Evaluate and Encourage

I have decided to lump the next two leadership essentials together, because for me, they seem to go hand in hand. The next two essentials come in the areas of evaluation and encouragement. I believe that the single area that most leaders seem to disregard is in effectively evaluating the things under your umbrella of leadership. Many roads seem to be paved with great intentions, yet we struggle in follow through. I must admit, I’m very guilty of this at times. Sitting on my desk, not three feet from me, are two partial manuscripts for books that I have been working on. Now, before you congratulate me, let me tell you that these two manuscripts have been a, shall we say, “work in progress” for at least three years. Great in my intentions, poor in the follow through. For those of you who know me well, this may not surprise you, but also on my desk are nine, yes nine, books. And sticking out of each book is one of my business cards (glad I found a good use for them at least), marking my progress in reading that book. “Leading the Comeback Church” by David F. Nixon, card stuck on page 90, yet the book has 154 pages. Warren W. Wiersbe’s “On Being A Servant of God”, card on page 29 of a 140 page book. Bill Hybel’s “Living in God’s Power”, card on page 64 of a 94 page book. I’d go on, but I think you get the point. Now, let’s put this same mentality into our leadership and what do we get: Dreams half lived, projects half done, and yes, two books half written. Leaders, from time to time, we need to evaluate where we are, where we have been, and where we are heading. What areas have we seen through to completion? How many dreams have become realities? I’m sure there are a number on your list that have been completed, and for that you should sit back, smile and thank those that helped it come about. But for all those other things, you know, the things that have little business cards stuck in them marking their failed progress; it might be time for a little leadership encouragement. A great football coach will tell you that they seem to get the best out of their players when they offer them a little praise and encouragement. A car that has set in the driveway for a year may need a jump start to get the battery going, but once you do, it can take you places again. All it needed was a little encouragement. Same goes for your leadership tasks. Don’t give up on them. Evaluate, encourage and then get back in the race.

Enlisting Others

One of the most vital areas for a leader comes in the enlistment of others. Dr. John Maxwell claims one of the most important aspects for any leader comes in the developing of other leaders around you. As a leader, it is of the utmost importance who you surround yourself with, who you enlist to be part of the ministry. Let me give you some quick advice on the enlistment of others. When enlisting others to become leaders as well, look for one defining trait: PASSION! First, especially in ministry setting, make sure they have a passion for Christ. This can be seen in several areas: their study habits, prayer life, devotion to worship and the church, their involvement in the various ministries of the church, etc. Enlist people that are passionate about their walk with the Lord, and are not afraid to share that passion with others. Second, enlist people who have a passion for excellence. A true leaders can see the vision, can implement a stregetic plan to accomplish the vision, and will not rest until the vision has reached fruition. A true leader is passionate that the outcome be the best that it can be, and willing to sacrifice to see this come about. Third, enlist people who have a passion for teamwork. Far too many leaders strive to stand on the hill alone. I've often said, a leader with noone following is no leader at all, he is simply a wanderer. Enlist people who are good at working together as a team. There is strength in numbers, and have a group of people on the same page can accomplish so much more than one man alone on the hill. Enlist people are team players. And finally, enlist people who have a passion for positive results. Have you ever met someone who was great in the vision but poor in the follow through? A vision without follow through is nothing more than an unrealistic dream. A true leader does not stop half-way, but is willing to stay for the long haul, to see the vision come to completion.
So you see, the best means at which to be an effective leader is to enlist others who are passionate to be part of the vision. Who you enlist can and will have a great affect on the outcome. ENLIST CAREFULLY!!!

