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6. October 2008 by admin.
The Responsibilities of LeadershipBesides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:28
Jesus defined leadership as service, and that applies whether a leader works in a secular or a church organization. Field Marshal Montgomery said that his war experience taught him that the staff must be the servant of the troops and that a good staff officer must serve his commander while remaining anonymous himself.
In his book Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce wrote: “In other kingdoms they rule, whose privilege it is to be ministered unto. In the Divine commonwealth, they rule who account it a privilege to minister.”
John A. MacKay of Princeton maintained that “servant” is the essential image of the Christian religion. The Son of God became the servant of God in order to do the mission of God. That image provides the pattern for mission societies, churches, and individual believers to fulfill their God-given mission.
The true leader is concerned primarily with the welfare of others, not with his own comfort or prestige. He shows sympathy for the problems of others, but his sympathy fortifies and stimulates; it does not soften and make weak. A spiritual leader will always direct the confidence of others to the Lord. He sees in each emergency a new opportunity for helpfulness. When God chose a leader to succeed Moses, it was Joshua, the man who had proved himself a faithful servant (Exodus 33:11).
D. E. Hoste spoke about the secrets of Hudson Taylor, whom Hoste had followed in leadership of the China Inland Mission:
Another secret of his influence among us lay in his great sympathy and thoughtful consideration for the welfare and comfort of those about him. The high standard of self-sacrifice and toil which he ever kept before himself, never made him lacking in tenderness and sympathy toward those who were not able to go as far as he did in these respects. He manifested great tenderness and patience toward the failures and shortcomings of his brethren and was thus able in many cases to help them reach a higher plane of devotion.
Discipline is yet another responsibility of the leader, a duty often unwelcome. Any Christian society requires godly and loving discipline to maintain divine standards in doctrine, morals, and conduct.
Paul describes the spirit required in leaders who exercise discipline. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). The fundamental ingredient in all discipline is love. “Warn him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:15). “I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 2:8). The person who has faced up to his or her own problems and weaknesses is best able to help another in a way both loving and firm. The spirit of meekness will achieve far more than the spirit of criticism.
Approaching a disciplinary situation, the leader must remember five guidelines: (1) first conduct a thorough and impartial inquiry; (2) then consider the overall benefit to the work and to the individual; (3) do all in the spirit of love and in the most considerate manner; (4) always keep the spiritual restoration of the offender in view; (5) pray it through.
Providing guidance is a third area of responsibility. The spiritual leader must know where he or she is going before presuming to lead others. The leader must go before his flock. The Chief Shepherd gave us the pattern. “When he had brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:4). “The ideal leader,” said A. W. Tozer, “is one who hears the voice of God, and beckons on as the voice calls him and them.” Paul gave this challenge to the Corinthian Christians: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul knew whom he was following, where he was going, and could challenge others to follow him there.
It is not easy to guide people, even mature Christians, who have strong opinions of their own. The leader cannot assert his will recklessly. Said D. E. Hoste:
In a mission like ours, those guiding its affairs must be prepared to put up with waywardness and opposition, and be able to desist from courses of action which, though they may be intrinsically sound and beneficial, are not approved by some of those affected. Hudson Taylor again and again was obliged either to greatly modify, or lay aside projects which were sound and helpful, but met with determined opposition, and so tended to create grater evils than those which might have been removed or mitigated by the changes in question. Later on, in answer to patient continuance in prayer, many of those projects were [put into effect].
A leader must initiate. Some leaders are more gifted at conserving gains than starting new ventures, for maintaining order than generating ardor. The true leader must be venturesome as well as visionary. He must be ready to jump start as well as hold speed. Paul constantly took calculated risks, always carefully and with must prayer, but always reaching for what lay beyond.
The leader must either initiate plans for progress or recognize the worthy plans of others. He must remain in front, giving guidance and direction to those behind. He does not wait for things to happen, but makes them happen. He is a self-starter, always on the lookout for improved methods, eager to test new ideas.
Robert Louis Stevenson called the attitude of safety and security “that dismal fungus.”
Hudson Taylor took steps of faith that appeared to others as wildcat schemes. The greatest achievements in the history of missions have come from leaders close to God who took courageous calculated risks.
More failure comes from an excess of caution than from bold experiments with new ideas. A friend who filled an important global post in Christian outreach recently remarked that when he surveyed his life, most of his failures came from insufficient daring. The wife of Archbishop Mowll said, “The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never advanced by men and women of caution.”
A leader cannot afford to ignore the counsel of cautious people, who can save a mission from mistakes and loss. But caution should not curb vision and initiative, especially when the leader knows God is in control.
To take responsibility willingly is the mark of a leader. Joshua was such a person. He did not hesitate to follow one of the greatest leaders of all history, Moses. Joshua had more reason than Moses to plead inadequacy, but Joshua did not repeat Moses’ sin. Instead, he promptly accepted the task he was given and set about the work.
When Elijah was taken up, Elisha did not flinch at stepping in. He accepted the authority conferred by the falling mantle and became a leader in his own right.
In each case these leaders were assured of their divine calling. Once that issue is settled, no one need hesitate to do what God had set before.
Archbishop Benson lived in a different era, but his rules for life carry relevance today:
For more information on Life Springs Ministries or author Richard W. Cleghorn, click here.
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