Anger

“Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool” (Eccl. 7:9).  Feelings of anger are inevitable; however, supervisors would be well-served to find positive ways to manage their anger.  Leaders unable to control their emotions will become ineffective, as followers will lose respect for them.  Anger can be turned to an advantage, as it prepares a person for action.  That action should never involve emotional outbursts or behavior that insults team members or destroys relationships.

Boundaries

Boundaries:

“Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations” (Proverbs 22:28).  Leaders are called upon to enter into agreements and contracts that establish boundaries for doing business.  On occasion, an agreement might take an unexpected turn and become a less-than-desirable situation; some problematical contracts or agreements may have been forged by a predecessor; nevertheless, leaders should heed their stipulations.  Godly leaders understand that both verbal and written contracts should be honored; they establish legitimate boundaries that carry authority in their lives.

Authority

Authority:

“When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.  But when the wicked are in power, they groan” (Proverbs 29:2).  Solomon understood that a leader’s authority should work for the benefit of others. It is wrong for a leader to use his position as leverage to infringe on the rights of others, or scheme to accumulate ill-gotten gains. Those in authority are obligated to clearly say what they mean and mean what they say, not manipulate situations and people. Leadership finds its authority in God and should be administered in a way that pleases Him and accomplishes His purpose.

The Booty

Ephesians chapter four catalogs five ministry gifts represented by Paul as the booty collected by our victorious Lord.  Following the resurrection, those gifts were manifested within believers for providing spiritual leadership for His church.  For that reason believers no longer look toward one prophetic voice or rely on supernatural events for their guidance or deliverance, as recorded throughout the Old Testament.  The New Covenant brought forth a people already free, a people joined with God. The Church is a spiritual reality only prefigured by the former things.

God gave specific spiritual endowments to the church for the task of leading people to their spiritual land of milk and honey.    Paul explains, “…He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers…” (Ephesians 4:11).  They are released through a variety of people and function with the explicit purpose of preparing a mature and equipped church.

I have the opportunity to interact with a variety of church leaders, and it seems one of the most challenging tasks for established ministers is to identify, equip, and release new leaders. The biblical model for leadership involves walking out the call in a manner that prepares tomorrow’s church.  The wise leader will raise up spiritual sons (similar to Paul with Silas, Titus and Timothy) to secure a prosperous future.  Spiritual sons increase the leader’s influence within the fellowship, and with the opportunity to observe and serve, gain skills for future leadership positions.

How Is It Working For You?

 

We cringe at any hint that control is a function within the leadership responsibility. It is easy to make the case that the New Testament model for Christian leadership is never about controlling people.

But the effective leader must control the organization he leads or someone else will. One of the leader’s most critical tasks is evaluating the activities occurring within the organization and measuring them against the agreed upon goals and objectives. The leader who measures and evaluates the church’s outreach ministry, discipleship method, or youth endeavor is empowered to make quality decisions about how to grow more effective. Measuring is central to controlling the ministry activity within the church.

The control process involves two evaluating tasks: 1) selecting the appropriate criteria to measure, and 2) employing an accurate procedure for measuring. Selecting the wrong criteria will result in confusing and counterproductive consequences. This is true on a number of levels, the most compelling is that people will attempt to excel at one is being measured.

Feedback is vitally important to the leader and clear avenues for gathering information should be utilized. Methods such as numerical reports, personal observation, meetings, and written reports are important procedures for gathering data. As alluded to previously, the information gathered must be significant and relevant to achieving the goals and objectives of the particular group or ministry. Information for information’s sake will dishearten workers and erode trust.

How should a pastor evaluate the effectiveness of the small group ministry? What criteria should be measured and how can that information be accurately gathered. For the pastor seeking to evaluate the impact and influence of the Sunday morning service on visitors, what key activity, performance, or ministry dimension should be measured? What tangible, relational, and spiritual goals and objectives have been set forth as the benchmark?

Homework: This week focus on a department of your Christian organization. In your evaluation, jot down the agreed upon goals of that group. Identify methods that can be employed to measure their activities, methods, and strategies. That information will help determine how well they are moving the group toward their goals? Be careful to objectively interpret your data.

As a Christian leader, how can you bring control to that department so that everyone involved can more effectively achieve their personal and group goals?

Pointing The Way

              Several weeks ago we wrote that leadership involves four general areas of activity: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling.  Before wrestling with topics of direction and controlling, perhaps a review of the first two activities might serve us well.

       We noted that planning can be identified as defining the ministry’s goals, establishing strategies for achieving those goals, and developing a detailed plan to implement and coordinate activities.  Planning is all about what is to be done, and how it is to be done. 

        Organizing is planning’s sister, but more structural in nature.  It involves defining the type of work individuals are given to do and establishing clear boundaries for discharging those responsibilities.

