Planning – Practical Pointers
When planning your future, and your calendar, consider the following:
- Plan to Work: Make a list of “things to do today.” Maintain a calendar or diary planning local and national church events. Purchase a diary and use it for planning. Plan your preaching schedule and your ministerial duties. Have a local, regional, and national church calendar that shows yearly events. Go the second mile, and formulate a quarterly calendar.
- Plan to Plan: Mark times in your calendar for personal planning and reflection. What are your goals for the quarter? What special events will you have at your local church this month, quarter or year? Have a regular planning session with your local church board and leadership team. If you are a national or regional official, have regular planning sessions on that scale. At the beginning of the day, week, month, or year you can plan out the various activities. Have a plan, and then work your plan! Read more
The Day “It” Died
No one remembers the day, or for that matter the year, “It” died, but we all experienced the emptiness “It” left within society. “It” was not loud or bossy. He was not arrogant or proud. “It” was honest, faithful, blameless, dignified and honorable. “It” lived according to the strictest code of conduct and could be depended on to do the right thing, even when no one else was looking. Yes, “It” was complete within himself. He had nothing to fear, nothing to hide and nothing to prove. He was always just himself. “It” had a wholeness that few, if any, could match.
You will remember “It” when I use his full name, “Integrity.” In a world of relativity, integrity has become passé, old fashioned, and unpopular. Get to the top at all cost seems to be the order of the day. Yet the Bible has a lot to say about “It”. Read more
Planning for the Future
Planning is defined as an aim, intention, purpose or something that is considered in advance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1:- states, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the sun.” From this verse we learn that there is time and plan of God for everything that happens to us here on the earth.
Romans 8:28:”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose” – (PLAN).
Why did God make the sun?
Because it was His plan to make the distinction between the day and night (Genesis 1:16).
Achieving Greatness as a Leader
Key Scripture: “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:44).
Greatness in the Kingdom of God does not consist in exercising authority over others but in our labor and service for the welfare of others. In an earthly kingdom, honor and authority measure greatness, but in the Kingdom of God, greatness is measured by humility and service. Service, not status, should be the goal of every spiritual leader.
Oswald Sanders, in his book, Spiritual Leadership, refers to the principle of servant leadership as “the Master’s master principle.”
SERVANT LEADERS
Desiring to be better leaders, we strive to be servants to the Master, mission and multitude.
- Servants to the Master
The leader first becomes a servant to the Lord and His purpose. The leader’s mission and purpose in life, spring from his relationship with God. Nothing is more important than this relationship. Submission to God and His divine mission is vital to servant leadership. Read more
Keep Your Motives Right!
“He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6, NIV).
A motive is a need or desire that causes a person to act or speak. The biblical example of Judas, shows how dangerous it is if our motives do not match our words. Let’s speculate for a moment. When this incident took place John probably did not know Judas was a thief. When Judas said this, it sounded good and maybe even right to John. Yes, he probably thought, “We meet poor people every day and this ointment is worth a lot of money. Yes, we could help many people with this money.” It was much later while writing his letter about the life and times of Jesus that it was all clear to him. John could not help himself; he had to mention Judas’ wrong motives. Spoken words do not always reflect what is in the heart. Read more
Reproducing Leadership
Key Scripture: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so” (Genesis 1:24). Also see Genesis 1:11-12; 25.
In Genesis God initiated a principle of life: everything reproduces after its kind. Whatever talents, skills, and abilities God has graced you with, you should endeavor to pass them on to someone else. This does not have to be your children. As a pastor, church leader, or organizational official, you should pass the wisdom, knowledge, commitment, and character that have made you successful, on to someone else. This is not a choice. It is ordained by God. Read more
My C-Wish List
C-Wish List? Hope it caught your attention and dispatched you into the land of Wonder. I’m not talking about my birthday wish list. I’ve been too busy to even jot down my Christmas wish list. My thoughts have been captivated with the C-Wish List; the list of characteristics I look for in a team member.
What is it that I expect from a team member? Each characteristic, as you will notice, begins with the letter “c” so I have penned it my C-Wish List. I have not placed them in order of importance.
- Character: indispensable in any team effort. Much has been written on the subject. Sufficient to say, members of the Global Missions team need to be men and women of integrity and can be counted upon always to do what is right in God’s sight. Read more
Christ Within, Leads Without
As a Christian leader, are your leadership abilities limited to a Christian context or do they extend into non-Christian environments as well? Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-14, “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (New King James Version). Clearly, Christ intends for our leadership capabilities to extend into non-Christian environments. We are first Christians, committed followers of Christ (Malphurs, 2003, p. 15). This defines who we are, what we say and what we do. “Our mandate is to lead Christianly regardless of the context” (Malphurs, 2003, p. 13). This makes character or integrity the central focus and directly influences our motives. Read more
Three Phrases for the Daily Climb
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
It’s time to take an examination. Don’t sweat it. It won’t hurt or be difficult. Maybe we could call it “taking inventory.” We are specifically looking at three phrases and three phases of life; your life.
For every twenty who enter the ministry, by the time each reach retirement age, only one will still be in the ministry. Consider those that graduated from Bible school or entered ministry with you. How many are no longer in the ministry? (The statistics are not much different when you consider members rather than ministers.)
Too many have come through the front door, have left through the back, never to return. My greatest regret is that we have lost too many that once were part of the family. My greatest tears have been shed over those that have disqualified themselves from the ministry. Some have walked away from the truth. Others have sadly fallen into fornication or adultery. Others became offended, feeling they were abused, or squabbling over maintaining leadership territories and positions. Sadly, like the African proverb says, “When the elephants fight, the grass gets hurt.” Read more
Seven Landmarks to Fuller Potential
Effectiveness comes through reaching your full potential. Sounds easy, but how do you arrive at this destination of full potential? I have listed seven landmarks for the journey (not in the order of importance).
- Stewardship: We are personally responsible for our own stewardship. Ask, “Where and how should I invest my time, talents, and treasure?” Have you ever noticed how quickly others can identify someone that works? They tend to pile work on workers, and give little thought to the person’s priorities, strengths, or time schedule. Read more
Leadership Development International 