Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the category “#3 DO – What a Leader Does”

04 Jan 2021

Making Wise Personnel Decisions -1

For Kingdom leaders, personnel decisions can be the most time-consuming and challenging of all the decisions you make.  The complexity of these decisions is due to the many considerations involved:  What’s best for the strategic mission?, What’s best for the person / their family?, What’s the best timing for this decision?, What are the short-term and long-term implications for both the person and the mission?, etc.  It may seem like you never have all the information you want or need when you have to make the final decision.

Below are some guiding principles and ideas on how to make wise personnel hiring decisions.

Keys for hiring the right people 

  1. Know, believe and be convinced that the Lord will provide all the resources you need to accomplish all that He is asking you to do – including any personnel needs that you may have.
  2. Have a clearly defined role – job description that you are seeking to fill.  Even for entry level positions it will help in recruiting if you have a well-thought through job description (in writing) that you can show to potential candidates with details of their responsibilities and opportunities / benefits.
  3. For Kingdom leaders, our recruiting must include the candidate’s personal calling and the  alignment of their calling to our ministry – mission.  Because of the nature of Kingdom work and the sacrifices asked (i.e. a pay scale often not commensurate with marketplace pay), we want to recruit and hire those who the Lord is calling to join us. This is not just a job that people are being asked to do.  Rather, it is a God-given mission and we are asking people to ‘leave their nets’ and join us in its fulfillment.  It will cost them much to engage with us, but Jesus promises to provide for those who serve Him.  Mark 10:29-30
  4. If they join us just to meet a need, because of the adventure of mission, to co-labor with their friends or some other reason than being called by God, they will soon find reasons to doubt their acceptance of the role.  The costs they will be asked to pay or future challenging and difficult experiences (failures) they may experience will quickly lead to second-guessing their decision to join with us.  This coupled with the enemy sowing seeds of doubt in their hearts and minds will lead them to quit.
  5. Having a clear sense of God’s calling will help us persevere in the difficult times, knowing that the Lord has led us here and He will never forsake us or abandon us.  Rather, He will strengthen us and see us through as we take refuge in Him.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10  ESV

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14 Dec 2020

Calling in an Expert

And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same will we do to you.”     Numbers 10:29-32  ESV

Israel had been in the Sinai for two years since the Exodus and now the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle and they were to begin their pilgrimage.  The Lord had told them that this journey would last for 40 years – until the generation that did not believe and obey His promises had died.

It’s interesting that though the Lord was guiding Israel with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, Moses still sought the help and advice of a local expert who knew the environment.  The cloud would give them the general direction to move, but the large number of people had to choose a place to camp.  It was in this selection of a camping spot that Moses sought the help of a local expert – Hobab – for he knew ‘where we should camp in the wilderness.’

Kingdom leaders are certainly led by God through the Holy Spirit in their decisions, just as Moses and Israel were led by the Lord in their desert journey.  But a wise leader knows that there are situations when the counsel and help of an expert can be of great assistance.

Moses recruited Hobab to join with them in the journey.  He promised him reward for his service – the same reward that all would share together.  It seems that Hobab was a brother-in-law to Moses who he had come to know and trust during his forty years of working for Jethro (also known as Reuel – see Exodus 2:18).  Though Moses had forty years of desert experience, he recognized that Hobab knew much more about desert living than he and thus the request for help.

Wise Kingdom leaders know when to ask for outside expertise for supporting their leadership.  This takes humility and teachability to acknowledge we do not have all the answers.  Ask for help when you need it!

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30 Nov 2020
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Age and Contribution

“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans. From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. …  All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry.”   Numbers 4:23-24; 27  ESV

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”   Number 8:23-26  ESV

The Lord set age boundaries when serving.  During the forty years in the desert after the Exodus, those who carried the parts of the Tabernacle we to be from 30 to 50 years of age.  Physical strength was necessary and maturity to handle these pieces carefully were requirements and thus, thirty years old was the minimum age allowed.  The rest of the Levites who were to serve in the Tabernacle, could begin as early as 25 years of age.

Whether serving in the Tabernacle or carrying it through the desert, both tasks were age limited to 50 years old.  Upon reaching that age, Levites were to “withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more.”  The older Levites moved from direct ministry in the Tabernacle to an indirect role of serving others by ‘keeping guard.’

