Tag: Leadership

Leaders are Encouragers

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I received word today that our new Director of Children’s Ministries went to visit a newborn and her family, taking a gift and making a timely visit to the whole family. I am reminded of the ministry of the church, to be involved in the lives of others; that’s called fellowship. There are days and weeks where we all have so much on our plates, and these types of opportunities for encouragement often fall through the cracks.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. (Philippians 2:1, 2)

John Maxwell once wrote that there is a difference between being a leader and being a manager. He often points out that management focuses on maintaining systems and processes, while leadership is about “influencing people to follow.” One way to cultivate such influence is quite simple: Influence involves sincerely caring about other people.

I sent hand written notes to two men who just returned from military deployments. Last week I was able to send an e-mail to someone at work who was having a birthday. Can you send a card at an appropriate time? A kind word can mean a lot. If somebody is struggling with an issue (or with life in general), simply sitting and listening can be worth more than any words that may come to mind. And don’t forget prayer, for “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).

Encouragement isn’t just for those who know Christ; all people need to hear positive words, especially the words that tell of One who died for us so that we can have eternal life. Let’s strive to be an encouragement to all we come in contact with daily. How will you influence someone else today?

Leaders Exercise Self-Control

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Paul addresses the issue of self-control in the list of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and it appears that her ends the list with the one quality that just might hold all the others together.

A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. (Proverbs 25:28)

In ancient times, cities were often surrounded by walls for their protection. If those walls were breached in any way, the city became vulnerable to attack from all sorts of enemies and invading armies. The maintenance of city walls was of constant concern. Nehemiah heard about the walls of Jerusalem being broken down and his soul was so deeply troubled that he wept, mourned and fasted for days (Nehemiah 1:3, 4).

Proverbs 25:28 compares self-control to a city wall. When we maintain self-control, we keep ourselves safe from forces that would drag us down, attack our weaknesses, and prey on our failures. The Bible warns us that losing our self-control can lead to disastrous results. We may have tendencies to lose our tempers easily, gossip about neighbors or coworkers, or criticize those in authority. We may have an unhealthy desire to own lots of stuff, an addiction toward food, or an obsession with television. A careless word, a broken promise, or a disrespectful action is an outward sign that our inner wall of self-control has collapsed. Weak self-control makes us vulnerable to living a life of hypocrisy, and then we lose all credibility as a witness to the freedom and joy we have in Christ.

Developing self-control is not just a matter of “willing” right behavior. We all have experienced the “just do it” break-down. We decide that we will finally regain control of a certain personal weakness only to find a few days later that we have fallen once again to that temptation. Self-control is not as simple as just “doing it” or “not doing it.” Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit desires to guide our lives. Only he can overcome our sinful desires and build self-control. As we turn our daily routine over to the direction of the Holy Spirit, we will find that we are more often able to resist those things that used to prey on our weaknesses. It is with the power of the Holy Spirit alone that our walls of self-control can be securely maintained.

Application: Take an inventory of your life and pinpoint your areas of weakness. Allow the Holy Spirit access to your desires, attitudes and lifestyle, and have the courage to make changes as needed. It’s one thing to desire the Spirit to control us, it is another to allow the Spirit to control us. Take courage, self-control is a life long process of God working on us to conform us to the image of his Son. Make progress each and every day. Rejoice in the victories and seek forgiveness and reconciliation when you fail. Encourage one another because there is strength in numbers!As you lead, take others along with you; pass on the qualities of leadership that God teaches you.

Leaders Ask Application Questions

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The point of this post is to challenge leaders and teachers. To be effective in leading your class, make sure to ask application questions that lead your group to spiritual growth. This is perhaps one of the most quoted passages in the Bible Study business:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. (James 1:22-25)

To study the Bible, or to take a class on prayer, or discuss compassion for the poor but not do anything about what one has learned, is a waste of time.

The Word of God holds up a mirror in which we can see our own face: our character, values, attitudes, and habits. It offers us a perspective on our situation and relationships that we can’t get on our own. It also opens up a window into the realm of God, in which we see the face of Christ looking back at us. We get to compare our face to that of Christ, noting the similarities and differences. The Bible promises that we can change (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Extensive psychotherapy doesn’t change most people all that much. When change does happen, something on the order of a miracle is occurring. But the gospel insists that the Spirit of God (through the Word of God and with the help of the people of God) can and will perform this miracle in any person willing to cooperate.

So many study groups settle for educating people about God and the Christian life, but they don’t believe it’s possible for them to really become like Jesus. People like the idea in theory, but the actual process scares them.

