Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

23 Jan 2017

Contribution and Old Age

The LORD said to Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.                               Numbers 8:23-26

The new U.S. President is 70 years old.  His election opponent was 69.  The average age for the new cabinet candidates is 64.  Why the large number of older leaders?  Is it because their generation, the Baby Boomers, tends to vote more frequently and out-number the Millennials?  Is it that those who are older are clinging to power and reluctant to give it over to the next generation?

From the passage above in Numbers we see that those who served in the Tabernacle, the Levites, were conscripted to serve from age 25 to 50.  At the age of 50 they were released from their regular duty, but were to still be available for helping those in active service.  Many believe that this restriction was due to the heavy physical demands of the role – setting up, tearing down, and transporting the Tabernacle and all its accompanying accessories across the desert.  Regardless, it is interesting to note that the Lord Himself set age limits for this service.

We can also observe that Moses was 80 when God appeared to him and called him into service.  He served as the leader of Israel for 40 more years until his death at 120.  Tradition tells us that the Apostle Paul served into his sixties and that the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in his nineties.

Certainly these examples are descriptive rather than prescriptive for us.  But we must be cautious that as we focus on next generation leadership, we don’t automatically dismiss the contribution of those who are older.  While it is wise and strategic to intentionally focus on a transition to younger leaders, we must not develop a corresponding prejudice against those who are older.  Youth has its advantages, but so does age and experience.

Just because someone is younger does not mean that they are wise.  But neither does having gray hair (or no hair) mean that someone is better qualified to lead.  Discernment is needed to determine best fit and contribution, regardless of age.  Better health care and nutrition means that what is “old” is an escalating age range.

Wise leadership will not automatically default to the younger or those who are older by assuming one is better than another.  Good leaders are discerning on who is best qualified to lead and trust that the Lord will anoint them for their responsibility.

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16 Jan 2017

Delegate or Die!

A good leader learns to focus on what they and only they can and must do as the leader of the team.  Other responsibilities are delegated.  Leaders who do not learn to delegate well are busy, but are they busy doing the right things?  Sadly, the answer is often ‘no.’  Busyness is not the sign of a good leader and can lead to an early demise.

Jesus illustrates this art of delegation in the following two passages.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ”  (Mark 11:1-3  1984 NIV)

So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”  (Mark 14:13-15  1984 NIV)

In both cases Jesus is delegating a task to two members of His leadership team.  Both tasks are important, very important, yet capable of being done by others.  Jesus gives detailed instructions and also helps them with some possible scenario planning should they have to adjust along the way.  In the second example we know that it was Peter and John who were sent on this errand – the leaders of leaders were asked to carry out this very mundane, operational task (see Luke 22:8).

Learning to delegate well will increase a leader’s capacity and create focus on what is truly strategic for that leader to focus on.  It may seem like it takes more time to delegate well instead of just doing it yourself.  Or sometimes we can confuse being a servant to mean that I do it all myself.  Note, Jesus did not say to the Twelve, “Wait here men while I go and get a donkey for me to ride upon.”  Or, “Wait here while I go and prepare the room for our dinner tonight.”

Are you busy?  More importantly, are you busy doing the right things?

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09 Jan 2017
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The – What to Do If – Notebook

Leaders rarely plan for their sudden death, often leaving their personal and professional affairs in a mess.  Part of good, strategic leadership is thinking and planning ahead for the unexpected or untimely.  Good stewardship of your responsibilities, both personal and professional, means preparing for a transition should something happen to you unexpectedly.  Let’s examine the personal aspect first.

It is extremely helpful if you collect all the important, vital documents and information in one centralized place and that your spouse knows where this is located with easy access.  I placed my info in a “What to Do If” notebook.  Should something happen to me – plane crash, car accident, heart attack, etc.) my wife knows where to go to help her sort through the myriad of decisions that she will be facing.  Here’s some of the items in my notebook.

1.  Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney – make sure it’s up to date; you may want to include your wishes for the funeral or memorial service and the disposal of your remains; these are copies as the originals are kept in the safe deposit box

2.  Computer and Hard Drive/Cloud Backup access  –  passwords and PINs

3.  Financial Records – banking, credit cards, investments; account numbers, websites, phone numbers, passwords; safe deposit box access and inventory of box

3.  Life Insurance Policies  –  amounts on policies and contact information for filing a claim; you may even list suggestions on what to do with the payouts

4.  Other Assets  –  any other asset of value; properties, collections, antiques (consider designating the distribution of particular items, especially family heirlooms)

5.  Memberships, Warranties, Maintenance Agreements – location and type of memberships and warranties for household items or autos

6.  Monthly Bills  –  what bills are due monthly, quarterly, annually and how to pay them

7.  Personal Records  –  birth certificates, passports, marriage certificate  –  location of files

I collected all of the above information into one notebook – the What to Do If notebook.  Should my wife get word of my death, she knows where to go for guidance.  I collected the most important details in a two page executive summary at the beginning of the notebook and the rest is filled with copies of statements, records, etc. for her to reference, if needed.