Energizing and Encouraging

The next step for leaders is to energize your people. Let me tell you, the very best way to energize your people is with one simple word: ENCOURAGEMENT! Studies in the work place have shown that employees work harder and with much greater motivation when encouraged and praise instead of discouraged and reprimanded. I believe the same is true within the body of Christ. Trust me, I’m a church leader, and it becomes real easy to “shame” the people into a ministry, and even easier to fuss when things are not going as you would have hoped. For many years in ministry, I struggled with the area of handing ministries off to other capable leaders within the church, simply because I wasn’t sure they could perform the task as well as I would want them to do. And someone finally got my attention by reminding me that I was hindering some people from using their gifts and talents and receiving the joy that they could have by their personal involvement.
On the other side of the coin, there are a lot of ministry leaders in the church who are simply not giving 100% to their calling. I know this as well as you do, and yes, it can be frustrating. So what do you do? Fire them from their position and replace them with someone else? Call them into your office and ask them to shape up? Bring someone along side them to hopefully “take over” the task? Sadly enough, this is many of our responses, however, let me offer another suggestion. Try being an encourager. Let me give you some phrases that should dominate a leader’s talk:
Thank You
Good Job
You are doing an AWESOME job
You ministry is so important
What can I do to make your job easier
You are such an asset to our ministry
Thank you for being apart of the team
ETC. ETC. ETC

You will never know how far a little encouragement may go in the lives of others, but I guarantee you, you will see productivity increase as praise increases. Be an encourager, a motivator, an ENERGIZER!

Empowerment

A fourth must for all leaders comes in the area of empowering others. We must provide opportunities for people to use the gifts the Lord has given them. For me, one of the most frustrating periods of minsitry came very early, when I was still a youth pastor. A few miles away from the church was a large, multi-housing complex. On a monthly basis, someone would bring up the need for the church to have a strong presence within the complex. In fact, for probably 6 months straight, we talked about the needs and the number of people that could be impacted for the Kingdom of God if we would begin some ministries to meet the needs of those living there. Finally, we even put together a ministry team to "look into the exact needs" that were at the apartment complex. Another six months later, at yet another business meeting, someone asked again if we had ever made any ministry plans. The chairmain of the ministry committee was out that night, so we decided to "check with them and get a report the next month". The next month, the ministry team that had been put together seven months earlier reported that, "we have not come to any definite decisions yet". To my knowledge, that was the last time anyone mentioned ministry at the apartment complex just two miles away from the church. Now, how does this story relate to leadership? Very simply, no one, not even the pastor, would take the initiative to begin the new ministry. Oh, we saw the need, talked about the need, and even did the good ole Baptist thing of creating a committee to see to the needs, yet no one ever stood up and simply said, "let's do it".
Leader, let me ask you a question. How many great ministry ideas have fallen by the wayside, simply because no one took the initiative to get the ball rolling. We must be about empowering others, and I've learned, empowerment does not come in talk, it comes in action. The only thing worse for a church leader who never sees the need is one who sees the need yet never does anything to see that the need is met. You ever heard the phrase, "talk is cheap"? I do believe that talk is important, but if we do not empower our people to action, then that's all it is, TALK! So take the next step, and put action behind great ideas. Empower your people to not only see the vision, but to also jump in and see the vision through. Leaders, that's your responsibility! Let's EMPOWER those around us to action.

Educating Others

The third must for leaders is in the area of educating others. Let me encourage you to do something some time. Thumb through the Gospels and write down how many times you hear this phrase: "And He (Jesus) set down to teach (instruct)... ". Over and over, people refered to Jesus as "Rabi" which means teacher. How awesome would it be to sit under the direct teaching of Jesus, to have Him as your Sunday School teacher!!!! As I thought and prayed about this more and more, I realized that we, as leaders, are also to be educators. You may be asking what is the difference between educating and equipping. Well, I'll admit they are very similar, but as I see it, they are also different in many ways. In equipping, we provide people with the tools they need to get the job done. In educating, we provide the knowledge. Remember this: "people will not effectively lead in any area that they do not feel they possess the proper knowledge base to do the job and do it well". We must educate our people! Provide classes to teach teachers to be, well better teachers. Send your volunteer youth and children's workers to training and teaching seminars. Oh, and in the process, remember that, though you may be a leader, you must also remain a constant learner. In nearly every career, from Doctors to Lawyers, and pretty much everyone in between, professionals are required to receive so many Continued Education hours each year in their field of work. I was even talking with my lawn mower repair man the other day, and he has to go to different teaching seminars each year to learn the ins and outs of working on lawnmowers. But for many church leaders, we forget to keep up with our "continued education". Take some time, and do it often, to be the learner and not always the teacher. Go to a revival at a local church, where all you have to do is just sit and enjoy the Word of God without all the added pressures of being a church leader. Take advantage of your local Association's training seminars, or search online for some weekend retreats you might could be involved in. Let's make a commitment to be effective educators and proficient learners.