        Organizing is bringing together the people, programs and procedures necessary for an effective working relationship.  The value of organization was highlighted in last week’s blog as we reviewed the organizational leadership of Jesus for the 5K feeding project described in Luke chapter 19.  Another instructive passage can be found in the Old Testament where Jethro challenged Moses’ organizational structure:

       “What is this you are doing for the people?  Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these stand around you from morning to evening?”  (Exodus 18:14)     

         The third activity in leadership is directing. How should that look in the life of a Christian leader?  Simply put, directing has to do with keeping the group moving and together. Don Martin in his book Teamthink lists 10 things a leader should have in order to be effective.  Of the ten, vision, decision making, and trustworthiness relate most closely to the leadership function of directing.  People must be able to see where they are going, the decisions regarding the journey must be dealt with in a timely and decisive manner, and followers must trust the motivation and judgment of the leader.

         Challenging the status quo requires quite a lot of courage and it stands at the top of the list in the directing role.  Every organization will fight to maintain things as they are.  Program leaders and the ministries they oversee will fight to protect their place of power, budget, and activities.  Challenging the status quo involves debate, inspiration, and motivation. If direction is not provided by the leader, change will seldom take meaningful strides. 

         Directing without a clear destination will be frustrating to both leaders and followers.  There are at least five important facets to the vision component of directing. Note these involve both articulation and activity.                   

• Communicate and maintain the vision
• Personify the vision
• Guide the vision
• Repeat the vision
• Gather followers around the vision

Homework for the week: Which of your weekly activities provide direction for the ministry you lead?  Do you make timely decisions?  Can people trust what you say?  Is there a clear picture of where your ministry organization is going?

Personal Note:  Next week both my home and work office will be moving from Florida to Pennsylvania and I’ll need some down time.  My next blog should be around July 20. I’ll miss meeting you here!

Jesus Did It

       One of the significant misconceptions about church ministry is that preachers should pattern their ministry after Jesus. We all have heard exhortations to do the works of Jesus; unfortunately, that perspective has given birth to all kinds of interesting characters and church groups. 

        Jesus was divine and manifested apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher without error. To teach that individuals should do what Jesus did improperly represents His church and the authority and gifting established therein.

       The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus’ ministry has been distributed; after His ascension it took a team (body).  So given that Christ’s ministry is distributed, should we also assume that the concept of “a church leader” (singular) is without merit and unbiblical?

       It is tempting to embrace that conclusion; however, Paul clearly understood that churches need a leader.  In fact the entire Bible is filled with examples that show communities of people need a single person to bring direction and guidance.  The first century church recognized many in the stable of Pauline authority as leaders over specific groups; in fact the church from its inception understood the need for men to step forward to lead the way.  The leader is not to be viewed as an infallible authority or the consummate expression of ministry. He is simply the leader (planner, organizer, director, and evaluator).

       We often think of Jesus as a mystical messiah mesmerizing the twelve with spiritual gems one upon another.  But Jesus was a leader; and if so, he would have been involved with the all the functions of leadership. Consider this passage:

“And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each.’ And they did so, and made them all sit down.”                                    Luke 9:14,15

       Luke provides a very administrative view of Jesus and the disciples feeding thousands without the necessary supplies. It was a miracle to be sure; however, there is a very non-miraculous element to what happened. In the midst of Luke’s story he reveals that Jesus not only multiplied the food, but planned the logistics as well. It appears that He organized the work to be done, assigned specific tasks, and guided the overall project. Organization was important enough to garner Jesus’ leadership. If Jesus took time to organize His ministry, we should diligently organize that which God is asking us to accomplish.

       This week reflect on your role as leader.  Do you view your role primarily as authoritative or one who facilitates and develops the leaders God has brought to surround you?  How did Jesus do it?

Managers and Leaders

Dr. Ray Parker of Trinity College and Seminary made several insightful observations concerning the leader’s role within a ministry organization.  He believes that an effective leader empowers people by expanding their authority rather than standardizing them by shrinking their authority; he views it as the only course to sustain a ministry’s relevance and vitality.  I would emphasize that Dr. Parker accurately identifies the biblical role of spiritual leader in church ministry.

       Effective leaders interact with their ministry organization from a unique perspective. Many believers misunderstand leadership, judging the leader’s role to be managing.  While managing is a valuable characteristic within the scope of leadership, it is not the essence of what the leader contributes. There is a subtle but critical difference between managers and leaders:

• Manager administers – a leader innovates
• Manager maintains – a leader develops
• Manager plots – a leader sets direction
• Manager measures – a leader evaluates

       In last week’s blog we talked about two of the four functions of leadership: planning and organizing. Considering the information above, we could conclude that as leaders plan they should view setting direction as the essence of that planning process, and innovation as the core of their organizing contribution.  Applying the above information to the typical church hierarchy, we can discover why many churches are hindered in reaching their potential. It is the church’s hierarchy (organization) that throttles dynamic leadership.  The church board (or trustees, etc.) set in place to manage (administer, maintain, plot) is usually incapable of leading; their job description is to manage.  As a result, the pastor is often pressured to sacrifice a God-ordained vision or innovative paradigm on the altar of church management.

       There are also situations wherein a church leader (pastor, worship minister, youth director) is insecure or unconvinced of his role; as a result, consensus, compromise, and peace become the Holy Grail of leadership.  While leadership by definition necessitates the consent and loyalty of followers, leadership ceases to be leadership when ministry animation is birthed in an environment of compromise and concession.  