We have talked over the contents of the notebook together to clarify any questions she may have.  I also asked my oldest son to review the notebook with both of us, so that he can lend objective support in executing the details after I’m gone.

Loving care and good stewardship means we plan for the unexpected and help prepare a way forward for those we leave behind.  Seek to make it as easy as possible for them.  Taking the initiative and planning ahead means you really do care!

Where’s your notebook?  Does your spouse know where it is?

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02 Jan 2017

The Leader’s Sense of Destiny

A Kingdom leader’s personal sense of purpose and destiny serve to guide their leadership choices and decisions.  It informs the selection of their team members, their leadership priorities, and personal development.  Where does this sense of purpose and destiny come from?

Resting in God and His Promises

The Lord Jesus invites all those who are weary and burdened to take up the yoke that He offers.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Not only do wise Kingdom leaders yoke themselves with Jesus, but they find confidence to rise above the daily circumstances by resting in His promises for them personally and their leadership.  Those personal promises form the basis for their sense of destiny and purpose.  Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me…”  God’s power and character stand behind His promises, thus a Kingdom leader’s confidence.   Regarding David, Paul reminds us, “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep…”

Purpose and Destiny Revealed

The Lord will guide and direct the Kingdom leader as they seek to follow His purposes.  The Lord will use the Word (Psalm 119:105), the inner voice of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 30:21), and open doors of opportunity (Isaiah 43:18-19; Revelation 3:8).  And who the Lord calls He also equips to accomplish His purposes.

So as we begin a new year and you reflect upon the coming months, how is your sense of purpose and divine destiny?  Are you yoked with Him and in step with Him?  Are you praying over His promises and listening carefully to the voice of the Spirit within you?  What doors of opportunity has He opened for you to trust Him to help you through?

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26 Dec 2016

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Luke 1:26–38).

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19 Dec 2016

The Cost of Following Jesus

When I was first around The Navigators, the vision of changing the world one person at a time took root in my heart.  Dana and I followed Him by leaving a promising career in equine medicine for the privilege of serving Him as full-time Navigator staff.  As I drove away from the clinic that last day, there was a great joy in my heart with little sense of sacrifice.

That calling eventually led to Indonesia with our three small children.  Five years of waiting for a visa and language study left us sitting in Singapore wondering if we would ever enter the country of our calling.  We did finally enter, but to lead an undergrad student ministry.  We never got to east Java, the role we have waited five years for.  Again the Lord’s faithfulness was evident as we thrived in a fruitful student ministry.

Ten plus years later led to an application for Indonesian citizenship.  But again our plans failed and we landed back in the U.S. with no clear future.  Months of waiting and trusting led to a move to Colorado Springs to join the Collegiate leadership team.  Three more years and I was leading the collegiate work with Dana.  Who would have imagined?

Transitioning the collegiate work led to a decade of coaching leaders in Europe and Dana serving with Nav20s.  Leader development contributions followed and finally a role these past three years as a Field Director for the Nations and serving on the NLT.  Not a clear career path for sure.

With each transition, move, and new responsibilities came new challenges and fears to be faced by faith and trust in His promises.  He has shown Himself faithful with each transition and surprised us with His wonderful goodness.  No amount of planning could account for the amazing journey Dana and I have found ourselves on.  There is no real sense of sacrifice, for His goodness far outweighs anything we have been asked to leave behind.

It continues as He has promised – to give back one-hundred times all that we may leave in serving Him (Mark 10:29-30).  May you too see the Lord’s faithfulness as you follow Him along the unique journey He has for you.

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12 Dec 2016

Character Counts

Some time ago I found myself in a conversation with a man who was the chief head hunter for a Fortune 100 company.  He and his team hire 2000 new graduates each year.  I thought this was a great opportunity to gain some insights into university students from a new perspective, so I began to ask him some questions.

“What are you finding when you recruit these graduates?” I asked.

“Tom, we can hire those with top GPAs, work experience and internships, and resumes’ that are outstanding.  We offer them top salaries and benefits and place them in stimulating, cutting edge job situations.”

“Well, sounds interesting.  How’s that working for you?” I inquired.

“It’s a disaster!” he replied.  “All they want to know is when is the next holiday or how much vacation they get.  They don’t put in a day’s work for a day’s pay.  They have conflicts with their co-workers and supervisors.  They steal from the company.  They take the great salaries we give them and spend it on addictive behaviors, then we end up paying for counselors for them.

“That sounds pretty depressing.  What are you doing about this?” I said.

“Well, I will tell you what I tell my recruiting team.  We can’t put it in writing for we would be charged with hiring bias or discrimination.  But here’s what I tell the team.  When interviewing on campus, look for students who are leaders in The Navigators and other campus ministries.”

“Really?  Why?”  I said.

“We hire these people because they have character.  As we’ve looked at our successful hires, those who do well had this common background.  We can train new hires to do any job that we want them to do in this company.  But we can’t train them in character.  They either have it or they don’t.  Leaders in these campus ministries have what we want, so we look to hire qualified people who were leaders in these campus ministries.  They have character!”