  1. Do we really want to take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror, week after week? Can we bear to see and examine the face of Christ?
  2. Do we really want to give up our familiar paths and strike out on the uncharted territory of God’s ways?
  3. Do we really want the Spirit breaking up our concrete habits with a jackhammer?

Likely, your group contains decent people who sort of want to follow Christ but aren’t all that eager to see their lives disrupted. They are busy people who have jobs, families, bills, and housework that don’t leave them hours and hours to contemplate Christ and their lives. Discussion questions that invite them to apply the Word of God to their lives need to take into account both the mandate of the gospel (big changes) and the realities of the human condition (big obstacles to change).

Go Slow and Deep: People who are asked to take drastic action too often and in too many different directions eventually go numb in order to survive. Consider the person who hears a Sunday sermon, reads the Bible even once or twice a week, and attends Sunday School each week. If this person encounters three, four, or more calls in one week to change drastically, it’s overwhelming. Over time, people learn to tune out the guilt feelings triggered by such calls.

In your small group, learn to ask, “So what?” regularly and systematically, but ask, “Now what?” sparingly, yet with focus and detail.

  1. “So what?” invites group members to think about the implications of what they are studying. “Now what?” asks them to take action individually or together, to do something concrete about those implications.
  2. “So what?” is theoretical, general application. “Now what?” is practical, specific application.
  3. “So what?” helps people think an issue through. “Now what?” guides them step by step in a realistic plan to be doers of the Word.
  4. “So what?” questions work in at least two dimensions.
    1. The first dimension is when: helping the group bridge the gap between when the passage was written (then) and our current situation today (now).
    2. The second dimension is who: discerning how a passage applies to people in general, to them as individuals, or to them as a group.

Then and Now: One common error in Bible study is to assume that something God told someone to do in 605 B.C. is what God wants each of us to do today. A related error is to assume that God wants us to imitate everything the first Christians did without regard to the differences of situation. These errors overlook the fact that God deals both in timeless principles and in unique situations.

  1. “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) is a timeless principle.
  2. “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household” (Genesis 12:1) is an instruction to a particular person, Abram.

When we get the particular and the timeless confused:

  1. We may conclude that God wants all men everywhere to be circumcised and all women everywhere to cover their heads.
  2. We may conclude, like many 19th-century Americans, that because Paul treated slavery as OK in A.D. 50, it was still OK in A.D. 1850.
  3. We may decide that since God told Joshua to practice genocide against the utterly degenerate Canaanites, then maybe our enemies deserve genocide, and maybe we have been called by God to imitate Joshua.

1. “So what?” questions always begin with what was then. The first “So what?” question should point to the original purpose of the writer or speaker in the passage:

  1. What do you think Jesus wanted His audience to do in response to this parable?
  2. What action does Paul tell the Galatians to take?

With a story, it may be more helpful to ask about how the various characters responded to the challenges they faced:

  1. How did Abram deal with his doubts?
  2. How did the apostles handle the conflict between the Greek- and Aramaic-speaking believers?

2. Next we look for bridges between then and now by asking how our situation is like and unlike the situation addressed in the passage:

  1. What conflicts do we face in our ministry? In what ways do they resemble the conflict described in Acts 6? In what ways are they different?
  2. Do you identify with the Galatians in any ways? In what ways are you similar or different?

As the leader, you should always ask yourself, “How is our situation different?” This question will help you guide the group away from erroneous applications. Joshua’s conquest of Canaan was in many ways a unique situation. The founding of the first Christian community in Jerusalem was also unique in many ways.

3. Finally, with the similarities and differences between then and now in mind, we can ask whether the passage offers any timeless (always) principles, like, “What can we learn about good and poor ways of handling doubt from Abram’s example?”

Principles can include a sin to avoid, a promise to trust, an example to follow, a command to obey, or a truth to believe. It is essential not to generalize a universal principle from a specific situation without careful thought about the differences between then and now.

Sometimes you’ll want to help people apply the passage to their personal lives. At other times, you’ll draw out a group application. Most of the Bible was written not to individuals, but to groups. The “you” in many passages is plural.

Another way of asking, “So what?” is to point people toward listening to the Holy Spirit:

  1. What do you sense the Holy Spirit is saying to us about how we relate to others in our lives who don’t know Christ?
  2. What is one key truth from this passage that you sense the Spirit is urging you to embrace?

