The Leaders Preparation - Essay Example

Brandon Hebert Dr. Paul Fisher CE-103 Spiritual Leadership Session 2 13. This essay will discuss the main points in chapter 3, "The Leader's Preparation". Many people today relate the success of great organizations by the effectiveness and greatness of their leader. However, the leader of a Spiritual organization must have discernment and know what his or her Spiritual gifts are. Secular leaders base their leadership and authority mainly on egotistical beliefs and self motivation. Spiritual leaders are never self-made, God makes spiritual leaders. The scripture says, "Not by might or power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts". (Zechariah 4:6). A Spiritual leader must remember that he does not operate on his agenda, but God's agenda. The six steps to leadership by Robert Clinton are important for development of effective leaders. 1. Sovereign foundations 2. Inner life growth 3. Ministry maturing 4. Life maturing 5. Convergence 6. After glow or celebration. Effective leaders are willing to learn from their mistakes and submit to the will of the Lord. 14. This essay will discuss on the main points of "The Leader's Vision" In chapter four. All leaders must have a clear vision. The leader must be able to inspire people and articulate their vision to the followers. However, the most important question one must ask is, where does the vision come from Secular leaders look first to the past history and try to duplicate success. However, God rarely works the same way trice, therefore for a Spiritual leader this model of duplication may prove ineffective. Spiritual leaders should always rely on the Words of God and be sure that their vision is within the will of God. Spiritual leaders should learn to discern to understand God's vision. Christian views of strong leaders are in sharp contrast to world views. In the Gospel Christ demonstrates strength through weakness of people. The world view is one of human strength and human will. Jesus Christ focused on small groups and individuals. The world continues to look at large numbers of people equating to success, which stands in contrast to the teaching of Jesus Christ. The primary objective for all Christian Spiritual leaders is it to bring glory to God. The leader must operate as a vessel for the Holy Spirit to operate in, without the leader getting in the way of the will of the Lord. 15. This essay will discuss the main points of Chapter four "Natural and Spiritual Leadership". Li Hung Chang a leader in China said, "There are three kinds of people- those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move them." We as Spiritual leaders must realize that there is no such thing as a self-made Spiritual leader." (p28). Christian leaders are made and led by the Holy Spirit. However, people do need to have natural leadership skills. An effective leader does not happen at the moment of conversion. The leader must remember to not major in the minors, and become distracted by minute details. The leader should always have the ability to make clear and decisive decisions. Furthermore, they must be able to focus on priorities and understand his or her weakness. Jesus Christ said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7). Therefore, make decisions based on the strength and power of Jesus Christ. The final objective should be for his glory. 16. This essay will discuss the main points of chapter 5 "Can You Become a Leader" Many leaders in church today look for leaders based on prestige or education. However, Jesus ignored the world view of leaders. Jesus started with individuals who were untrained and without social prestige. For one to be an effective leader he or she must investigate their potential for leadership. A leader must remain calm in crisis and show restraint. A strong leader will be willing to listen to other views and handle criticism. Leaders should always think before speaking. People must have trust in their leaders; one misspoken word can decrease the credibility of the leader. The final goal for all Spiritual leaders is having master passion for Jesus Christ. The leader must set realistic goals after prayer and consultation with the Lord. The leader must always maintain a high level of confidentiality with followers who have trusted him. An effective Spiritual leader must be willing to forgive and not judge people. Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62). 17. This essay will discuss the major points of chapter 6 "Insights on leadership from Paul". When we look at Paul's life we see a strong leader that Jesus Christ made into a great leader. Paul was educated in the Old Testament, and was very advanced in Judaism. However, when the Holy Spirit began to work in his life, Paul did not lean on mans reason or logic but, was led by the Holy Spirit. Paul was also aware of his weakness; therefore, Paul received a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble. A leader must show hospitality and concern for lost souls. Financial reward must NEVER enter a mind of a Spiritual leader. As Spiritual leaders mature through curriculum of the Holy Spirit, the leader will be able to focus on Christ and not financial gain or things of the flesh. Paul speaks of Spiritual maturity for leaders; Christian leaders should have a well-ordered home, respectable spouse and children. Christian leaders must set an appropriate example for their followers but more importantly they should be respectable in the eyes of the Lord. The world has standards for leaders; However, God takes special care in selection of Spiritual leaders. 