Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “kingdom leaders”

20 Jan 2014
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A Calling to Indirect Leadership

One of the most difficult transitions for young, emerging leaders to make is the move from ‘doing the ministry’ to ‘leading the ministry’.  Church growth experts refer to this as a shift from ‘shepherding’ to ‘ranching’.  Many young leaders are asked to move from a grass-roots ministry (direct ministry) to leading others in the ministry (indirect ministry) because they have been faithful and ‘successful’ in their local responsibility.

The transition from doing the ministry directly to leading others as they do the ministry is a challenge for some.  This is not to say that leaders don’t continue to ‘do ministry’, but now their primary contribution will be overseeing and shepherding others, perhaps a ministry team, whose primary role will be direct ministry.  What are some of the difficulties in this transition and how can we overcome them?

To overcome one of the primary difficulties in a transition to leadership we need to have a sense of calling from the Lord.  If a person is not convinced that God has called them to leave their current role in order to assume a larger responsibility for overseeing others, there will be multiple opportunities for second-guessing the wisdom of the decision.  We must have a clear calling from God that He wants us to serve in this capacity at this time.  There should be a sense of destiny, that God has prepared us for this role and responsibility.  We must be convinced that our greatest contribution to the Kingdom at this time is in leading others, rather than doing the ministry directly.

When doing direct ministry we often receive affirmation and ‘strokes’ from those we serve.  We help them know Christ and grow in their walk with Him.   But in leadership we often hear of the problems from those we lead and affirmation for our contribution as a leader can be lacking.  A leader must find his/her strength and encouragement from the Lord and not from people (1 Samuel 30:6).

For those who serve with organizations whose members live from gift income, the financial challenge can be shattering.  When doing direct ministry we are constantly expanding the base of new people in our ministry who perhaps eventually will become part of our donor support team.  But in leadership we are now leading others who are living from gift income and we can’t expect them to join our donor team.  It takes great faith to trust that the God who calls us to leadership will also provide for us as we serve.  One of my favorite promises in this regard is Mark 10:29-30.

Leadership is challenging enough without adding to our stress load.  Have a clear sense of calling from God and trust Him to provide and care for you and your family.  You’ll find Him faithful and your leadership will be used to further His Kingdom!

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
13 Jan 2014
5 Comments

Leadership Team Responsibilities

Leadership team members have a unique relationship one to another.  They are often thrown together and told to function as a team because the leader chose them.  But they were chosen individually, most often without much say as to who else joined the team.  We may or may not be “naturally” drawn to our teammates.  Though we are united on our mission and vision, our personalities, backgrounds, or interests may present challenging obstacles to our effectiveness as a leadership team.

How do we relate to one another on a leadership team?  What are our responsibilities to each other?  No doubt you could list several, but let me suggest two that I see in the Word.

In John 13:1-17 Jesus models the attitude of a servant before his leadership team.  After finishing, in vv. 13-14 he says, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”  Jesus’ instructions to “wash one another’s feet” were given to explain how the members of His leadership team were to relate to each other.  They were to serve each other, choosing to meet the needs of fellow team members rather than promote or serve one’s own self interests.  As members of a leadership team we have a responsibility to serve one another, helping each other become a success in our individual responsibilities.

In Acts 20:28 we see another responsibility.  Paul had gathered the Ephesian elders together for some final words and he reminds them, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”  We often neglect to notice the first part of this passage.  The members of the Ephesian leadership team were to “keep watch over [them]selves.”

Yes, I am my brother’s keeper!  We have a responsibility to one another on our leadership team to make sure we continue to walk with God, fulfill our family responsibilities, and fulfill our leadership calling.  Spiritual leadership requires the utmost in Christlike character and we are to “keep watch” on that as well, as we fulfill our duties.

‘Serving each other’ and ‘keeping watch over each other’ are two of our responsibilities as leadership team members.  Let’s not be so focused on the outward responsibilities related to our leadership roles that we neglect to fulfill the responsibilities to those on our team.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
06 Jan 2014
11 Comments

Teams and Teamwork

Leadership Teams

 It is evident that no one individual has all that is necessary to bring the best leadership to any Kingdom enterprise.  Because no one leader can do everything well we must lead with a team.  My experience is that good teams are hard to come by, but when you experience one you will never forget it.  Remember, when talking about leadership and teams we mean a leader and his / her team, not team leadership.