Equipping Others

The second step for effective leaders is to understand our role in equipping others. Many times, as a leader, I have found myself frustrated that those under my leadership are not effectively living up to their potential. The Lord had to teach me a hard lesson on this issue before I finally understood it was partly my fault. I spent about 10 years in student ministry before being called as a senior pastor, and now as a hospital Chaplain. During one of these years, I was in Washintgon D.C. on a mission trip with one of the youth groups. We had numerous projects that we were working on throughout the week, including leading in some backyard Bible clubs, helping clean out an old building that a church would be using for Sunday School space, etc. Well, one of our projects was to hand out Bibles in the mall area in front of the capitol building, a project that I thought would be fairly easy. The night before the project, I was meeting with all the students talking about the assignment. One by one, the students began to ask me questions like: "What do I do if they ask me ...?", and "How do we handle someone that ...?". What I realized was a project that I saw as a fairly easy task was stressing out my students. The reason was very simple: I HAD NOT PROPERLY PREPARED THEM FOR THE TASK.
Many times, as leaders, we do just this: We try to lead a group of people down a road that we have not prepared them to walk. It's not that they aren't capable, and truthfully, not that they aren't willing, it's just that they feel unprepared. As I set in the middle of my youth group that night, I realized that the one who had failed was me. You see, one of the most important jobs of a leader is that of equipping others. How can we expect anyone to tackle a task that we have not prepared them to handle? We throw out new ideas, new ministries, new visions, which are all good and God driven, however we don't equip the people to follow in these areas. We want an effective children's ministry, but we don't give the people the tools needed to accomplish it. We get frustrated that no one shows up for outreach, yet we have not equipped the people to be effective witnesses. They don't meet our expectations because honestly, they don't know what we expect, and worse, they don't know how to achieve it. And the result: A FRUSTRATED LEADER TRYING TO LEAD A GROUP OF FRUSTRATED PEOPLE. And where does that take you? You guessed it, into FRUSATRATION.
As a leader, understand one of your first tasks is to equip those under your leadership to carry out the desired project. In doing so, you will build character, confidence, and ultimately new leaders themselves, fully equipped to handle the tasks that are before them. Maybe we should take some time to help train our new Sunday School teachers, or have a outreach/evangelism training course at the church. Send your student ministry teams to training camps and seminars. Whatever it takes, we must give them the tools needed to be the very best they can be. Remember, an effective leader must be in the equipping business.

Effective Leadership Must Be Earned

The first aspect of effective leadership is that it must be earned. Very few people are born with the rights and credentials to walk into a leadership position without that position being sought after and earned. Same thing goes for each of us as Spiritual Leaders. Now, before we go any farther, let me clarify what I mean by Spiritual Leader. Ultimately, we should, as Christians, all be Spiritual leaders. Whether you are a husband, a wife, a mother or father; whether your leadership position is within the church, or in the corporate world; whatever and wherever you find yourself in a position of leadership, you should be a Spiritual leader. To be an effective leader, one that will lift Christ and bring others closer to Him, we must be led by the Spirit, and by the principles and understandings we find in Scripture. So you, as a corporate boss, should lead under the principles set forth in the Word of God, and by the constant guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life, and your role as a husband, father, wife, mother, etc. should all fall under this guidance as well. Now, can you image how much easier it would be, as leaders, if we all led like Christ led.
With that in mind, let's get back to our first point, that leadership must be earned. You and I must prove ourselves as leaders, and earn the respect of others in order for them to follow our leadership. For a spiritual leader, this can be simplified into the two greatest commandments: To first love the Lord with everything we have, and to second, love our neighbors as ourselves. You see, according to Scripture, leadership is driven by a love for God and for His people. An effective leader must have an active, growing relationship with the Lord. Prayer is a must, and an insatiable hunger for the Word of God. For it is there that you will find the power and strength to "press on" daily for the Lord. Also, if you want to lead like Jesus led, you have to love like Jesus loved. Look on others with compassion, with grace, with understanding, and seek to guide them in the areas they seem to struggle in. I promise you, love those whom the Lord has graciously placed under your leadership, and you will find a group of people who will follow with a smile on their face, and a hard work ethic in their heart.