18 This essay will discuss the main points in chapter 5 "Joseph: The Strategic Leader". When we think of strategic leaders we usually think of military leaders. However, Joseph in the Bible was a great example of a strategic leader, who helped Egypt with revelation from God, to prepare for natural disasters from God. Effective strategic leaders like Joseph must be gifted in administration skills and problem solving. Many strategic leaders have melancholy type temperaments; furthermore, strategic leaders usually have a kaleidoscope style which enables the leader to disseminate large amounts of data. Spiritual strategic planners must incorporate trusting in God and faith in His divine will. Joseph was able to discern God's will thus, making him extremely effective forthe leadership of Egypt. The leader must be diligent and not make hasty decisions without consultation with the Lord. The strategic leader must set goals based on God's vision in accordance with His divine will. 19. This essay will discuss the main points of chapter 6 "Moses: The Charismatic Leader." The world looks for leaders with charisma. Charisma is usually the first quality the world looks for; people are attracted to individuals with charisma. When God called Moses; He developed Moses to have a special charisma to lead the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt. Charismatic leaders may possess Spiritual gifts such as prophecy, evangelism and exhortation. When Moses was called, the time he spent in the burning bush forever changed his life. Moses had weak communication skills however; God's plan was to use Aaron as the mouth of Moses. In the end Moses' lack of communication skills may have been his strength. "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:9. Moses weakness may have been his strength; the Israelites had respect for Moses as a leader from God because he was seen as a wise man. 20. This essay will discuss "Moses: The Administrative Leader." A great administrative leader must be aware of their surroundings. A great danger is not being aware of the size and scope of a project, until it is too late and then be over their heads. An administrative leader may seem to be pushy or cold. The temperament of an administrative leader is choleric however; they may be kaleidoscopic in nature. Moses style was kaleidoscope as he employed many styles of leadership. Effective leaders must be focused and diligent in their leadership skills. He or She must not be a micro manager, for example: "telling one to gather data for me and I will decide." Then on the other end of the spectrum the leader may give too much freedom to an individual, for example: "Do it and don't report back." There must be a certain level of trust between the leader and the person performing the assigned task. Furthermore, time management is extremely important for the leader and the follower. Routine reporting to the leader is one way to have effective time management. 21. This essay will discuss the main points in chapter 8 "Moses: The People Management Leader." Leader must have effective people management skills. The ability to have joint problem solving skills is very important. Team effort is extremely important in productivity of organizations. However, in any church the leader will always meet some resistance with followers. Management of people is exhausting work; the leader must evaluate the motive behind the follower and his resistance. Moses always recognized the sovereignty of the LORD and the responsibility to the LORD. Leaders must not be distracted from God's plan and stay focused on the will of the LORD. Conflict is inevitable part of leadership, proper conflict resolution is essential to an effective Spiritual leader. The final outcome should bring glory to God; a win, win situation. The prize is for the glory of God not one's self pride. 22. The external links this week I investigated was first, an article from Christianity today. The article was about developing a vision for the church while listening to God. The article speaks of a beautiful passage of Scripture about God's will. "And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ." Ephesians 1:9; Before a leader can even start to think of a vision for the church, the leader must know the vision is in accordance with God's will and for God's good pleasure not man's pleasure. Steven D. Mathewson believes leaders should ask the following three questions when developing a vision for the church; 1. Where in the Scripture do we find examples of sound planning 2. Determine if the vision is from the Holy Spirit or from our selfish desires 3. Leaders must always remain sensitive to the Spirit's leading. The other article I enjoyed was "Blind Spot" by Brian Larson from Leadership Journal- The article discussed how leaders must be on the lookout for pride in their blind spot. The article highlights pride as a major blind spot for Spiritual leaders. The article spoke about the down fall of PTL from the 1990"s. Richard Dortch the former president of PTL was quoted as he was explaining his flawed vision," I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. My problem was not that I bought into someone else's vision; I bought into my own ego and what PTL was doing for me. I saw something big and great that could make me bigger and greater." At the time of this article in 1994 Mr. Dortchs' ministerial credentials had been restored by the Assemblies of God. This article should be a learning experience. When I read this article the first thing that struck me was the words big and great. If our vision does not include God as big and great then something else is, and we should not be part of that vision. Read More