It would seem that a pattern of ministry is that direct ministry is primarily a young person’s responsibility.  But with increasing age and experience, older servants move into more indirect roles, thus making room for younger leaders to emerge.  Note that the older Levites did not ‘retire,’ they just assumed less intense ministry roles.

These guidelines for Levitical service in the Tabernacle should cause us to pause and think carefully about our own ministry contributions and those whom we lead.  Are you thinking about your succession plan?  Are you looking to transition into a more indirect role of service?

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.    Lamentations 3:27  ESV

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09 Nov 2020

Kingdom Leaders are Recruiters

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.    Mark 1:16-20 ESV

Jesus was regularly extending invitations to others to join with Him in His mission.  Some, like the two sets of brothers, said ‘yes,’ but others refused (see Mark 10:21-22).  He did not coerce, beg, or cajole.  He simply invited them to come with Him and engage in the greatest enterprise the world has ever known.

As Kingdom leaders we too are constantly inviting others to join with us in our God-given mission.  It main mean we ask them to ‘lay down their nets’ and join us vocationally.  It may also mean that we ask them to invest their money in our work.  It will most certainly mean that we recruit their intercession for us when they pray, bringing us before the throne of grace and fighting with us against our unseen foe.

Dr. Bobby Clinton says this about recruiting, “Effective leaders view leadership selection and development as a priority function in their ministry.  As they recruit they will be drawn to those who have embryonic qualities and traits like their own. They see in their recruits their own potential of years before. Here is [John] Maxwell’s context around the quote.

“Effective leaders are always on the lookout for good people. I think each of us carries around a mental list of what kind of people we would like to have in our organization.  Now, what will determine whether the people you want are the people you get, whether they will possess the qualities you desire? You may be surprised by the answer. Believe it or not, who you get is not determined by what you want. It’s determined by who you are.  In most situations, you draw people to you who possess the same qualities you do. That’s the Law of Magnetism: Who you are is who you attract.”

“So we as leaders have even more reason to work on our ‘beingness.’ Recruitment depends on our ‘beingness.’ Don’t forget, ministry flows out of being-even the ongoing business of challenging others into the battle.”

Don’t shrink back or be bashful about inviting others to join you in the greatest adventure the world has ever known!  Remember, “Like attracts like!”

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12 Oct 2020

Leaders and Interpersonal Communication

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.   Matthew 12:33-35  ESV

Kingdom leaders are constantly communicating to those they lead and influence.  Developing the skill of interpersonal communication should be high on our ‘to do list.’  Here’s some practical ideas to that end.

  1. Remember:  We speak at a volume of 2, but are heard at a volume of 9!
  2. We are always communicating something. Even not communicating communicates something! Non-verbal communication is always happening.
  3. Think before you speak! Act; don’t react! You can’t take back something once it has been said… the effect will inevitably remain. A Russian proverb says, “Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again.”  Watch those text messages!!!!!
  4. No form of communication is simple. Even simple communication is complicated by many variables. Words do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways… no two people use the same word exactly alike. Don’t assume that just because you told them they now understand!
  5. Communication does not happen in isolation. There are many contextual factors: psychological, relational, situational, environmental and cultural… all influence communications significantly.  Adjust your communication style to fit your audience!

 Tips for Understanding Non-verbal Communication

  1. Recognize that people communicate on many levels… facial expressions, eye contact, body posture, voice level, hand and feet movements, use of space/distance, body movements and placement, culture and appearance as they walk toward you.
  2. If a person’s words say one thing and their non-verbal message says another, you will tend to listen more to the non-verbal message … that is the correct decision.
  3. Non-verbal communication can provide up to 85% of the meaning of any conversation. Pay particular attention when doing interviews.
  4. Probe non-verbal communication during a conversation in which you need facts and believable statements. Again, the non-verbal may reveal more than the person’s spoken words.
  5. When leading a meeting or speaking to a group, recognize that non-verbal cues can tell you:        when you have talked long enough; when someone else wants to speak; and the mood of the group and their reaction to your remarks.

Becoming a skilled interpersonal communicator is a developmental goal for Kingdom leaders.  Start today!

