Fluency

This is a repost from the Catalyst Conference posted on Church Relevance. And will it is particularly aimed at pastors, I believe the principles are helpful for all believers to be mindful of.

Chuck Swindoll of Insight for Living discussed 10 things he has learned in almost 50 years of ministry during Catalyst Conference’s 8th session. Here is what he said:

Fifty years ago, I was a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was scared, unsure of myself, and fresh out of the Marine Corp. I did not know much about seminary.

I remember sitting in chapel, and a minister told me, “When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible person and crushes him.” I am so proud of everything you are dreaming of and doing that I hope that you remember to leave room for the crushing.

10 Things Chuck Swindoll Learned in 50ish Years of Ministry:

1. It’s lonely to lead.
   Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decisions, the lonelier it is.
2. It’s dangerous to succeed.
   It is dangerous to succeed while being young. rarely, does God give leadership that young because it takes crushing and failure first.
3. It’s hardest at home.
   Nobody at home is applauding you. They say, “Dad! You’re fly is open.”
4. It is essential to be real.
   If there is one realm where phoniness is personified it is leadership. What I care about is that you stay real.
5. It is painful to obey.
   There are rewards, yes, but it is painful nevertheless.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7. My attitude is more important than my actions.
   Some of you are getting hard to be around. And your attitude covers all those great actions you pull off.
8. Integrity eclipses image.
   What you are doing is not a show. And the best things you are doing is not up front but what you do behind the scenes.
9. God’s way is better than my way.
   God is going to have His way.
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 tells us that we must be willing to leave the familiar message without disturbing the Biblical message. We get that backwards. This was written in the first century, and now we are in the 21st century. The message stays the same. Don’t miss the message. As you alter the methods, don’t mess with the message.

Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. You will defend those things that don’t need defended.

Three Important Observations:

1. With every ministry a special mercy is needed.
2. In every ministry the same things must be renounced and rejected.
   That is hiding shameful things, doing deceitful things, and corrupting truthful things. Guard against deception. Guard against deception.
3. Through every ministry a unique style should be pursued.
   We don’t preach or promote ourselves (it isn’t about us). We declare Christ Jesus as Lord (it’s all about Him). We see ourselves as bond-servants for Jesus Christ.

Five Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years of Leadership:

1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone.
   It will help you become accountable.
2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity.
3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you the best.
   It will keep you from exaggerating. it will help keep your stories true. Your good friend will tell you things that others will not. They will hold you close to truth.
4. Whoever may respond to your ministry, keep a level head.
5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.
   Stay thankful. Stay gracious.

Thoughts on team ministry from dialogues with a missionary friend, Dave M.

The strength of a team is the composite of the strengths of the individuals.
The unity of a team is built around the weaknesses of each individual.

True, false or something in between?

Some would say that a team is only as strong as its weakest member.  This may be true in essential character areas, like faithfulness.  But the members of a team are less like links in a chain (linear) and more like the threads of a net.  This is the influence or benefit of synergy, in which the whole is stronger than the individual parts because they are woven together.

Some questions

Do we let the strengths of all members of a team show?  Do we value the different strengths?  Or do we allow the strengths of one or two members of the team to overshadow the rest?

This is where we typically miss the interplay in 1 Corinthians 12:21, “the eye can’t say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’” By allowing certain types of strengths to dominate we leave others feeling less important and not valued, 1 Corinthians 12:15, “because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.”

So we must look at the strengths of a team before we set the plan for the team.

How about weaknesses?

Often the strengths of individuals on a team taken to an extreme become weaknesses, particularly when driven by pride and/or self-sufficiency. These weaknesses then cause conflict which can lead to disunity, particularly when driven by pride and self-centeredness (“if everyone were like me, we’d be doing great”).

To the extent we understand the weaknesses of team members and have the ability to overlook those weaknesses when appropriate, yet deal with those weaknesses when needed—will determine the depth of the unity of the team.

This also requires that individual team members own or embrace their own weaknesses.  This is evidenced when a team member can celebrate the strengths of others in areas of their own weaknesses rather than being threatened by them.

No matter how strong a team, without unity effectiveness is hampered or potentially neutralized. Better a group of “normal” people—blending together their strengths (gifts, abilities, experiences) and their weaknesses for God’s purpose and for God’s glory—than a handful of “experts” who can’t meld together.

Your thoughts?

There are many definition and descriptions of a leader.  As I have been thinking about leading, leaders and leadership–particularly related to leadership transitions, I’ve come up with a few ideas.  What I want to be as a leaders.  What I want in someone who is leading me.

A Leader. . .

• Inspires contentment (hope)
• Instills confidence
• Invests continually
• Invites criticism (evaluation)
• Initiates courageously
• Incontrovertible/incontestable character

Leaders motivate–they inspire others to be better than themselves, to reach for something bigger than themselves.  Leaders are positive, they help people see potential not obstacles.

Leaders prioritize–they clarify purpose and set boundaries.

Leaders provide perspective–they see the big picture, they understand the consequences of decisions but are not limited by current negative circumstances.

Leaders give permission to others to cause change.  They give people permission to fail in the attempt to improve.

And significant Christian leaders pray.  They have leadership gifts, drive and motivations, but they are dependent on God.  They understand they are are limited, but God is not.  They intercede for others knowing that people are the ministry.