Tweet I talk to pastors frequently who find themselves in a difficult situation. Many times they know the right thing to do, but they can’t bring themselves to do it….
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I read an interesting story from the life of the Biblical character of David again recently. The story says a great deal about leadership and what is required to successfully lead.
Here’s what I read:
When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” he inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”The LORD answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah. But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!” 1 Samuel 23:1-3
Notice David had a vision…a word from God. This was prior to David being the reigning king. He had been anointed king by God, but did not yet have the position. He was hiding from Saul. He had no kingdom of his own. This new assignment was scary, his army was questioning him, and the future was unknown.
Have you experienced a situation like this as a leader?
Thankfully David’s story had a happy ending: (Imagine that…God put him up to it.)
Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 1 Samuel 23:4-5
This story prompts some thoughts on leadership:
I was talking with a friend the other day that is having to make some difficult decisions for his organization that he knows are right and necessary, but he also knows they will be very unpopular and he will most likely lose friendships over the decisions he has to make. I was able to remind him of something all leaders need to know.
I have written all week about team idleness. Check out more of the posts on the main blog. I thought it was equally important to share some thoughts about what makes up a healthy team. Obviously that is our goal. Here are some quick elements of healthy teams:
Tweet I remember returning from Africa late one Sunday night. I was physically exhausted, but emotionally energized, so I hit the floor running at full speed Monday morning. I had…
When we planted our church I had a vision. It was actually a ten-year old vision. The vision was broad. I felt God wanted to have a church that reached people where they were, not with rules to perform to for approval, but with unconditional love and grace. I recruited a co-pastor who could share that vision. I recruited a core team who could own that vision as their own. My co-pastor and I recruited a worship leader who believed the vision. Then step-by-step we began to give away our vision.
Leadership is influence, so the words a leader says are powerful…
Therefore, leaders must choose their words carefully…
I see leaders get excited, underestimate the power of their influence. fail to realize …
Unfortunately, I know this advice from firsthand experience. In my previous, pre-ministry business days, I once owned a business where everything that could go wrong did. I reacted in the wrong way and it ended up costing me greatly.
I love organizational leadership and I am happy to serve on a healthy team. It’s amazing how many church leaders I know that say their team is not healthy. Recently I started wondering why it is that I claim our team is healthy and it led me to this post. Here, in my opinion, are 10 elements of a healthy organization:
Not everyone will agree with you and/or even like you. If you lead anything, someone will disagree with your decisions and you will divide people into different opinions. (There has never been a president with 100% approval ratings.) Leaders must be prepared to lead towards the vision of the organization, even when it means losing approval ratings.