Effective Leadership

The more I look at the world we have, from the church house to the White House, and every where in between, the more convinced I am that we need true Leaders. True leaders who will step up the plate, accept the responsibility that is before them, and be the leader that God has called them to be. I began, several weeks ago, writing out a personal leadership plan for myself as a pastor and chaplain. I want to be the most effective leader that I can be for the Lord, and in the areas of ministry that He has gracious allowed me to be involved in. Here's my listing of the musts for effective leaders:

Effective leaders must...
· Earn – provide the example
· Equip – provide the tools
· Educate – provide the knowledge
· Empower – provide the opportunities
· Energize – provide motivation
· Enlist – provide the team with capable members
· Evaluate – provide guidance to improvement
· Encourage – provide praise and construction
· Eliminate – help remove barriers and distractions that could hinder the desired outcome
· Entertain – provide a fun working environment
· Establish – provide opportunities for advancement
· Explore – provide a vision into future
· Expect – provide an atmosphere where perfection is desired

Over the next several weeks, I want to take each of these leadership attributes, and discuss why they are so important to the life of each leader. Please provide comments and suggestions as we go along, to help in our discussion.

Brad

What Cancer Cannot Do

I wanted to share with you a great exerpt from a book entitled, "What Cancer Cannot Do", that I shared with a cancer support group the other day:
"Nothing, - not the probing of fingers, the painful needle stabs, the interminable waiting for results, the surgery, the pathology reports, the naming of the dreaded word cancer - can separate us from the love of God. For God made us, forming us in our mother's womb, knowing every part of us down to the very DNA of our cells. Yes, he knew that some of those cells would go astray, fleeing the intent for which they were created and following after their own way. He know those aberrant cells were multiplying in us long before we sensed them. But just as, in love, God brought us to salvation through the cleansing blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, so He will, in love, save us from the truly crippling effects of cancer. For when we are most afraid, His love calms us; when we feel abandoned, He surrounds us with His presence; when we feel we have lost our way, He lights up the darkness; when we are restless with pain, He soothes us with His touch; when we lose heart, thinking we will never be well again, He restores our soul. He does this through songs in the night and Scriptures by day; through the private prayers of friends and the corporate intercession of the church; through the expert care of doctors and the compassionate hands of nurses; through the testimony of cancer survivors and the shining leadership of saints who die in the Lord. But most of all, He does this through His ever-viligant, wholly sufficient, eternally satisfying love. Cancer cannot cripple God's love. He loved us from the beginning, He loves us through the disease, He loves us in and out of treatment, and He loves us to the end, where, someday, we will know no more tears, no more sorrow, and no more death - only the incredible wonder of His love.
You know, though this was written about cancer, this can apply to any situation you find yourself in today: divorce, pain, disease, hurt, anger, disbelief, etc. No matter what your situation, He still loves you, His compassionate heart still longing for you. At times, through situations we place ourselves in, we feel so distant from the Lord, and we ask the question, "Where are you?". Let me encourage you today, He has never moved. "I'll never leave you nor forsake you" are still His words of encouragement and comfort. "Come to me" is still His passionate giving of care. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever separate you from His love. Now that, folks, gives us something to live for!