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05 Oct 2020

Fire Casts No Shadow

 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.   Hebrews 12:28-29  ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  James 1:17  ESV

It’s amazing that a pure flame will not cast a shadow unless it is contaminated with soot or smoke.  Because the living God is pure and holy, there is no shadow of change within Him.  His purity is immutable and this reality brings great security and hope for all Kingdom people. The holiness of God and His unchanging character cause us to fall at His feet and worship Him with reverence and awe!

Kingdom leaders are His ambassadors who also reflect the light of God that shines into the darkness John 1:4-5 (ESV) says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  As His agents we too must strive to reflect the purity of God in our thoughts and deeds.

Paul describes his pursuit of this goal in Acts 24:16 (NIV) – “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” He was concerned about his conscience before God first, but also with regards to what others may think or even accuse him of.  Again when discussing his handling of a monetary gift for the poor, he says, “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NIV)  Note the two-fold aspect of his actions – doing what is right before God first, but also seeking to be above reproach before others.

In 1 Timothy 3:2 (ESV) we read that one of the qualifications for the selection of Kingdom leaders: “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach…” That is, they are not to have anything in their lives that can cast as shadow or disparage the King or the Kingdom. They are to be pure and holy for they represent a Holy God.

May we too pursue this same goal in our lives and leadership – seeking to be above reproach; seeking to please both God and people, for He is worthy!

 

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21 Sep 2020

Pioneering vs Inheriting a Ministry

I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.  Joshua 24:13 ESV

Joshua is recounting what the Lord had done in delivering on His promises to give Israel the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob many years before.  Note that God’s land of blessing had been worked, planted and built by others.  Israel received from the Lord the hard work done by others before them.

Kingdom leaders sometimes have the privilege of pioneering a new work of the Lord.  But often they have the privilege of inheriting an on-going ministry from another.  Both are special privileges from the Lord as we serve Him.  One is no better than another for all is being done to please Him, grow His Kingdom and not our own.

Some leaders will have pioneering-apostolic gifts and calling to launch new works where none existed.  They are designed by God for such a work and must have the wisdom needed to know when to transition the work they founded on to another.  Paul knew his work was to plant the Gospel in new communities and then move on.  He states, “… and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”  Romans 15:20-21

Many Kingdom leaders will inherit an ongoing ministry, ideally one not in crisis, and take what others have done and improve, expand and grow it to a whole new level.  This too is a great privilege that requires special gifting and calling.  It is never maintaining what is already in existence.  Leaders are never satisfied with the status quo.  Rather, they build upon what is there and create a new work on the foundation already laid by others.  Jesus told the Twelve, “I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”  John 4:38 ESV

So whether you are pioneering a new work or building on an older one, both are callings with unique challenges.  May you receive these as from the Lord and work with all your strength for His glory.

 

PS  A Primer for Kingdom Leaders:  100 Reflections for Improving Your Leadership – A collection of 100 of my most popular blogs – compiled, edited and available for FREE download.  See Tom’s Books page above to download.

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17 Aug 2020

Handling Rewards for Service

But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.    Daniel 5:16-17  ESV

Daniel was summoned into the presence of King Belshazzar and asked to give an interpretation of the writing on the wall in the king’s banquet hall.  A hand had suddenly appeared and written an inscription which no one could understand.  Daniel had interpreted the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar’s father, and thus there was hope and expectation that he could help solve the puzzle.

Note that King Belshazzar offered to reward Daniel with status (purple robe – royal colors), wealth (gold chain) and position / power (become the third ruler in the kingdom of Babylon).  The great offer of reward for his service was no doubt enticing for Daniel who had been serving in the kingdom’s administration for many years by this time.  But Daniel politely refused the offer of reward for his service, telling the king to keep his robe and gold chain and give the position to another.

Daniel boldly and courageously interprets the meaning of the inscription, telling the king that he was arrogant and self-serving like his father.  “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven…”  (Daniel 5:22-23 ESV)  He then gave the king the bad news – God was bringing judgment upon him and would take away his kingdom and divide it among others. This happened later that night as King Belshazzar was killed.  (Daniel 5:30)

Having given the king the meaning, Daniel was rewarded just as the king promised.  In receiving these rewards from the hand of the king was Daniel being duplicitous or compromising his values?  Or was he being prudent and wise in his relationship with the king?  I would suggest the latter.

