I've wrote on leadership before, but until now I haven't truly experienced my first leadership crisis. I've been on staff at churches and been a part of churches in the past that lacked leadership, or had people in leadership who wouldn't lead effectively (or couldn't), I think part of the reason churches have habitual problems or do not grow is because they lack real, spiritual leadership or they have people in leadership who aren't good leader (they like the title or the attention leadership brings), but leader is not just a title, it's a position that requires you to lead.
I also understand not everyone is a leader, but still there are many people who have ability to lead, but do not. I am at a new church that is small, I'm the only staff now and have no elders. The church has been dwindling and on a downward spiral for sometime.. I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic. People have left and went to other churches, stopped going to church, or died off. This church like others have had it's past successes and wonderful moments of blessing, but at the same time, if a church doesn't have quality, effecitve, and spiritual leaders the chuch is going to do any number of things: 1) divide 2) waffle 3) be stagnant 4) go in circles 5) be unproductive 6) quench the spirit 7) left hand not knowing what the right is doing 8) nothing will ever get done 9) dissension 10) dwindle and die. I am sure you can think of some other things, but this was some of the things i've seen or had others share with me about their church.
One of the biggest complaints I hear from other Minister's is they have no leadership in their church. They have to end up doing everything themselves and either get burned out or frustrated or they do it all and get blamed for being a "dictator" or a "one man show", but the truth is, when you are the only one willing to lead, then it becomes those out of necessity and people have no right to complain if they aren't willing to serve or lead.
As I look back and learn about the church where I at now, the biggest thing that has been missing or is missing now is leadership. People to lead. People willing to lead. People wanting to lead. People committed to using their leadership skills for God. We will lead the boosters,PTA, girl/boy scouts, the committee at work, be a supervisor or boss for a company, or coach a team, but when asked to serve in leadership at church people won't? What happens, is churches settle and end up letting people lead who shouldn't because they aren't gifted or they want to be a "leader" for the wrong reasons(power, position, control, ego, pride, etc...).
I was called to lead and I'm going to lead. I'm also going to push for leadership and I'm going to try and call out people to lead. We need leaders in our church, not just preachers, Elders or Deacons/Ministry leaders, but we need people leading in our nursery, with our children, in our worship, our buildings/grounds, fellowships, meals, benevolence, outreach, evangelism, the lists of plenty of areas of our churches that need quality leadership to take these ministries, programs, and positions to the next level or begin these much needed ministries. We need people to step up, step out, and step into leadershp in ALL churches.
I don't care your past, your concerns, or excuses, if God gifted you with leadership abilities you need to be leading. If God didn't equip you to be a leader, you need to be honest enough to accept it and find other ways to serve besides leadership.
People cannot follow if they do not have a leader. People will not come to know Jesus if we do not have leaders in our churches or if churches aren't calling out and raising up and training leaders. I'm a leader and I'm going to lead and I am leading, are you? If you are gifted, called, and able to lead, then lead. Ask God to give you a desire and willingness to lead, and then lead. Don't worry about criticism, complaints, or people who try to bully you. Lead! No Preacher will be successful if he doesn't have people in the church willing to lead and no church will grow if it doesn't have people willing to lead. Let's lead so people can follow.
Hebrews 13:7(NIV)
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
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