Set aside 15 minutes at the end of your group meeting to contemplate questions. Pray, asking the Holy Spirit to speak. Then talk, with ears open.

Now What? “So what?” questions are general and ask for relevance. “Now what?” questions are pointed. They ask us to take action.

  1. How can you put this insight into practice this week?
  2. What can you do to cultivate this into a habit?
  3. What will it mean, in practical terms, for you to seek God’s kingdom first this week?
  4. How can we, as a group, obey Isaiah’s call to a true fast?

Many of your discussions will end with “So what?” questions. It is not a waste of time to help people think and feel more biblically. But sometimes, action is called for.

“Now what?” questions require specific, realistic, and measurable answers.

  1. Specific means that definite actions, rather than general goals, are specified.
  2. Realistic means that the person has devised a plan he can reasonably carry out within the limitations of his life, with the power of the Holy Spirit and the help of the group to back him up.
  3. Measurable means something concrete will be done, and at the end of a month or a year, the shift in the person’s attitudes or actions will be noticeable by an observant outsider. We shouldn’t become obsessed with measuring spiritual growth, since the most important changes are internal and may take time to affect our behavior dramatically, but it is possible to ask ourselves. What can I do to become a significantly more compassionate person by this time next year?

Bear in mind that questions about the future are often more intimate than those about the past or present. Most people don’t talk about their hopes and goals casually. When the group has been together for about six sessions or more, members will find it extremely bonding to begin discussing their hopes for who they want to become and how they plan to pursue their goals. One way of formulating this question is, “In what ways do you want to be different as a result of our studying Philippians?”

Counting the Cost: Jesus told a parable about two sons, in which one son agreed to do what his father asked but then didn’t follow through, while the other balked but eventually obeyed (Matthew 21:28-32 ). People frequently talk about how a passage applies to them but don’t do anything about it after the discussion. One reason for this is that they don’t consider the risks and costs of living the gospel. Jesus urged His followers to count the cost and to be sure they knew what they were getting themselves into before embracing the kingdom of God. Here are some questions you can use when studying a passage that you know asks something difficult, such as turning the other cheek:

  1. What are the risks of doing what Jesus says here?
  2. What would it cost you to do that?
  3. What obstacles hinder you from living that way consistently?

Then, having looked squarely at the downside, invite people to weigh it against the upside:

  1. What would be the benefits of living like this?
  2. What would motivate a person to take those risks?
  3. How can you overcome those obstacles? How can we help?

Not Just the Facts: Application questions provide the potential for spiritual growth. They take us beyond learning facts about a passage of Scripture. We discover how the passage applied to its original readers, how that ancient situation connects with our modern world, and how to do something with what we’ve learned. This process helps us become doers of the Word, not merely hearers, and as the Scriptures promise, such people (and such small groups) “will be blessed in their doing.”

Thanks to Karen Lee-Thorp, Discipleship Journal, July/August 1998 [print_link] [email_link]

How to be an Above Average Leader

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I sometimes wonder what it takes to be a truly great leader, and how many people would I fit into that category. I’ll address leaders in a moment, but when it comes to teachers, Josh Hunt uses the word TIGER to make a point, and he tells us that there are the five steps to doubling a group every two years or less:

Teach a halfway decent lesson each and every week; nothing less will do: You do not have to be Chuck Swindoll to grow a class. However, you must produce reasonably good lessons every single week. The better the teaching, the easier it is to grow a class.

Invite every member and every visitor to every fellowship every month: If we love them, they will come. We invite every member because it is good inreach. We invite every visitor, because it is good outreach. We do it every month because it is effective ministry. If we get them to the party, we will not keep them from class. If we get them to the party, they will come to love us, love our church and love our Lord.

Give Friday nights to Jesus: Give Friday nights to Jesus for an informal time of fellowship, games and Diet Coke. People who are opposed to the gospel are not opposed to ice cream. The Bible commands, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9) If we will simply be obedient to this one command, we can double our classes every two years or less and our churches every five years or less.

Encourage the group toward ministry: We do this by providing specific examples of ministry and personally enlisting people to join the team. I encourage people to pick from the following seven examples of ministry opportunities: Class teacher, Outreach leader, Inreach leader, Fellowship leader, Hospitality leader (gives Friday nights to Jesus), Prayer leader, and Class president.

Reproduce: Doubling a class every two years or less is not about going from 10 to 20. It is about going from one group to two. Reproduction is hard on any level. Still, The future of the church is the reproduction of groups. The key to creating a new group is leadership. The price of creating a new group is saying good-bye. We must be willing to say good-bye in order to be obedient to the great commission. Remember that only the mature can reproduce. Only mature disciples are willing to say good-bye. We must reproduce in order to insure the life of the next generation.

