Pastoral Leadership Digest

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Excerpts from the best of the web and print publications on the subject of Pastoral Leadership, along with additional pastoral resources.

A ministry of Christian Dynamics, designed to "equip the equippers" of the Body of Christ around the world.

Visit our web site at http://www.cdi.faithweb.com for more insightful articles on leadership, culture, religion, theology and Biblical subjects.

"In the words of both Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, 'Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.' Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."
Seven Habits of Highly Successful People: Stephen R. Covey - P 101

Developing and equipping the lay people in your church starts with good leadership. Consider these three principles of leadership as you seek to develop your church laity.

See It Clearly
A leader is first and foremost somebody with followers. If nobody is following, you are not leading, no matter what outstanding leadership qualities you might possess. Many years ago, my daughter Anna had a sign on her bike that read: "Lead, follow, or get out of my way." And the way she rode that bike, I believe she meant it. I think people are more than willing to follow someone who knows where he or she is going. So the first questions to answer are: What is my vision? Where am I headed? Is it clear to me? Does it excite me, energize me?

A son asked his father: "Daddy, when we get to where we're going, where will we be?" I am afraid that many present-day leaders can't answer that question. They are certainly busy, certainly getting a lot done. It's very easy to be working hard at delegating, managing, and being efficient but not heading toward a clear destination.

Managers do things right, but leaders do the right things. And it is probably true, as some have concluded, that in all too many situations, we are over-managed, but under-led. Where are the leaders today who have a clear vision bursting inside of them? There was a pastor who remarked, "Everywhere Paul went there was a revival or a riot; everywhere I go they serve tea." What is often missing is clearness of vision.

Once leaders know exactly where they are headed, the next essential is to be able to communicate it convincingly to those whom they would like to have along on the journey. There are a variety of ways this can be done; but it must be done, or they will be making the trip by themselves.

Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple computers, was trying very hard, but with little success, to recruit John Sculley to the vision that he clearly saw. Jobs was exasperated, and in his frustration he asked one more question, the one that finally caused John Sculley to make one of the most talked about corporate moves in modern American business. He asked, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?"

Sculley said it was as if someone reached up and delivered a stiff blow to his stomach. The question simply eroded all his resistance and it made him think like a dreamer or a visionary. He subsequently left Pepsi Cola and joined Apple. "After all," Sculley mused, "changing the world is a heady thought."

In a few words Jobs had said it convincingly. He had conveyed his vision, the essence of his dream, in words that Sculley understood: to have a part in changing the world. In order to recruit and keep motivated followers, a vision must be convincingly and constantly communicated in a myriad of ways. One of the key roles of the effective leader is to manage the dream of the organization, and to keep that dream alive through verbalization, symbols, and visuals.

Once you have your vision clearly in your mind and heart, and you are communicating it convincingly to your followers so that they understand what you see, the final step is to walk your talk. If you don't demonstrate that you think it's important by modeling it in your life, why should the people you lead think it's important? It's a matter of putting flesh on your vision. Here is where integrity of life comes in.

By God's grace, I need to practice what I preach, walk, and talk, so I don't have to tell people what my mother used to say to me, "Don't do as I do, but do as I say." Let's face it, folks, talking it but not walking it won't work over the long haul. People who follow us will do as we do, not as we say. And when they get tired of doing what we are not doing, we will be walking alone!

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:17, "Timothy will tell you what I do to follow Christ and how it agrees with what I always teach about Christ in every church." That's it, being a living epistle of your dream. To hear it from my lips is one thing, but to see it in my life is quite another.

Successful leaders consistently model their vision, realizing that more is caught than taught. When John Wesley was asked why people seemed to be drawn to him, he answered, "Well, you see, when you set yourself on fire, people just love to come and watch you burn." Let your life burn in living color with your dream. It's a careful blending of communicating it with my lips, and living it with my life.

What is a leader? A person who clearly sees the vision, communicates that vision convincingly, and models it consistently through his or her life.

In your efforts to advance the vision of developing the laity of your church, which of these do you do the best: see it clearly, say it convincingly, or show it consistently?

Which of these three do you need to work on the most: see it clearly, say it convincingly, or show it consistently? What are one or two steps you can take in this regard?

© 1999 Dave Kraft, The Navigators Church Discipleship Ministry. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. Go to http://www.ForMinistry.com to read more of Dave's articles on "Leadership Development for the Next Millennium" or to learn more about the Navigators Church Discipleship Ministry.

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TEXT: James 5:16b (Weymouth) "Powerful is the heartfelt supplication of a righteous man."
There's an old Gospel song that says, "just a little talk with Jesus makes it right." There's a truth there. Sometimes it's enough to "whisper a prayer", morning, noon or night, but the Bible has little to say about this kind of praying.

I. Effective praying is FERVENT:

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16, KJV.
"Supplication" is also translated "beseech" or "petition." R. C. H. Lenski uses the term "begging."
This kind of praying is born in the white-hot fervor of profound need.

II. Effective praying is FREQUENT

Jesus speaks of asking, seeking and knocking, and the tenses of the Greek are itireative, and indicate "ask, and keep on asking; seek, and keep on seeking; knock, and keep on knocking." Paul speaks of prayer without ceasing, and urges us to "keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).
There's a popular teaching about prayer that says if you pray for the same thing more than once, it's a sign of doubt, and therefore, you won't receive your petition. The Scriptures quoted above speak just the opposite; we keep praying until we receive our petition. Paul confesses that he prayed for the removal of his thorn three times; and even then, God's answer was "no." Jesus Himself prayed three times in the garden concerning the bitter cup, and still He drank it!
No, the Scripture teaches persistence in prayer.

III. Effective praying is FAITH-FILLED

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6, NIV.
Jesus continually exalted faith as the precondition of answered prayer and He set an example of faith for us.