Letters to Leaders – Lessons From Philemon
Philemon
This is the beginning of a series called “Letters for Leaders.” Not just “Letters to Leaders,” that is, to the people who actually received these documents 2000 years ago; but “Letters for Leaders,” that is, letters with timeless principles inspired by the Holy Ghost that still speak to leaders in every generation.
Your initial impulse might be to say, “Well, I’m not a leader.” However, you would be wrong in the Biblical sense of leadership, because everyone influences someone else, and leadership is influence. You may be a bad influence or a good influence, but you are an influence!
“For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me” (I Corinthians 4:15-16). Read more
Seven Reasons I Became a Minister
So they went over to him and asked:
- Who brought you here?
- What are you doing in this place?
- What is keeping you here?” (Judges 18:3, HCSB).
It is often therapeutic, directive, and beneficial to pause to reflect for a moment concerning the why behind what we do. This lesson caused me to do just that.
There are at least seven reasons why I became a minister. Read more 
Servant Leadership Lesson Two: The People Business
Mark 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
One of the aspects of servant leadership is the matter of ministering to others. In this case ministry does not mean preaching or directing others, but rather helping them. Jesus exemplified this in His large number of healings of individuals and multitudes. Read more
Servant Leadership Lesson One: What in the World?
Matt 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The original disciples of Jesus did not have a good understanding of the nature of His kingdom and the leadership of it. I am not sure that nearly two thousand years down the road we have much more clarity about the matter. Read more
Daring to Dream
Excerpt taken from Life Lessons for Leaders from the Old Testament
Genesis 37:5
The story of Joseph is a sad one, but also one of great victory after tremendous perseverance. There is hardly a better type of Christ found in the Scriptures. Hated by his brethren for doing what was right, and suffering for sins he did not commit, Joseph stands out as an excellent example of a man whose sole purpose was to live a life of integrity and usefulness. Read more
Discovering Ministry in the Midst of the Stuff
I’m working and writing on the premise that God speaks best through me what He has been speaking in me. God has been prodding me onward and helping me wade through some of the tough stuff in every day ministry.
A missionary associate recently discussed with me an AIMer (short-term missionary) that had arrived on the field. He/she felt bewildered and blameworthy he/she wasn’t doing actual “ministry.” It’s a repetitive regular restlessness among those in kingdom business.
In 1999 I visited one of the executives in his office at World Evangelism Center. I asked if it were possible to do ministry in the midst of his administrative responsibilities. He pointed to a large stack of files and said, “Ministry, every time I want to do ministry, there is all this work staring at me.”
Lest we think this is a phenomenon isolated to World Evangelism Center, or AIMers on the mission field, I wonder how many pastors feel the same way. I recall, after marrying my wife, Linda, receiving a letter from her pastor-Dad. He wondered if he was truly making a difference in the small church he pastored and was close to giving up and throwing in the towel. Thankfully, he faithfully pressed on. Read more
Servant Laddership
If you want a picture of servant leadership, I would venture this: Consider the ladder. The modest, unassuming ladder is an ideal picture of the servant leader. Call it “servant laddership.”
The ladder does not exist for its own purpose, but only for someone else to take advantage of whatever height and strength it may possess. Neither does a servant pursue his own agenda. He has no other vision for his life. A true servant realizes his full potential only as he assists others in fulfilling their agenda. A servant leader understands that if he helps others to reach their goals in life, they will invariably help him reach his. Read more
Preach the Word
“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching.” Titus 1:3
It’s too long or too short, too loud or too soft, too deep or too light, too fast or too slow. Either the preacher jumps around like a jackrabbit or stands there like a tree trunk, sometimes a dead one at that. Either he massacres the English language or sounds like a walking thesaurus. As delicate and respectful as we try to be, we all have our take on preaching in general. Some preachers, we think, choke us with too much scripture, while others botch the one verse they do quote. Some tell too many stories, others too few. Some say amen after every sentence and others come across like slick professionals. But God never intended for preaching to be critiqued by human oratorical standards. Read more
Time Management for Effective Leaders
Accomplishing goals are difficult enough without adding the additional workload of being a spiritual leader into the mix. Time management often proves a daunting task for many leaders around the world both secular and religious. It is a focal stress for people and if properly miss-managed can create harmful stress on the individual, his/her family and those in which they lead. Yet what can be discovered in light of this to help a leader overcome the rigors of time management and become successful? To find such answers the following areas are explored:
- The Leader and Time Management
- Stress and Time Management
- Time Management Tips
- Getting Things Done Diagram Read more
Conflict Management: Ministry in Mentorship
Servant-Leaders will face a variety of conflicts and problems in his/her service: everything from plugged toilets and church mice to Sunday School kids in an all-out fist fight and two church leaders in an all-out silent treatment (or visa versa); not to mention one’s personal conflicts in marriage, family, and relationships in and out of the church. It is imperative that God’s people, especially leaders, know how to manage conflict effectively. After all, we still are humans dealing with humans! Where there are people there is conflict. Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Problems aren’t . They are . They just need to be handled and solved. Read more
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