I included all this not just because it is a solid strategy for growing groups, but for the first point, teach a half-way decent lesson! We don’t have to be outstanding in order to teach or lead; can we shoot for above average? I recently discovered three tips to becoming above average:

  1. Do what others won’t: Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh I would never do that?” Often this is a sign that we are on the right track. To live and serve in an above average way means you are willing to do what others won’t. Don’t let this bother or intimidate you! Recognize that every leader faces the same challenge, starting with Jesus. He certainly could have settled for an average lifestyle, but He chose to lay down His life to fulfill His purpose.
  2. Create productive habits: Leaders choose what to do with their time, their health, their desires, their appetites, their words and their thoughts. Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of the time.” Our time and energy needs to be fruitful, not frivolous. We all have areas of life that are uncultivated and unfruitful. Often all it takes is for a seed to be planted and we can turn that around.
  3. Refuse to live an average lifestyle: Average leaders don’t stop to examine what they are doing. They live by their emotions and take the path of least resistance. To be above average, you may need to watch less TV, read more books, set goals, take care of your health, eat better, exercise more, forgive, encourage, and take more risks. Of course, this also means you get to see God do more in and through you than the “average” person might.

The reality is average, status-quo, ordinary living doesn’t inspire others to follow Christ more closely. Radical, above-average, extraordinary living does! This can be a challenge. Average seems so comfortable, appealing, safe. Not to mention, it’s what everyone else is doing, so it makes life easier (or so it seems).

Are you ready to be above average? I hope the answer is yes, because that means you will be able to reach more people with the love and encouragement of Christ, and lead them to grow and mature into His image. That is worth the inconvenience of letting go of the status quo.

Leaders Know When to Delegate

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Todd Rhoades, editor of Monday Morning Insight, shares insights from an article related to delegation. As he views it, effective delegation involves asking five key questions:

  1. Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task? Is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself?
  2. Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person’s skills?
  3. Is this a task that will recur, in a similar form, in the future?
  4. Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively? Time must be available for adequate training, for questions and answers, for opportunities to check progress, and for rework if that is necessary.
  5. Is this a task that I should delegate? Tasks critical for long-term success (for example, recruiting the right people for your team) genuinely do need your attention.

If you can answer “yes” to at least some of the above questions, then it could well be worth delegating this job. Read the whole article.

Which brings us back to time and effort. Looking at this list, it is obvious that delegation, especially first-time delegation, will take some extra time and energy. The payoff is in the long-term. Training someone to do tasks that take up an on-going amount of your time will free you to do things that only you can do. And, in many cases, if you’re like me, most of the things that you should be delegating are things you really don’t enjoy doing in the first place.

One goal of mine at King’s Grant is to get people connected to the church through meaningful volunteerism. I put together a list of tasks that can be delegated to willing volunteers that therefore free ministerial and office staff for other tasks that only they can fulfill. Take a look at the volunteer opportunities.

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Leaders Focus on the Goal

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In the ministry there are lots of important things to be done; but many times the urgent things take priority. You know how it works, probably happens in your office, too. You have your list of things that you alone need to take care of and other people come and make their agenda, your agenda. I learned long ago (although not perfect in this) that saying “no” to a lot of good things can be liberating, because it allows you plenty of time to take care of the important tasks.

I have a friend with a servant heart who told me a story. One day he was ready to leave the office and a co-worker asked for some help on a project. After a few moments of helping, it appeared the co-worker had dumped the project, walked out the door and headed home, leaving my friend with the other guy’s project. One tends to not want to help if this is the sort of abuse one can expect.

Take a look at this episode in the life of Jesus:

Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” (John 7:3-4)

Jesus was under pressure from his brothers, they wanted him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles early and show off his miracle-performing abilities. John 7:5 also tells us that not even these brother were believing in him. Like many Jews, these brothers were looking for someone to “wow” the crowds and eventually lead the people in a rebellion against the Romans. The Feast would have been an ideal platform for launching Jesus’ political career.

Jesus could not be persuaded to become a crowd-pleaser. He knew that his mission on earth was not to win fans, but to redeem people from their sin. Keeping his ultimate purpose in mind, Jesus chose to go to the festival, but in secret (John 7:10). In his wisdom, Jesus could not be persuaded away from his purpose, not even for one day of miracles and popularity. His choice to enter the festival quietly led to a day of heated debates with his enemies and intense discussions with the crowd but no flashy miracles (John 7:11-12, 14, 25, 30). By the end of the day, “many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him” (John 7:31).

