About Leadership
Author: Josué Mora Peña
"As Aesop tells the story, the frogs down on the pond wanted a king. They bothered Jupiter so much with their requests that he finally tossed a log into the pond and for a while the frogs were happy with the new leader.
Soon, however, they discovered that they could jump up and down on the leader, run all over him and he offered no resistance. Not only that, he had not direction or purpose for his behavior but just floated back and forth on the pond, a practice which exasperated the frogs, who were really sincere about wanting "strong leadership".
So back to Jupiter they went. They complained about their log leader and appealed for much stronger administrative oversight. Jupiter was weary of the complaining frogs, so this time he gave them a stork who stood tall about the members of the group and certainly had the appearance of a leader. The frogs were quite happy with the new situation. Their leader stalked around the pond making great noises and attracting great attention. Their joy turned to sorrow and ultimately to panic for in a very short time the stork began to eat his subordinates."
The Greek slave, Aesop, born in the year 620 BC had a great imagination. All his fables teach us great lessons, like this one on leadership. Some leaders act like logs, others like storks. In the Bible scripture for this sermon we read about "an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures" Acts 18:24, but he only knew the baptism of John. Therefore Aquila and Priscilla explained to him the way of God more perfectly (verse 26). These two people were good leaders in explaining to Apollos what he did not know about the Bible.
What is a good leader? When we talk about leadership comes to my mind the secular leaders as well as church leaders. Leadership is important not only in the secular world but especially in the church. It depends what kind of a leader a church has to see if it will grow or become stagnant.
Weldon Crosssland, in his book, "Better Leaders for your Church" asserts, "four indispensables are to be found in every successful church: Program, Organization, Morale and Leadership, but the greatest of these is leadership". So, again, what makes a good leader?
To answer this question very succinctly we would say, "A good leader is one who has the ability to lead others." In more detailed explanation, we would say that a good leader is one who detects problems and knows how to solve them, knows what needs to be done and does it. A good leader is one who carries an assignment involving other people and be able to improvise. So you see, we can come out with several definitions of what a leader good is. Keep in mind that leaders are made, not born and we all are leaders, in our home, with friends, at school, at church, etc.
Kenneth O. Gangel, in his book "Building Leaders for Church Education" says:
- Jesus leadership was focused on individuals. His conversation with Peter in John 21 is a good example of how He gave Himself to his disciples in order to build His life into them. Jesus had confidence in them. He saw in them not what they were what they could become. God knows your potential. You are His hands and feet to do what He wants to do through you. Jesus believes in you, in what you can do.
- Jesus leadership was focused on the Scriptures. He believed in Gods absolute truth in the Scriptures. I myself believe that the Word of God is absolute and not relative. I do believe everything that is written in the Bible. Christ spoke highly and often of the Old Testament. He practiced what He read in it. A good church leader would focus in what the Bible says.
- Jesus leadership was also focused in Himself. He told Phillip in John 14:9, "Phillip, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Jesus disciples became good and strong leaders because they became like Him and you and I need to be like Jesus if we want to be good leaders. In Jesus time there were many philosophers, teachers, all kind of leaders (some good, some bad, others false),thats why Jesus told His disciples to look at Him and not at them.
- Jesus leadership had a purpose. He set goals and achieved them. He knew He only had 3 ½ years of ministry. He did not waste any time. He said it and did it. You know you are a good leader when you get things done, but remember, you can be a good leader for a wrong cause. Hitler was a good and successful leader, but, for the wrong motives. Jim Jones attracted many people, but with the wrong motive as well.
Church leadership is nurture. This is a botanical term meaning caring and feeding of a plant, which means growth. A good leader will feed and nurture and take care of his people. As the Good Shepherd, a good leader will take his flock to green pastures and clear water. A good church leader sets a good example. A good leader says, "Follow me and do as I do". A good leader is "fatherhood". Like father, like son. A good leader needs to give time to his followers, prays with and for them.
In order to be a good, strong, Christian leader, you need to be willing to pay the price. It takes discipline, courage, diligence, responsibility, among other things. If you are willing to do all these things, you may very well be the gears which will turn the wheels of this upside down world. So get ready to serve God in your Church, your community, wherever you are.
josue.mora@iglesiabautista.org
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And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 