Following are some additional thoughts related to teams and teamwork:

 New Testament Leadership Team Models

  1. Elder model
  2. Apostolic model  –  Jesus and his team    —   a training team
  3. Apostolic model  –  Paul and his team     —   a task/mission oriented team

Team:  a group of people who need each other in order to accomplish the task

Leadership Team Models in the Great Commission

             Apostolic                                     Elder

Go to the nations….               and            …teach them everything

Paul                                                                 Philemon  /  Archippus

mobile                                                             local

sodality                                                           modality

para-local church                                       local church

Team Synergy:  comes from group think concerning individual team member’s portfolio items and group work on specific tasks for a limited time

Team Leaders Must:           1.   Listen    2.  Learn   3.   Love    4.   Lead

 May God give you the special privilege of leading a team of other leaders!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , ,
30 Dec 2013

Reflection at Year End

As we come to the end of the calendar year, it’s good to pause and reflect upon what was and what will be.  It is through reflection that we can gain perspective and see more clearly the overarching, macro movements of our lives.

Leaders are often too busy to stop and reflect.  We always have more things to do and people to see.  We take one item off of the do-list and add three more!  Who has time to stop and think?

Today…..now is the time to stop and reflect upon who you are becoming and what you are doing!  Here are some questions to get you started in this reflection time.

Are you pleased with your own personal spiritual walk?  More importantly, is Jesus pleased?  How’s that margin in your life?  Are you living and leading from an overflow?  How’s the family doing?  Are you paying the price to have the marriage you committed to on your wedding day?  Are you investing deeply in your children, knowing that the years for significant influence are rapidly passing you by?

What fears are you trying to ignore related to your leadership?  Are you leading with faith and courage?  Is the vision of where you are leading to focused or foggy?  Do you have a team that is unified and empowered?  Are you accomplishing the mission that you intended to accomplish?

These and many more questions are helpful for taking stock of where you are today and where you need to be/go tomorrow.  Use this time for reflection and refocus as you start a new year full of new hope and new beginnings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
23 Dec 2013
8 Comments

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

One of the blessings of the years our family spent in Indonesia was that we lived as a Christian minority.  The blessing in this became evident at the time of major Christian holidays, like Christmas.  There were no cultural distractions to have to explain or avoid.  Rather, Christmas was what we made it.  We could introduce our own traditions and values without having the distractions from the society around us.

Today we live in America once again and are confronted with all of the Christmas traditions that go with the holiday season.  Perhaps like me, you’ve wondered where all of these traditions came from.  Here’s some background to help with giving some new (old?) meaning to these seasonal traditions.

December 25 – The Day of Jesus’ Birth

In ancient times birthdays were celebrated only by kings and royalty.  It was not customary to record the specific date of an individual’s birth.  Being unsure of the exact date of Jesus’ birth, many dates began to be observed as Christianity spread from country to country.

Bishop Hippolytus calculated the birth of Jesus to be December 25 in 235 AD.  Emperor Constantine ordered the celebration of Christmas in 320 AD.  Since 400 AD Christendom has accepted this date as the traditional date of Jesus’ birth.

Christmas was first celebrated in America in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia.  In 1836 Alabama became the first state to establish Christmas as a legal holiday.  Colorado recognized Christmas as a state holiday in 1861.

St. Nicholas or Santa Claus

Nicholas was born and raised in Turkey in 280 AD.  When Nicholas reached age 19 he entered the priesthood.  He became known as the ‘patron saint of children’ because of his habit of leaving unidentified gifts at the homes of needy families.  This mysterious donor is called “Father Christmas” in England.

Introduced as “Sinterklass”  to America by the Dutch as the patron saint of their colonies or as the English and French said, “Saneta Claas.”  In 1809 Washington Irving portrayed a jolly fellow who rode in a sleigh pulled by reindeer; a far cry from the original St. Nicholas.  The giving spirit of St. Nicholas should inspire us all.

Candy Canes

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy to celebrate the birth of Jesus, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane.  He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy.  He chose white to symbolize the purity and Virgin Birth of Jesus.  He made it in the “J” shape for the name of Jesus.  The shape is also that of a shepherd’s staff, to remind us that the Bible calls Jesus the Good Shepherd.  The red stripe is to remind us of the blood Christ shed for us when he died on a cross.

Christmas Carols

Until the Middle Ages there was no congregational singing in Christian churches.  Trained choirs sang chants and monotonous songs.  After the Christmas services, the church members would often gather in the streets to sing songs about the birth of Jesus, called ‘carola.’  Martin Luther introduced congregational singing to the churches.

“Silent Night” is the most popular Christmas carol.  Written on Christmas eve in Obendorf, Austria in 1818 by a priest as he walked in the snow house-to-house inviting his members to the service that evening.  Returning to his church, the priest asked the organist to write the melody to the lyrics he had composed on his walk.  Sung for the first time at the service that evening, it was sung to guitar as the church organ was broken!

Christmas Trees

This tradition was borrowed from the non-Christian people of northern Europe and given a new meaning.  These people would bring evergreens into their homes during the winter months to remind them of the hope of the coming spring.

Christians adapted this custom and added that the evergreen symbolizes the everlasting life offered through belief in Jesus as our Savior.  Trees were set up on Christmas and decorated with lights (candles) to symbolize that Jesus was born on a beautiful, starry night in Bethlehem.  Tradition says that Martin Luther was the first to add lights to the decorated tree.

Creche or Manger Scene

Until the 13th century, those that celebrated Christmas generally overlooked the lowly conditions of Jesus’ birth.  In 1219, St. Francis of Assisi visited Bethlehem where he was struck by the simplicity of Christ’s birthplace.  He was dismayed by the contrast of Jesus’ humble beginnings and the lavish church celebrations of his birth.

St. Francis created a rustic stable scene for midnight mass on Christmas Eve 1223.  He used live animals and people portrayed Mary and Joseph, shepherds and the angels.

Stockings

Long before Christmas trees were a part of the common Christmas traditions, stockings were hung in anticipation of the arrival of St. Nicholas.  English immigrants brought this custom with them to America.

The original Christmas stockings that were hung were those worn for everyday apparel.  They were hung with the hopes of being filled with treats from the visit of St. Nick.

What traditions are a part of your Christmas celebrations?  What values are you communicating as you celebrate?  Perhaps you can lead your family or your friends in remembering the true reason for the season as you reflect upon some of these established traditions.     MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , ,
16 Dec 2013
1 Comment

Glorious Opportunities

One of leadership’s greatest challenges is staying focused on the set direction you’ve intended.  As a young staff member of The Navigators I can remember the exhortation from Leroy Eims, “There are two ways to miss the will of God: 1) sin and 2) glorious opportunities.”

Hippolomy was a mythical, Greek young man who was in love with the beautiful Atlanta.  Atlanta, in addition to her striking beauty, was also a gifted runner, but she had a cruel, sadistic character.  Many young men became infatuated with her beauty and desired to marry her.  These men were challenged to a foot race with two conditions.  If the man won the race, he could marry Atlanta.  But if he lost, he would pay with his life.  Many a man tried and paid the ultimate price for his second place finish.

Hippolomy also became mesmerized by Atlanta’s beauty and challenged her to a race.  Shortly after the race began he lagging behind.  Reaching into his tunic, he withdrew a golden apple and threw it in front of the streaking Atlanta.  The flash of gold caught her eye and she stopped to pick up the golden fruit as Hippolomy raced by.  She soon recovered and again moved ahead of him.  Hippolomy pulled a second golden apple from his tunic and threw it in front of Atlanta who once again stopped to pick it up.  As Hippolomy passed the crouching Atlanta, she realized that the race was nearing the finish and she recovered soon enough to regain a comfortable lead with a short distance to go.

Hippolomy retrieved the last of his golden apples from his tunic and rolled it ahead of Atlanta as she approached the finish.  Atlanta was in a quandary; should she stop and pick up the apple or press for the finish line.  She reasoned that she certainly could do both, so she stopped to placed the golden fruit in her robe just a Hippolomy passed her and raced towards the finish.  She recovered, but now with such a short distance, she was not able to beat him.  Hippolomy had won!

This is not an illustration on how to find a life partner!  Rather, as you race through life, you will find the enemy of your soul rolling “golden apples” of opportunity, compromise, and temptation in your path.  Watch out!  Stay on target!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , ,
09 Dec 2013

Confronting or Conforming?

In Mark 2:21-22 Jesus responded to His critics as to why His disciples violated the culturally accepted way of doing things.  He said, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.  If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”

With these two parables, Jesus explained that His Kingdom would not fit the cultural norms of the Jews.  His Kingdom would demand new forms and practices which were not contained in the Jewish cultural norms of the day.  As Kingdom leaders fulfill their mission they will introduce the Kingdom of God into a culture along with it will come new values and practices.  This is normal, good, and inevitable.  Change will come.  But, our desire is that the change will be rooted in biblical, Kingdom values and practices, and not Western, post-modern, or even the latest leadership guru’s best practices or values.

The guiding principle would seem to be this:  we should strive to make Jesus and the Bible the basis of our leadership and the only stumbling block if the message is to be challenged.

In instances where Kingdom values or practices violate the cultural values or norms, we must hold fast to the biblical truth and accept the resulting opposition.  This does not mean we should flaunt our convictions, especially if we know they are likely to cause adverse reactions.  We must be sensitive as we take our stand, so that the opposition we face is an opposition to Christ and the Kingdom, not to us.  This presents us with an opportunity to see God demonstrate His power and grace in spite of cultural barriers and push-back.

In areas where there is no clear biblical precedent, we should yield to the cultural norm so as not to cause an offense over a “side issue” (such as paying temple taxes or whether or not to celebrate certain holidays – see the previous two blogs).

All of these decisions will require wisdom from God.  Ask for it and you will receive it!

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.     James 1:5

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , ,
25 Nov 2013

The ‘Confrontational’ Model of Jesus

Jesus is often viewed as the ultimate model of contextualization.  He left His glory, taking upon Himself the likeness of man, in order to communicate the message of the Kingdom of God (Phil. 2:5-8).  “Jesus himself is in fact the most obvious contextualization of the revelation of God.  He is himself the logos of God who appeared as a man and was able to communicate to people completely on terms which were understandable to them.”[1]  Jesus took upon himself the form of a man and lived the life of a Jewish rabbi.  “He willingly submitted to certain restrictions and yet overcame them to accomplish his mission.”[2]

Yet, though Jesus did adapt Himself to the target culture He was seeking to reach (i.e. the Jews), He did not always follow the cultural norms of the day. Sometimes He deliberately violated the cultural practices and values of the Jews because the practices and values of the Kingdom of God were in conflict with their culture.  In such cases, the Kingdom’s values took precedent and He willingly accepted the opposition, scorn, and misunderstanding that followed from the Jews.

Let’s note a few of the examples where Jesus did not follow the Jewish cultural norms of His day.

[1]        Jesus talked to a Samaritan woman  –  John 4:1-27

It was not culturally appropriate for Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, to talk to a woman, especially since she was a Samaritan, for the Jews disliked the Samaritans very much.

[2]        Jesus traveled through Samaria  –  Luke 9:51-56

Because of Jewish disdain for the Samaritans, a Jew would go out of his way to not come into contact with them.  This included crossing to the east side of the Jordan River when traveling between Judea and Galilee.

[3]        Jesus and His disciples did not fast  –  Mark 2:18-22

It was the practice of the devout Jews to fast regularly.  The Pharisees fasted twice a week.

[4]        Jesus did not do the ceremonial washings before eating  –   Mark 7:1-8; Luke 5:29-32

The Pharisees would go through a series of washings before eating to remove any defilement from entering their body.

[5]        Jesus touched lepers  –  Mark 1:40-42

Lepers were considered unclean and to have contact with them was considered most defiling.

[6]        Jesus touched the dead  –  Luke 7:11-17; 8:51-56

Dead bodies were also considered a source of defilement for a Jew.

[7]        Jesus was anointed by a sinful woman  –  Luke 7:36-50

Prostitutes and the like were considered sinners and were to be avoided as they were a source of defilement.

[8]        Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners  –  Luke 5:29-32; 19:1-10

The same attitude was held for tax collectors as for other sinners (i.e. prostitutes).

[9]        Jesus healed (worked) on the Sabbath  –  Mark 3:1-4; Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-14

The Jews had developed an elaborate set of rules and regulations to avoid breaking the fourth commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy.

[10]      Jesus’ disciples worked on the Sabbath  –  Mark 2:23-28

The act of picking the grain was considered work (i.e. threshing or harvesting).

[11]      Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their cultural practice of Corban  –  Mark 7:9-23

To avoid the responsibility of caring for their parents, a Jew could declare that whatever personal resources might have been used to care for them were now dedicated to God.  Thus, they were exempt from this responsibility of caring for their parents.

[12]      Jesus instructed a man not to bury his father  –  Luke 9:51-53

It was the responsibility of the children (particularly the eldest male) to bury their parents and settle the estate.

[13]      Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers  –  Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:46; John 2:13-22

It was the custom of the Jewish leaders to allow the money changers (bankers) to set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles of the temple three weeks before a major feast.  Here they exchanged the foreign money of the pilgrims for local money used for offerings and sold animals for sacrifice, all for a hefty profit.  Some have estimated the bankers’ profits at from forty thousand to forty-five thousand dollars. [3]

There are times as leaders when we will have to ‘swim against the cultural tide’ in order to see the change implemented that we are pursuing.  It will take faith and courage to persevere.  May we not be found wanting!

[1]  Watney, Paul B.    Contextualization and Its Biblical Precedents

Fuller Theological Seminary   PhD Thesis, 1985,  p. 218

[2]  Hopler, Thom  A World of Difference

Inter Varsity Press   Downers Grove, IL  1981  p. 65

[3]  Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 3rd Edition

Moody Press   Chicago, Illinois  1966  p. 757

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,
11 Nov 2013
2 Comments

A Leadership Reading List

In reflecting recently on J.O. Sanders and his impact on my life I was once again reminded of his exhortation, “Leaders are readers!”  ‘Of making many books there is no end…’ (Ecclesiastes 12:12).  And we could add our own thoughts, “Of the writing of many leadership books there is especially no end in sight!”

I am frequently asked which leadership books I would recommend to begin to read on this exciting and challenging topic.  Given the shear numbers of leadership books available, where should one begin?  Below is my recommended beginning leadership reading list.  It was compiled several years ago from my polling several leaders who were well-read and asking them for their top ten books on leadership.  Any book that made it into multiple lists was added to my recommended list.  It’s a good start for building a leadership library.

Leadership Bibliography

Books to be read for a foundational understanding of leadership

 The Bible  –  read and study this Book first as your basis for understanding the principles of spiritual leadership;  this will be the grid through which you evaluate all other teaching on the subject of leadership

Leadership Concepts

   1.      Spiritual Leadership / Sanders

  2.      Leadership is an Art  /  DePree

  3.      Leadership Jazz  /  DePree

  4.      Leaders:  Strategies for Taking Charge  /  Bennis & Nanus

  5.      Principle Centered Leadership  /  Covey

  6.      The Leadership Challenge  /  Kouzes and Posner

7.      The Making of a Leader /  Clinton

Leadership Practice

  1.      The Effective Executive / Drucker

  2.      Developing the Leader Within You  /  Maxwell

  3.      Developing the Leaders Around You  /  Maxwell

  4.      The Training of the Twelve  /  Bruce

  5.     Leading from the Sandbox   /  Addington

  6.     Leading Change  /  Kotter

7.     Biographies of great leaders  –  Dawson Trotman, Hudson Taylor, George Mueller, J.O Fraser, Adoniram Judson, Amy Carmichael, etc.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , ,
04 Nov 2013

Leverage Points

Given that all resources are finite and that there are always more opportunities and demands for resources than we have available, leaders must choose to say ‘yes’ to some and ‘no’ to others.  But how to choose?  What are the considerations when allocating precious, limited resources when there are many, seemingly equally important choices?  Choosing opportunities that are leverage points can be one way to help make these choices.

A leverage point is where a small difference can make a large impact.  Leverage points provide kernel ideas and procedures for formulating solutions.

Identifying a leverage point helps us:
1.  Create new courses of action

2.  Develop increased awareness of those things that may cause a difficulty before there are any obvious signs of trouble, and figure out what is causing a difficulty.

Identifying the “leverage point” is skill #1 and is identified as “the one thing that, if changed, makes changing everything else easier.  It should be the number one priority on everyone’s agenda.”

Leaders are change agents and leaders of change processes.  Identifying and implementing leverage points will facilitate this change process moving ahead more quickly and efficiently than otherwise intended.  It will also allow you to effectively use your limited resources for the biggest impact.

What are you facing today that needs change?  What are the key leverage points needing to be addressed to get this process moving?

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

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