Thursday, March 8, 2012

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Effective Leadership (Part 5)

In the 5th installment we are going to look at " An Effective Leader Confronts with Authority."

I hate confrontation. I used to do anything to get out of it, but I have learned, if I want to be an effective leader, especially leading a Church movement, I have to be willing to confront. Hopefully, this will help you as well. These leadership principles are taken out of our manuals we use for our leadership development classes called NorthwestPassage.

The Effective Leader Confronts with Authority

Whenever God encourages His people to do something to expand the Kingdom, it seems like the potential for conflict follows behind. The leader is responsible for helping to maintain the unity and connectedness of those being led, and so chaos, conflict and evil must be confronted in the authority of the Spirit.

In Titus 2:15, Paul challenges the young pastor to "Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you."

Paul wanted Titus to be bold in confronting sin. And we are called to do that, if we are called to leadership. But to clairify, this does not mean that you as a leader have the right to equate, "opposition to the vision" with "evil." We need to be appropriately humble about the vision we believe God has given us, to be open to guidance from those who are wise, to make appropriate amount of room for those who might disagree with us. 

Does this mean that we should doubt the direction we believe we are receiving from God every time someone disagrees with us? Of course not. But we must realize that disagreement is not the same thing as sin. That being said, once people move from simply disagreeing to gossiping, quareling, and causing great pain to others in their quest to "be heard," we will need to be ready to confront and, in doing so, properly care for those whom God has given us responsibility.

NEXT UP: Part 6: The Effective Leader Pays Attention.

For more information, check out NW Passage or VantagePoint3 or send me an email.

 

1 comment:

Episkopos said...

I would love to recommend a book to you called the Art of Leadership by Dag Heward mills which is right along the lines of your message (www.daghewardmills.org). Joshua 1:6 - Be strong and of good courage. you need this to be an effective leader. Giving commands and using authority will establish your position as a leader and will expose disloyal elements within your ranks. God bless you.