At the church where I serve we are always looking to raise up people who are spiritually mature and also have the spiritual gift of leadership. These are the people that have the potential to become strong organization leaders in the church, their community, and the world.
We try to keep the process of finding and developing good leaders simple and reproducible so that our church can be purposeful and effective. A church will have an effective reproducing culture when leaders strongly live out the principles they believe in. As these leaders live out and model the characteristics of the church culture, positive peer pressure takes place and other leaders will rise up to follow. It can be very detrimental to your church culture to have someone in a position of leadership that is not living out the characteristics you want your leaders to aspire to.
A church will have an effective reproducing culture when leaders strongly live out the principles they believe in. Share on XHaving said that – I want to point out that everyone is flawed. We all have weaknesses. We see the goal but still sometimes miss the mark. Our credibility comes from the fact that we are aware of our sinful nature and are changing by God’s power. Leaders must always surround themselves with people who will hold them accountable.
With this in mind, I would like to present eight qualities that I believe are found in strong organizational leaders. We don’t always find people that have all of these qualities, but by identifying them we know what to look for and what to coach people to work on.
Godly Commitment:
We look for people who are committed to their Lord, their family, and their responsibilities. They are hardworking, self starters and don’t wait to be told what to do. They are responsible to finish what they start, and when they give their word on something, they do it
Initiative:
Good leaders take the initiative to do what is needed to accomplish the mission. Many people in the position of leadership find themselves in situations that might keep them from accomplishing the God-given goals of the team. A leader with initiative will seek out others who have dealt with the same problems to help them figure out a solution. They will not allow themselves to be held victim to their circumstances. They are willing to think outside the box and make things happen. The only real box we must stay in is the one the Word gives us – we won’t change theology, but we can certainly confront the status quo when the church has lived with it too long.
Courage:
Leaders are willing to fight rather than give up when things get hard. Courageous leaders are willing to lovingly confront people who derail the work of the church. They do not allow immorality to go unchecked. A leader must confront, even if the person involved in the confrontation will leave the church, all the while trusting that God will supply for His glory. A leader must also have the courage to deal with broken relationships on their team rather than hope the problem goes away. They understand that we can’t expect God to bless our work if we will not be who God calls us to be. Before we do anything, we must be Christians. Christians do not allow bitter roots to grow up, we forgive and bear with each other. Anger and bitterness can be a starting place for the Devil to climb into the lives of the leadership, and through them attack the whole church.
Passion:
Strong leaders care deeply about the cause they have committed their lives to, whatever it is. They won’t settle for just complaining about what they see to be wrong in the world – they move to take action. In fact you usually have to pull the reigns back to slow them down! A passionate leader is an active person who dives in and even makes a mess sometimes, but at least they care enough to try. Strong leaders cannot be easily dissuaded. They are able to influence others because of their passion. This makes it imperative to be certain the leaders you set in place are aligned with the goals of the church and walking closely with God.
Focus:
Leaders are able to remain consistent in their direction for years. I’m not saying they don’t change methods or systems to better accomplish their goals because they do. But most effective ministry happens over time. For a tree to grow sturdy the roots have to grow deep and have a strong support system in place. This means sticking with something even when it is a struggle. It means not moving on just because everyone is not on board with your plan. Leaders must work to get everyone on the same page no matter what method or plan they use. Every new season will bring new personalities to deal with and problems to solve. They must be focused and consistent or they will fail. Focused leaders will stay the course.
Humility:
Humility is one of the most important qualities a leader can have, and for good reason. First of all, God says he opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Anything worth doing can only be done with God’s help. Without humility, we cannot win on God’s team. It means living first for God’s glory and not our own. It means working as a team – with everyone sharing equal importance. Humble people thrive in a team setting, and a proud person will kill a team almost every time. Leaders who feel they are always right are defensive and create unhealthy separations on the team. Humble people are lifelong learners because they acknowledge the fact that they can’t know everything. They know they need multiple eyes on their projects to bring a different perspective. They allow others to help plan, strategize and implement the plan and its outcome. Humble people know they will inevitably fall along the way, so they accept accountability and encouragement, and give it as well.
A Team Mindset:
When looking for leaders, I look for people who value the team and fit well on one. To be an effective team, each person on the team must play his or her position well and must relate well with others. Effective teams have great chemistry in the locker room – when selecting a leader I look for one who will make the workplace more fun, real, and connected. Thinking back on my days as an athlete, what I miss more than winning (and I liked winning) is my friendships with the other players on the team. The task alone is not enough for me – doing the task with like-minded committed coworkers is what makes the work both fulfilling and fun. If we as leaders don’t love each other, our people won’t love those they serve with either.
An Ability To Think Through Systems:
Great organizational leaders can think through a process that will produce what is desired. They know how to measure their progress. Organizational leaders are able to think in terms of putting people in the right places with the right job descriptions. They think through what their people need for training, equipment, and relationship to win. Leaders know by experience what it will take to get their people to do what they are asking them to do because they have lived, or are living, that way themselves. They care about the long-term balance and health of their people. They don’t want them to burn out or suffer harm because to much was asked of their families. God is a good of order, and organization was His idea.
Well, there you have it – a list of the characteristics that I believe make for a good organizational leader. You may value a different set of characteristics and that is fine! You don’t have to agree with me, but I would encourage you to make a list of what you value in leadership, and to think about how you would train yourself and others to intentionally develop a culture that produces this kind of people in your church. Before you make your list though, ask yourself if you model the characteristics you are proposing. A culture of leadership must have a shared set of values and goals, and an agreed upon and shared lifestyle. As a leader, you can’t ask someone to do, what you yourself aren’t doing.
You can learn more about his topic in Jim’s book Real Life Discipleship – found HERE
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8/21/18
Thank you. Very useful.