February 2008

The Arrow

Volume III, Issue 1

Is it too late to say Happy New Year? Probably so. For those of you who enjoy receiving updates on how God is continuing to use this ministry, I apologize for the lack of newsletters over the past few months. No excuses.

Shoutout

To the men of the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where I am now a member. At the end of last year our pastor, Dr. A.L. Lewter, requested that I take the leaders of our men’s ministry through a three session conference focused on the principles in Motivating and Mobilizing Men for Ministry. I agreed, and we had three great classes. Thereafter, a new president was elected, and we have begun the new year with a great head of steam. In our first meeting we had over thirty men, a four-fold increase from attendance at previous meetings. We are in the process of starting a Jr. Laymen’s Ministry and a Prison Ministry at Sing Sing, and we have invited President Simmons to be the Keynote Speaker at our Men’s Conference in May. God is moving in and through the men of our church.

THE SHOT

Leadership (or the lack thereof) continues to be a significant issue in the church. In some instances leadership is lacksidasical; in others leadership is strident and overbearing. When we study leadership, we often stress leadership characteristics, particularly our call to be humble, servant leaders. While it is true that Christian leaders should be humble, humility alone does not a leader make. You can be the most humble, servant-minded man in the church, and still be a lousy leader. For a true picture of leadership, we would do well to look at Jesus’ method of leading people.

First, Jesus influenced people; He never ordered people. “Follow Me” was an invitation, not an order. Peter, James and John were free to follow or stick to their fishing business. Their choice to follow set the stage for their future growth and fruitfulness; people are more apt to work, and to strive for excellence, when they act out of followship rather than obedience. When you order people, you may secure their presence, but you will never capture their heart, mind, or will.

Second, Jesus connected with people. Even though He was God in the flesh, Jesus spent time with those He was leading. He did not maintain a distance from them. While from time to time He did steal away for private time with the Father, He traveled with them, ate with them, and slept with them. As He prepared to depart from them, He stressed their connection – “I am the vine, ye are the branches”. Good leaders strive for a genuine connection with those they lead.

Third, Jesus empowered people. Jesus realized that His time on earth was limited; for that reason He poured Himself into those who followed Him. He taught them, trained them, and encouraged them. Then, He assigned them to tasks and let them do what they had been trained to do without standing over their shoulders, critiquing their every step.

Micromanagement is the antithesis of empowerment; it is a failure to empower. When we micromanage, we curtail the possibilities and constrain the potential of those who follow us. Further, we limit the effectiveness of the entity we lead. Any church, and any ministry in the church, will flourish when the people who are the church, or the ministry, are allowed to discover and develop their gifts and use them for the glory of God unencumbered by minute by minute supervision.

What kind of leader are you? What kind of leader do you want to be?

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?

WHAT'S COMING UP?