Keep Pressing On,
Bro. Brad

Character

Proverbs 22:1 states, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold". How's your reputation? When people see you or hear your name, what comes to their mind? Are those at the office going to think something totally different than those at church? How about the people that only see you from a distance, what do they see? Part of growing each day as a Christian is to grow more and more like Christ: to strive to walk and talk like He did, to point others to the cross, and to live as an example of what a Christian should be. As I read Proverbs 22 this morning, the first verse really stuck out in my mind. My two favorite words in the first verse are desirable and esteemed. One speaks of your character, the other of your reputation. We should desire a good name. What does this mean? The word desire is defined as "the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state". It is a level of unrest, of discontentment. It is that daily realization that we still have a long way to go. In other words, every day should leave us longing for yet a closer relationship with the Lord, a more intimate walk with Him. You see, we can not build a good name for ourselves. Oh, we can live good moral lives, help our neighbors, etc., but it is only when we are striving to promote His Name that we begin to grow Spiritually. So for us a Christians, it should be our desire that others see Christ in us, and that His Name is honored in all that we do. That is where the word esteemed comes into the picture. The words means "to have an illustrious, respected reputation". When others see us, they should not desire to be like us, but to be like Christ. In other words, our lives should point people directly to the cross. When we live for Jesus, others notice and more importantly, others desire that relationship. And thus, a good name, character, integrity: They should draw us to Christ, and shine for Him to others. Make sure your name and reputation is worthy of the price Jesus paid to redeem it.

Spiritual Growth Question for Us To Think About

Vance Havner, an incredible preacher and expositor of Scripture once said, "the world is not our home, and we lament its sin-wrecked condition, riddled with disease and death and distress. But for the growing of Christian character, it is a proper training ground". To help each of us, add some of your own personal comments on the following questions: 1) How can the trials that we face in life serve as a good training ground for Spiritual growth?, and 2) What are some personal ways you have learned to grow through your own personal trials?

Spiritual Leadership: Authority or Servanthood?

I'm reading an awesome book right now entitled "The Making of a Leader" by Frank Damazio. The book lays out the Biblical leadership principles that are needed within the church of today. In it, he makes this statement: "Some people in the church live all thier lives waiting for an angelic visitation that will put them in some profound globe-trotting apostolic minsitry" (pg. 40). As we begin this journey together, I think it is important to understand what a Spiritual Leader actually is. For many, the journey to leadership is a power trip, a means and hopes to gain authority. The "leaders" within many local churches, including many of the pastors, find themselves thriving off of a need and desire for power and control. "As a leader, I can make the changes and do the things that I want", many think and say. For others, the rise to leadership is more of a "famed" approach. Many long to be famous and well-known for what they do, for their accomplishments and leadership. Within the church, each leadership role is used as a stepping stone to a higher, more prestegious position. I've heard a number of associate ministers and youth pastors make the following statement: "I don't want to do this forever. One day, I want to be a pastor". Now let me add, being a pastor is great, and for many ministers, this is their calling. But is Spiritual leadership defined by authority, power, or prestige? I believe the best Spiritual leader is one, not marked by authority, but by a heart and passion to love the Lord, and to love others: "If you want to be great in God's Kingdom, learn to be a servant of all". After all, what should be desired more, to be a leader in the church or to be a servant of Christ. Therefore, the underlining ministry of a Spiritual Leader within the church, is that of a humble servant. A pastor is called to humbly serve those the Lord has entrusted him to shepherd. A Sunday School teacher should be there to serve his/her class, and help meet their spiritual needs. A deacon, to help as a servant for the pastor and church members. You see, all spiritual leaders are to be servants, with a servant's heart, a servant's desire, and a servant's humility. That's why we roll up our sleeves and clean up messes in the church, or volunteer to help in the nursery. That's why we call or visit members when they are sick, lonely or hurting. That's why we pray for our pastors, teachers, and members. It's because the Lord has called us to be servants, His servants to His people.

