Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the month “April, 2023”

24 Apr 2023

The Power of Modeling

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

Never underestimate the power of your own example. Your pursuit of Christ and your application of the Word of God to life will challenge, encourage, and embolden those who are on the journey with you. The power of modeling is not limited to the ‘older and wiser’ as one might assume from Paul’s exhortation to imitate me as I imitate Christ. Rather, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, a ‘youth,’ was to set the example for others in speech, behavior, and Christlike character.

It has been said, “More things are caught than taught.” In my own life I have been deeply impacted by a few whose life example so moved me to want to be like them – to follow their example as they followed Christ. But one thing is necessary for this type of modeling – it’s the principle of contact. We have to be in contact with others if we are to be a model for them. And once in contact, we also need to be transparent enough for them to see through any idealistic facades they may have in order to truly see our lives. These life models will be few, but their impact on us will be great and lasting.

There is one category of models for our development that is often overlooked. It’s the group of influencers that Dr. Bobby Clinton refers to as ‘historical mentors.’ Most of these we will not have the opportunity to meet personally, but we can ‘meet’ them through their biographies. For my own life, outside of the Bible, the greatest leader development books have been biographies of Christian leaders – particularly missionary biographies. As we read about their lives and how they personally pursued Christ, their example can serve to motivate and inspire us to great things for God. Remember, leaders are readers! Read biographies of great followers of Christ and you’ll be the better for it.

Here are a few titles that have deeply impacted and challenged me. If you have not yet read these, may I humbly suggest that these go onto your ‘to be read’ shelf.

  1. Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, by Howard and Geraldine Taylor (Moody Press)
  2. Behind the Ranges – The Life Story of J.O. Fraser, by Geraldine Taylor
  3. Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman, by Aylward and Hunter
  4. Through the Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot

We are all modeling, but the question is, “What are we modeling?”

May your own pursuit of Christ be a model for others to imitate.

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
17 Apr 2023

The Leader Development Model – Know, Be, Do

As you think about and execute your own leader development plan or a plan to develop other leaders, what grid or template to you organize around? Leadership is such a complex and challenging subject to grasp and Kingdom leadership adds an additional level of alignment. It can be like ‘trying to nail Jello to a wall,’ seemingly impossible unless one first freezes the Jello. A classical developmental grid for leaders is the Know, Be, Do grid.

In Acts 22:10, 14-15 (NIV) we can see God’s development plan for Paul outlined. ” ‘What shall I do, Lord?‘ I asked. ” ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ … “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.” Note how Paul immediately jumps to the end of the process in his conversation when he asks about ‘doing.’ Leaders are like that – they are doers. But God reminds him that first he must know the will of God, to see the Righteous One, and hear his words, and then he will be a witness a witness to all people.

Paul was the top of his class – a man with a first-rate education and experience, coupled with a zeal for God that exceeded many. But he was not prepared for the purposes God intended. From the world’s perspective He was ready for assignment, but from a Kingdom perspective he was lacking. Must scholars agree that it would be nine years of development from his conversion before Paul was sent with Barnabas on their first missionary tour. Three of those nine years were spent in isolation in Arabia, no doubt resetting his worldview and getting to know the words of His Savior.

So, as you plan your own leader development, select and area of leadership that will be your focus. Then, break it down into what you want to Know about this subject, particularly what the Bible says about it. Next, what must you Be – what inner qualities must be developed – for you to become this type of leader? And third, what are you to Do – what skills are needed to execute well in this area of leadership?

How do you ‘eat’ the leadership ‘elephant?’ One bite at a time! Know, Be, Do. Head, Heart, Hands. Understanding, Formation, Practice. Be intentional about your own development and intentionally develop more leaders. And remember, ‘A little bit of intentionality goes a long way!’

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
10 Apr 2023

Kingdom Leader Development and the Word of God

The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. 1 Samuel 3:19-21 NIV

Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord by his parents and raised in the family of Eli the High Priest. He was called by God to service as a young man and God’s hand was on him as affirmed by others. Yet, there was a lifelong process that would finally result in God’s blessing and allow him to influence many. God revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word (see above).

Kingdom leader development must be anchored in the Bible. But note what the development of Samuel says, God revealed Himself to Samuel. It is not the gaining of much Bible knowledge that allows one to lead well in the Kingdom. Rather, it is a knowledge of the Living God as revealed through the pages of the Book that allows one to represent Him well as we lead.

As you think about your development, are you truly pursuing God daily, growing in your intimacy with Him as you interact with the Text? Are you getting to know Him, or about Him? It’s a subtle distinction that makes all the difference. For we lead from an overflow of our intimacy with Him. It is the abiding in the Vine (see John 15:1-5) that will allow you to ‘bear much fruit.’

But often with the busyness of leadership comes a habit of simply ‘tipping our hat’ towards our Maker as we spend time in His Word. We don’t neglect to have our daily devotions, but they become routine and shallow rather that transformative and life-giving. We ‘check the box’ for our daily quiet time, increasing knowledge about God, but not growing in knowledge of God.

D. L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.”

Can you say like Paul regarding his pursuit of Christ, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 NIV

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
03 Apr 2023

When It Doesn’t Seem Fair

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. … The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Acts 12:1-3; 6-7 NIV

King Herod was out to quell an uprising among the Jews. This new ‘sect’ called the Way was causing all sorts of difficulties for him. So, he began to persecute the leaders of the Nazarene sect in the hopes to putting an end to this. He arrested James, brother of John, one of the three executive leaders and had him beheaded. Seeing a positive response to this draconian action, he moved on to arrest Peter – the second of the three leaders.

Peter was imprisoned and awaiting his trial before Herod with the foregone sentencing of death for leading an insurrection. His fate would be the same as his leadership teammate, James. But God had different plans! The night before the trial (interesting timing isn’t it?), God sent an angel to Peter’s prison cell. The chains the bound him came off Peter’s wrists and he was led by the angel outside of the prison. He was miraculously set free from the prison, the pending trial, and escaped the certain death sentence.

Now put yourself in John’s shoes. John had seen his brother, James arrested and beheaded. Yet now his teammate was delivered by God from the same fate. Why had God allowed James to die and set Peter free? It seems so unfair! Was God ‘playing favorites?’ Did He love Peter more than James? It would be so easy for John to become embittered towards God.

When God’s actions don’t make sense; when we are tempted to question His ‘fairness’ or His love; it’s time to remember that He is God and we are not! Take a chill pill! Who are we to question God’s wisdom, justice, sovereignty? Who are we to think we are wiser than God? It sounds a lot like Job!

I am not suggesting a type of Christian fatalism in our attitudes. But I am calling into question any leadership thinking that puts our thoughts above God’s. He is the potter and we are the clay. He has the right to make out of His clay anything He desires. He can choose His timing that best fits His purposes. We humbly fall before Him and agree with Him when He says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , ,

Post Navigation

%d bloggers like this: