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.