Introduction

Statistics claim that some 85% of Americans, when asked about their “religious” background, state that they are Christians. If that statement was correct, then we would be a nation of just over 224,457,000 Christians. However, when asked about regular church attendance, an astonishing 69% of those, who claim to be Christians, only attend church once or twice a month. Of that 69%, 42% of them attend church less than 3 times a year, and 14% of that never attend church at all. Let’s put that into some numbers. Of the 224,457,000 who claim to be Christians in America, 154,875,330 attend less than 3 times a year, maybe on Christmas and Easter, and 21,682,536 never attend church at all. 92% of households in America have at least one Bible, yet in less than 36% of these is the Bible read more than once a week. Statistics show that for every 20 people who enter into vocational ministry, only 1 of them will retire still in the ministry. Nearly 48% of marriages with Christian couples ends in divorce, 90% of which occurs after both partners claim to have been saved. Do I need to go any further? Truth is, I’m becoming more and more convinced that we are less of a “Christian” nation than we claim to be, or at best, the vast majority of Christians are too immature in their faith to know how to live out their call as a Christian. And with that, I believe it vital for Christians, men and women of God, to grow in their faith each and every day; to move from infancy to maturity. Let’s take a quick look at an Old Testament passage of Scripture that lays this out for us.
First, let’s look at THE PROBLEM:

Ezekiel 22:23-29
23 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 24 "Son of man, say to the land, 'You are a land that has had no rain or showers [a] in the day of wrath.' 25 There is a conspiracy of her princes [b] within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'-when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.
Sound familiar? Much of what we see in America can be defined by this very passage: profaning holiness, unjust gain, lying, extortion, robbery, oppression, mistreatment… and on and on. In America today, we are much the same. Lovers of money, stretchers of the truth, extorters of the innocent, and praising of the wicked.
Now, let’s look at THE PLEA:
30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
Can you imagine? The Lord of all creation, looking down on His precious creation, in search of one, just one, who would “stand in the gap”, to be the man he was called to be, to live a life of holiness, yet none was found. Why was this? Were there some who just flat out would not serve the Lord, probably so! Yet there were far too many of them who were not ready to serve, not prepared to serve, infants in their faith, and unable to stand on the truth. Now, let’s go back to our statistics from above. Sounds to me like we have a ton of professing Christians who are not prepared, infants, at best, in their faith. Truth is, none of us are where we need to be in our walks with the Lord. We all have areas we need to improve on, areas that need to be fine tuned and sharpened. We all need to strive for daily maturing in our walks with Christ. Can you hear Him calling out: “I need just one, is anyone ready”? Will you be that one? Will you be a catalyst for the cross? God has called each of you unto salvation, yet God has also called each of you to be leaders for His Kingdom and His church: Spiritual Leaders. Let me encourage you, you can’t get to that point on your own. It takes work, it takes effort, it takes perseverance, and most of all, it takes the Lord. And that is the invite of this websites journey: a life long journey of Spiritual Growth. Will you step of to the plate? I promise you, you’ll never regret it. Will you be a CATALYST FOR THE CROSS?

Become a Catalyst

Catalyst

Something that initiates or accelerates an occurrence; an igniter and sustainer.

It's a spark that sets forth a fire, a fuse that sets off an explosion.

It's a Christian, sold out to Jesus Christ, and determined to make a difference for Him.

Our goal:
TO ALLOW THE LORD TO STRENGTHEN YOU, SHARPEN YOU, AND DEVELOP YOU INTO THE SPIRITUAL LEADER, FOR HIS KINGDOM AND HIS CHURCH, THAT HE HAS CALLED YOU TO BE

Our Prayer:
THAT A GENERATION OF MEN AND WOMEN, SOLD OUT TO THE CROSS AND WILLING TO SERVE THE LORD AT ALL COST, WILL STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND BE THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS THAT GOD HAS CALLED THEM TO BE, AND WILL LIVE AND SERVE AS EXAMPLES WITHIN HIS CHURCH

ooked for a man among them who wo build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it…kiel 22

Will You Be The One?