       The ability to effectively communicate, influence, and collaborate are valuable skills for those tasked with leading.  The capacity to express the intricacies and excitement of a God-given vision is critical for success; so too the aptitude to logically discuss a change in direction or a new endeavor.  It seems that perceiving the mind of God only begins the journey of leadership; the destination can only be reached when everyone who hears of the expedition grabs their backpack and follows in stride.

• This week set aside some time to evaluate your role—manager or leader?
• How can you reshape your organizational structure to create/develop a team of leaders to complement those serving as managers.

                             J.R. Allebach

What Leaders Do

        There are four generally accepted leadership activities: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling.  The leader is not personally responsible to be daily involved in all four of those activities; hopefully a few people have been delegated some of those tasks.  Not personally doing them does not mean the leader isn’t involved.   A leader’s influence should be subtle but potent.   Let’s do a brief overview of what planning, organizing, directing, and controlling (controlling = measuring or evaluating) might look like in a ministry or church situation.

        Planning can be identified with a three-pronged definition: 1) defining the ministry’s goals, 2) establishing strategies for achieving those goals, and 3) developing a comprehensive plan to implement and coordinate activities.  Planning is all about what is to be done, and how it is to be done.  The critical question to leaders is: Are you planning (items 1-3) or are you all about doing things higgledy piggledy? 

        The second activity of leadership is organizing. Those who study such things have determined that there are several basic elements inherent in designing (organizing) an effective and efficient ministry. One important function of the leader is defining the type of work individuals are given to do and establishing clear boundaries for discharging those responsibilities—whether volunteer or paid staff.  Organizing also involves issues of authority, power, and the chain of command. Books have been written about these topics; our blog will be a few brief sentences.  I will say that most churches and ministries struggle big time with authority and power misunderstandings.  Authority has to do with the rights inherent in a position to give orders and is delegated to individuals along with certain responsibilities. Within delegated authority and responsibilities there exists a need to report back and be held accountable.  All activities fall within the  established chain of command (organizational chart).

        Authority and power differ.  As we noted, authority is a right that is legitimate by virtue of a position in the organization. For example, the worship leader has the authority to direct the preparation of the worship team because of the position given to him by the church board and/or senior pastor. Power, on the other hand, is about a person’s ability to influence decisions. For example, the worship leader’s secretary may have more power in respect to the worship team than the lead singer, board member, or senior pastor, even though she may be not even sing or play an instrument.  How? She sits in the office next to the worship leader and can influence song selection, introduce her favorite music, and determine the PowerPoint design.

        While this scenario is normal within church ministry, it can bring conflict, as those in authority often become uncomfortable with people whose power is not derived from an authority position.  The important theological note here is that this kind of non-authority influence is the fruit of diverse spiritual giftings and abilities given by God to the church. Good leadership creates and environment where influence from church members is celebrated and accommodated, but kept in balance so the mission stays on course and the vision remains unclouded.

        This week take paper and pencil and sketch out your ministry organizational chart; this will show your ministry’s chain of command. Do you honor those you have placed in positions of authority?  Do you ever run roughshod over them because it is convenient or expedient? 

        Also, think about how much time you weekly set aside to wrestle with the four leadership activities mentioned in the opening paragraph. Seek God for insights and ideas for how you can be a more effective leader.

        Finally, take a few minutes to reflect on the many scriptures that buttress our leadership discussion today.  Is this blog biblically sound?

Higgledy Piggledy Leadership

        Last week we ended our blog with the challenge of evaluating ourselves and our leadership teams. Specifically, we asked if our leaders are trained and  competent?  Are they tacticians and strategists? Do followers view them as competent in their area of ministry. Can they make the abstract tangible? Do they have the respect of their followers?  

         If we did our homework there is likely some evidence that leadership development would benefit our ministry organization. Before we discuss specific skills or methods, I would like to step back and revisit last week’s plumbing comment about “stuff” always running down hill; in other words, the organization (church or ministry) will slowly begin to look and act like the leader; it is a life principle addressed by Jesus on several occasions.

         As Spiritual leaders we can never engage our responsibilities higgledy piggledy.  Leaders must  employ purpose and strategy in their daily journey; every meeting or conversation should have intrinsic strategy.  The goal isn’t to dictate behavior or manipulate others to achieve personal goals, rather, create an environment that is “green” (not toxic), so movement toward the group’s “agreed upon goals” can be achieved. That would hold true whether it be a Sunday morning service or a Monday evening team meeting.

         The nature of leadership denotes movement and change.  The Greek word kubernesis translated as the spiritual gift of administration in 1 Corinthians 12:28, conveys the idea of giving direction. It is a specific spiritual gift.  Kubernesis takes its meaning from the nautical world and points specifically to the helmsman, an individual giving direction to a ship.  While there are countless roles for the busy leader (administrator) to embrace, giving direction is the most prominent and critical. It is one he or she can never abdicate. The entire organization or ministry team gains its inspiration and motivation from the leader’s sense of direction and purpose.

         Next week we will explore how planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating are foundational to effective spiritual leadership.