It would have been foolish for Daniel to twice embarrass the king in front of this banquet guests by refusing his rewards.  He had already delivered the sad news of the king’s pending demise in front of the royal court at the banquet.  Now he humbly accepted the king’s reward having already made the point that the rewards were not his motive for service.  Note that within a day the kingship passed to another, Darius the Mede, and Daniel would once again be asked to serve a different leader and in a different position.

Rewards often come for Kingdom leaders and their service.  But do not make them your motive.  Be willing to humbly accept them for a job well-done, but don’t seek them out as a motive for serving in your God-given strengths.

PS  A Primer for Kingdom Leaders:  100 Reflections for Improving Your Leadership – A collection of 100 of my most popular blogs – compiled, edited and available for FREE download.  See Tom’s Books page above to download.

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03 Aug 2020
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Recording Your Personal Journey

These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places.     Numbers 33:1-2  ESV

Note that the Lord wanted the forty-year journey from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land recorded.  It was ‘by the command of the Lord’ that Moses wrote the many stages of Israel’s Exodus and their wanderings in the desert, finally arriving at the east side of the Jordan River. God thought it important to write down the history they were making.

Moses recorded the locations of their journey as well as the significant events.  He wrote about passing through the Red Sea, camping at a beautiful oasis of multiple springs and palm trees, their lack of water at another location, the death of his brother, Aaron and the reactions of neighboring kings.  All these details were saved as a reflection on their history and were life messages to be passed on to future generations.

Each of us is also on a journey that the Lord is directing.  Too often we fail to appreciate what He has done or is doing in and through us.  We are building life messages as we go that God intends for us to share with others.  But too often we fail to record the details and over time they are forgotten.

Are you recording the details of your journey for your own self-reflection, your family and those you serve ?  The journey the Lord has you on and His ministry to you is intended to platform you to minister to others.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.   2 Corinthians 1:3-4  ESV

Pay attention to the paths you walk.  Record your journey and the lessons learned.  Expect God to give you opportunity to share what He has taught you with others who are on similar journeys.  Steward your life messages!!!

PS  A Primer for Kingdom Leaders:  100 Reflections for Improving Your Leadership – A collection of 100 of my most popular blogs – compiled, edited and available for FREE download.  See Tom’s Books page above to download.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
27 Jul 2020

Developing Depth in the Word

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15  ESV

A key to depth in the Word of God from which to lead and serve others is our perspective.  Some who are immature and impatient want to develop depth in the Scriptures quickly.  But the wise have a long-term view, knowing that this depth will be created over a lifetime of reading, studying and meditating on the Scriptures.

This desired depth will come through a disciplined life as modeled by Ezra – For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.  Ezra 7:10  ESV

At one time I had a lifetime goal to trying to develop depth in the entire Bible – all sixty-six books!  But a conversation with Dr. Bobby Clinton helped change that goal to what he calls a Core Set.  Rather than shallowly addressing the entire book, better to concentrate in a few sections over a lifetime, while maintaining familiarity with the whole.

Because we minister to others from our personal depth in the Scriptures, the more influence a Kingdom leader has, the more books they should have in their Core Set. In addition to books of the Bible, one may have key passages (i.e. The Sermon on the Mount, 1 Corinthians 13), Bible characters, or life-message related topics (i.e. disciplemaking, world missions, leadership) as a part of your Core Set.

Dr. Clinton would suggest that everyone should have a minimum of four books in their Core Set – one of the four gospels, Romans, Ephesians, and a book of your choice.  The gospels represent the life and ministry of Jesus our Lord.  Romans describes in detail the revelation Paul received regarding the gospel of salvation by grace.  Ephesians describes his other revelation regarding the Body of Christ – Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ.  The other book will be one where you go often for encouragement, comfort and inspiration.  It’s that section of your Bible with the most marks or where you have to tape the pages back into the binding.

In our Core Set we read, study, memorize and meditate over a lifetime.  We have our devotions in these books, preach and teach from them, write about them and minister to others from an overflow of depth in them.  We maintain connection with the whole of the Word by reading broadly and hearing it taught, but our concentration is in our Core Set.

Seek to be laser-like rather than a light bulb.  Have a long-term view regarding your depth in the Word that you may minister from an overflow.

Focus for impact!  Don’t sacrifice depth for area!

 

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