Regardless of the agenda others have, a leader needs to stand firm and keep their goal in focus. Leaders with integrity know that they cannot allow themselves to be persuaded to cave in to people-pleasing or glory-grabbing decisions. Pursuing integrity may not always be the popular or easy path, but it usually proves to be the wiser path.

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Servant Leadership

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I like reading on topics about leadership, mentoring, and discipleship. I recently participated in the Dave Ramsey EntreLeadership event (held at Regent University). The seminar was primarily for business owners but the principles learned (many which I’ll share in later posts) can be adapted to my church staff leadership situation, and as I seek to lead others to be ministry and small group leaders. Another servant leadership promoter is Ken Blanchard, the one minute manager guy. He has an entire ministry focusing on Jesus as the ultimate example of leadership (Lead Like Jesus). Men, as you consider your leadership qualities, have you emphasized developing as a servant-leader?

He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” (Mark 9:35)

The world tells us that leadership is about power and domination. The stronger, richer, smarter, and better looking you are, the better leader you’ll be. Studies have even shown that a beautiful woman will get a job before a plain woman, even if the latter is more qualified. The world looks on the outwardly aspects as a form of leadership. But that”s a leadership that only goes so far and can actually hinder your influence on people around you.

True leadership is found on the inside. It’s the leader who humbles himself and puts others’ needs before his own. It’s the boss who is willing to put in the extra hours to help you with the work instead of cutting out early. It’s the pastor or staff person who sees himself as much of a sinner as everyone else. In order to be a good leader, you have to learn how to serve others, to put others before you.

Jesus shows us true leadership. Even when he was incredibly weary from travel, he would help and heal. The night before his death, he washed his disciples’ feet. He never asked to be honored on earth, and he’s the Son of God! Jesus knew what it meant to be a leader.

Application: How do you lead the people around you? Do you find yourself becoming authoritarian? Do you lead from a position or a purpose? Do you influence people with fancy words, a nice house, and fancy clothes? Do you influence people by helping them move, cooking a meal for them, or washing the dishes? Husbands, as a leader in the home, do you take the time to make the bed or fold the laundry, straighten the kitchen? We can show our love and God’s love through our service to others. Take inventory on how you use your time to serve those in need. Are you a godly influence?

The Models of Supervision

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Supervision has many models, some of which are appropriate to one context but not to another. Moses had a crisis model until his father-in-law taught him the administrative model (Exodus 18:13, 14, 17-18, 19-23). David used a military model, Nehemiah was a great administrator. Jesus used the intern model. The point is that there is no one biblical model. We must find a model that fits the situation and the person we are supervising.

Family Model: Parents closely supervise an infant’s food, sleep, and time spent awake. As the child grows, parental supervision becomes less intense, and the child makes more decisions as he/she moves toward adolescence and adulthood.

Industry Model: Supervision in industry is basically related to production. The supervisor relates to employees in a manner to oversee the production line and job performance in order to maximize production.

Business Model: The boss apportions work to employees, sets deadlines, and serves as a kind of “answer person.” The boss gives the authority to do the task.

Military Model: Chain of command supervision is close rank discipline and straight line authority. Commands are given, and strict compliance is expected. Thinking on the part of the subordinate is not recommended in this model and authority is not questioned.

Craft Model: Craftsmen (electricians, plumbers, and carpenters) have developed a system of teaching by example. The master demonstrates the work for the apprentice who learns through actual example and hands-on experience.

Prison Model: In this controlled environment, the warden instructs the guards, who in turn, enforce the rules and regulations on the inmates, allowing for minimal freedom and movement.

Academic Model: In this professor/student relationship, the instructor supervises students in order to facilitate learning through assignments, labs, and other learning activities.

Clinical Model: The medical profession uses this model as young interns participate in the treatment of patients with the writing of reports regarding the patient’s condition and possible treatment, for submission to the supervising medical doctor.

Orchestra Model: The conductor’s responsibility is to guide an orchestra of professionals into a faithful interpretation of a musical score. The conductor may not be able to play the instruments, but is ultimately responsible to organize, correlate, and bring together individual performances to one great performance. He keeps everyone on the same note.

Marriage Model: Goals shared by a husband and wife, mutually strengthen their love and help them to develop and support one another. Each is enhanced by the give and take of the other.

