Up Our Strength
"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint."
Galatians 6:9
Another part of leadership is not losing heart and growing weary. We need to do good and stay focused on growing spiritually, so we can reap the benefits. When we do good and are obedient, we are able to accomplish a lot more. Although I read the Bible and prayed throughout the day, God put it on my heart to get up early in the morning, so I can spend time with God and not be disturbed. My whole day is more peaceful and productive when I start my day with God, but it also keeps me strong and rested.
Now, as we become strong and rested, we need to teach others how not to grow weary in doing good. This is usually pretty easy once we have learned this lesson ourselves, because we have become an example.
Become a Servant like Christ
"Not so shall it be among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant."
Matthew 20:26
Christ went from being royalty and his throne to being a servant. He gave up His own desires to rescue us from sin. Although he could have anything He wanted, he took a simple life to show the way to salvation. This is the way we need to live. As leaders, we need to serve those who we lead and not make ourselves seem better than them. Those who successfully lead others make themselves equal with their followers. Not only do we need to compassionately lead others, but also seek to understand their circumstances and hardships. Instead of putting them down because they make mistakes, we need to share with them how God has brought us out of sin and helps us find forgiveness for our sins.
Challenge for the week:
This week we need to look at our leadership style. We need to make sure that we are leading as Christ leads us. If we are not leading according to the Bible, we need to start reading through the gospels and learn about Jesus and how He led His disciples. These scriptures will help us lead our followers more effectively.
As we learn to lead, we will notice that our followers will also begin to lead. They will learn by our example. This is a great feeling, because now your leadership is increasing. Those that you have taught to lead will also teach others to lead. Many leaders become great due to this process. We are all able to become great leaders, but it takes daily preparation and planning. Of course, the most important part of leadership is building a relationship with God. A relationship with God is built through daily devotions, praise and worship.
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Additions Resources
- All scriptures were taken from the amplified Bible.
- If you like the skills of a leader also read The teal Trust @ http://www.teal.org.uk/dl/jesus.htm