The majority of my 25-year ministry has been spent in leadership training, development, maintenance, and encouragement. I am what we would call a “leader’s leader,” one who has always been there for leaders. Leadership development is one of the most important areas of church growth. If we do not have solid leadership, churches fall apart. If leaders fall into the extremes of too controlling or too lax, churches cannot operate in ministerial effectiveness. Wisdom for leaders – in our work and the application of our call – is paramount to ministry success.
It’s not easy dealing primarily with leaders. Leaders can be a headstrong bunch (and I say that about myself as much as about anyone else in leadership). We try too hard, do too much, and work so diligently, we sometimes miss things. Recently I was thinking about how important it is to walk in wisdom when we are leaders. Here are some essential words of wisdom when we walk in the ins and outs of leadership development and maintenance.
Leadership maintenance is as important as leadership development
As leaders, we need training and development to learn about our call and its duties, responsibilities. What we don’t realize is that ministry maintenance – continual individual study, ministry encouragement, discussion, and support – is as important as ministry development. Once ordained and fully functioning in ministry, you still need the enlightenment that study brings to your life. You also need support from your leader, your friends, and your circle of people. Often you need this more than you did prior, because now you have people, personalities, and complications to handle on top of regular spiritual warfare.
Love covers
Many argue the term “covering” is unbiblical. I beg to differ. The Bible itself tells us, Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Leadership covering is a form, an extension, and a manifestation of God’s love in our lives. When we are in doubt of how to do something, handle someone, do something, or bring something to pass…love covers. When faced with something, cover in love. The best wisdom for leaders for all time: lead in love.
Listen to your helps ministers
I have grown to trust the advice of my helps ministers more than I trust anyone else’s. Some ask why that is, and the answer is simple: that’s what helps ministers are there to do. Helps ministries exist to be of assistance in the ministry. Their specific purpose is to assist, pray, watch, intercede, and most of all, observe things going on during a service, a special event, or another church or ministry-oriented situation.
Where you are responsible to listen to God and function in your capacity, helps ministries are there to observe spirits, looks, attitudes, and assist you when they notice these things. While I do believe we need to know who is around us and that sometimes people do get petty at times…it is important to listen when a helps minister has a valid concern or observation about someone, some thing, or a suggestion on how things can function better.
Don’t accept every word of “caution” outside people try to speak in your life
I get at least three “messages” per month from people who want to “warn” me about different people who are around me, involved in the ministry, or who I somehow “know.” Half the time, the people they want to talk about I don’t even know very well or have never spoken with them. Once upon a time, I used to give these words a lot of attention, and started feeling like I needed to cut people off because of their recommendations. One day, I stopped. Why, you ask? Because I realized I was being used in people’s petty disagreements to retaliate and gossip about others. I was also subtlety being thwarted. If someone has a problem with everyone who is somehow in service in the ministry and you cut them all off, that holds your ministry back now, doesn’t it?!
A word of wisdom for leaders: Not everyone who sounds “concerned” about your associates is quite so altruistic. People are quick to use you in their biases and alliances against other people. You need to know your people, work with those whom you know God has sent to serve, and leave the rest with God. Now, if someone is that genuinely concerned about my spiritual well-being, they can get up off their behind and come do the service they feel is so wrong when the other person does it…or they can shut up and pray instead of causing trouble.
Don’t let everyone lay hands on you/give you a word all the time
I don’t believe the church should resemble a Communist state. Our churches shouldn’t be so controlled, people aren’t free to give a word from God in due season. However, I also believe balance is needed. It is completely out of order for church to become a free-for-all, with everyone running around laying hands on everyone at whim. As a leader, I do not let everyone and anyone randomly come up, give me a word, or pray for me because I don’t know who they are. I have had some very genuine people speak confusing or garbled word over me because they were inexperienced with it. Others spoke false word because they were operating in witchcraft.
We need to be careful who lays hands on us and speaks over us. While I don’t believe we should only allow leaders to do it (there are plenty of leaders with bad motives and witchcraft-ways), we should be discerning and thoughtful about who we allow to get that close. It’s a strong point of wisdom for leaders to walk in discernment throughout life.
Use more than one translation of the Bible
I’ve already spoken on the necessity of using different translations in study in previous columns. To some, this will seem obvious. To others, they are fighting words. Know in advance, I have already heard the arguments in favor of exclusively using the King James Version or other older translations. I am not making this statement to offend anyone. I have nothing against having a preferred translation; most preachers do. As preachers, however, our job is to reach other people, not to uphold personal preferences. Ministry is not about reaching us, it’s about reaching others.
Language usage has changed in the past 500 years. It’s important that we preach from the Bible in a manner and style understandable and accessible to people in this age. We are called to minister now, not a long time ago. People need to see themselves in the Bible’s message, which means they need to understand it. I am not saying forsake your favorite translation or never use it ever again…but use other translations from time-to-time for clarity of message, cross-reference purposes, and to make sure the people in your congregation (especially those who do not speak English as their first language) are able to understand and feel included in the message you preach.
Don’t tell the truth for the wrong reasons
There’s a famous saying: “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” As one who admittedly has a bit of a sharp tongue and a short fuse for nonsense, I have to say these words to remind myself that speaking truth out of the flesh is truth ineffective. You can say something all day long that is a “truth.” You can also reveal or say the truth for every wrong reason, with every wrong agenda. This nullifies whatever “truth” you might have said.
Truth should never be used as a weapon, to make you feel better in the flesh, or to try and oppress or judge someone else. As leaders, we will find ourselves frustrated, scorned, betrayed, and even hurt by people. We will often have to confront their behavior – but we have to do so as ministers, not through our feelings. Truth needs to be truth, not truth colored by emotions.
Look the part
As leaders, we must to bring God our best. Wisdom for leaders doesn’t just look like great teaching, but also great presentation. This is as much looking the part as conveying His Word well. Looking the part doesn’t mean having to be dressed to the nines all the time, but being sure to dress for the occasion, being neat and presentable, and reflecting the fullness of God at work within us.
Watch your flesh
Ministers almost always have an audience. Once in it for a while, we learn how to play the “preacher part.” We can get up in the pulpit and say anything or do anything to make others feel a certain way about us or perceive us in a certain light. Never, ever disguise your flesh as the “Spirit” (because you will eventually meet someone with discernment who will pick up on it) and watch what you say…because no matter how true what you might say may be, speaking out of the flesh is still flesh!
Learn to keep things to yourself
I hate to say this, but most people really don’t care about what other people are going through. People like to hear gossip and get dirt they can spread around. Most don’t really care that you are hurting, nor do they want to help you hurt less. If you don’t know you can confide in someone, keep it zipped. Take a few deep breaths, do something to take your mind off whatever happened (because eventually it will pass), wait until a leader or trusted confidant is available, or focus elsewhere, rather than unload on a passive-aggressive, tongue-wager. It’s a lot better to feel lonely for a little while or have a difficult time than confide in the wrong person and it wind up hurting you in the long-term.
Minister “different”
By “different,” I mean minister like yourself. The reason big-name preachers rose to fame is because their style was theirs. Now churches across the country are full of in-the-flesh copycats who are trying to look like and sound like other people. God has called you, with your own unique style and flair, and your own set of gifts that can enhance ministry. Keep your devotional time, keep hearing from God, and never let someone else’s fame overshadow the ministry God has given to you. Perhaps the best wisdom for leaders rests in remembering to always be yourself, because that is who God has called.
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