This chief head hunter was not a believer!  But he and his team had figured out that character counts, especially when hiring leaders.  And they had identified a pool of potential leadership hires who had the essential character qualities that they were looking for.

Are you intentionally pursuing your Christlike character development?

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05 Dec 2016

Guidelines for Leading Outside Your Comfort Zone

In Romans 14 and 15 Paul addresses the question of whether Christians should be complete vegetarians or is it acceptable to eat meat, especially meat offered in sacrifices at pagan temples.  Paul uses this specific case to address broader issues that eating habits for believers.

Below are 3 general guidelines for believers, especially leaders, who are called upon to make a judgment call where there is no clear biblical mandate.  As leaders it seems like we face these almost daily.

Guideline #1          Assume the Right Attitudes!

Romans 14:1 – Accept him whose faith is weak

Romans 14:5 – Be fully convinced in your own mind

Romans 14:13 – Stop passing judgment on others

 Guideline #2          Ask the Right Questions!

Romans 14:15 – Is my brother distressed?

Romans 14:16 – Is it spoken of as evil?

Romans 14:19 – Does it lead to peace and mutual edification?

Romans 14:20 – Does it cause someone else to stumble?

Romans 14:23 – Do I have doubts about it?

Guideline #3          Apply the Right Principles!

Romans 14:22 – Keep your convictions to yourself

Romans 15:1 – Strong yield to the weak

Romans 15:2 – Seek to please your neighbor

So, how’s your comfort zone in relating and leading others who have different beliefs than you do?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
28 Nov 2016

Leaders Who Have No Time

The management of our time as leaders is truly a management of ourselves.  Time is one of the most precious commodities a leader has and using it wisely is essential to accomplishing all that Jesus intends for us.  Effective and efficient use of our time can increase our influence for Christ.

Yes, efficiency and time management emphasis may be seen and dismissed as a Western culture value and not broadly applicable.  But, Kingdom leaders must address what the bible says about time use.  We want our leadership to be biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and practically effective.  We don’t want to export Western time management methodology (i.e. suggesting all leaders should use MS Outlook software, breaking each day into 15 minute appointment segments).  Rather, we want to export a biblical view of time management that allows freedom for the local context to create or adapt methods that fit the context.

Below are some important principles related to the wise use of time for leaders and an introductory bible study on the subject of time management for leaders.

Principles of Time Management

  1. Plan your time  –  Psalms 90:10,12
  1. Don’t waste time  –  Ephesians 5:15-17
  1. Respect other’s time use –  Philippians 2:4
  1. We have enough time for what God wants  –  Ecclesiastes 3:1
  1. Work by priorities  –  Proverbs 24:27
  1. Plan your time with a margin  –  Proverbs 19:2

Time Management  –  Bible Study

Genesis 26:25  –  always based on priorities as illustrated by Isaac

Proverbs 24:27  –  work by priorities

Jeremiah 31:21 – our guideposts are our goals

Ecclesiastes 3:1  –  there is time for everything

Psalm 90:12  –  plan your time

Proverbs 16:9 – plan, but leave the out working to God

Proverbs 19:2 – zeal without a plan is wasted energy

Proverbs 21:5  –  planning and hard work lead to success

Luke 14:28-30 –  planning is part of being a disciple

Romans 15:23-29 – Paul planned his ministry

1 Corinthians 9:26 – Paul did not run his life aimlessly

1 Corinthians 14:40  –  do all things in an orderly way

Ephesians 5:10,15 – planning pleases God as it allows us to make the most of our time

Colossians 4:5  –  we are commanded to manage our time wisely

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21 Nov 2016

Living for the World to Come

What the world needs today is a generation of believers who have as their motto, “No reserves!  No retreats!  No regrets!”  What is needed is a fresh wave of committed men and women who cry out, “Anything!  Anywhere!  Anytime!  for Christ!” 

It will take people who will pay the price to stand against the tide of this world and choose to live for the world to come.  It will take disciples of Christ!

The world today is looking for authenticity in those who call themselves followers of Jesus.  The great crisis facing the world is a spiritual crisis.  The world needs Christ.  But it will only have the opportunity to respond if believers live lives focused on eternity instead of the temporal.

The Chinese character for ‘crisis’ is made up of two other characters meaning ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity.’  The spiritual crisis in the world today does indeed have dangerous implications.  Untold millions live quietly desperate lives, looking for answers everywhere except to the One who can help.

But this time in history is also a prime opportunity.  Never in history have so many been so desperate for answers to life’s seemingly impossible problems.  Believers know the One who can solve life’s problems.  Will they seek to know Christ in an ever-deepening way?  Will they seek to make Him known on an every broadening horizon?

The highest good in the Christian life is not serving Christ full-time. God’s best for any individual is discovering His plan for your life and then doing it with your whole heart!  Some will be called to full-time ministry, but many will serve Him as lay men and women bringing His love into their respective spheres of influence.  Whether full-time or laity, we are to give our all to and for Christ.

Teddy Roosevelt said many years ago,  “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Will you decide to live for Christ?

Will you choose to live for the world to come?

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