Athletic Model: The coach prepares the players for the game. While direction and guidance are given during the actual playing of the game, emphasis is placed on the practice and “coaching” done prior to actual play. Coach may be a better word than supervisor. Sometimes there is the player-coach, which suggests a high level of partnership. The coach develops the game plan and helps each player to know his role on the team

Mentor Model: The mentor model is dependent upon a relationship as well as an official responsibility. These pledge to work together in a relationship of learning. There is guidance, teaching and accountability.

Biblical Models: Scripture is loaded with examples of dealing with people. In the life of Jesus alone, we see numerous times when He used different models to achieve different ends. Review the following list and discover other models as you research and study:

  1. Shepherd – Pastor: the ancient practice of tending sheep, keeping them from danger, providing for their needs. The shepherd risks himself for the well-being of the sheep.
  2. Counselor – Support: the counselor points out problems to avoid and possible actions to help the supervisee. The person must submit oneself to this relationship.
  3. Friend – Relationship: like the counselor but there is a personal relationship. The friend stands by and talks through the issues, making suggestions.
  4. Servant – Deacon: the apostles handed over the daily tasks to others who took ownership, and accomplish the work with assuming little or no supervision.
  5. Teacher – Disciple: Jesus took a group of twelve unorganized men and transformed them into men under the influence of the Holy Spirit, ready to carry out the Great Commission.
  6. Master – Authority: we see this in many parables where there was a person considered to be a steward, one who cared for the estate of the owner.
  7. King – Leadership: throughout the kingdom we see this sort of model, some were abusive and others were not; but the king was large and in charge.

The best supervision occurs when the supervisor uses the model that best fits the situation. Supervisors often function with a model they have observed elsewhere, and the supervisor should avoid the temptation to use one model exclusively. A supervisor with military experience might use that model at the exclusion of all others. The supervisor should examine each supervisory situation separately to determine the needs of the supervisee and implement the best supervision model needed. Then the model should be adjusted as the person develops.

The Work of Supervision

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I used to work at the International Mission Board Office of Mission Personnel; mainly reading missionary wannabe applications, and then selecting and preparing candidates for overseas service. One main issue in sending short-term personnel overseas (two to three years) is the topic of supervision. Here is a lot of information out of Doran McCarty’s book called, Supervision: Developing and Directing People in Ministry. This post is an introduction.

Contents of this Series:

  1. The Work of Supervision (below)
  2. The Definition of Supervision
  3. The Art and Science of Supervision
  4. The Models of Supervision
  5. The Covenant within Supervision
  6. The Covenant Process in Supervision
  7. The States of Supervision
  8. The Supervisory Conference
  9. The Biblical Basis of Supervision

What’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the word supervision? Answers range from “an administrative chore” to “a boss” to “controlling” to “time consuming” and the list seemingly goes on forever. It takes effort to change that type of thinking. However, if people are the focus of your work, remember that those you supervise are people, too.

Supervision is a work comparable to everything else you do. Supervision can strengthen the life of the person in your care through the attention and support you provide. Supervision extends your work. With appropriate supervision, employees are extensions of your work as you share your goals with them.

Some businesses point to their employees as their most important resource. Support personnel, undoubtedly, are important components of your system. They provide help in the work of the your team. If employees become burned out or used up, the team may suffer the loss: the loss when goals are not met and the loss of integrity because of a supervisor’s insensitivity to their needs as people.

The supervisor should ask, “What is the object of my work of supervision?” Is the object a program or a person? Every supervisor is either program oriented or people oriented. Balance is most difficult. An administrator administers a program but a supervisor supervises a person.

If the supervisor’s central focus is on the program, he depersonalizes the personnel and makes him/her an errand runner rather than a fellow worker. The supervisor’s work is helping the employee fulfill the task to which they have been assigned. Your focus is not on the task, but on the person. The employee’s focus on the task.

Identifying Leadership Potential

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I’m on the lookout for new leaders… not that the currently leaders need to be replaced, but if King’s Grant is going to grow, we cannot do more with the same number of leaders. We need to bring new leaders on board, people who will catch the vision of what God can do in this place, and seek ways to exercise their giftedness in various areas of the congregation.

Since qualities of natural leadership are important in discussing spiritual leadership, there is value in seeking to discover leadership potential both in oneself and in others. Most people have hidden or undeveloped characteristics which, through lack of self awareness, may be simply undiscovered. Each of us needs to consider this instrument of self measurement that could result in the discovery of such qualities, (as well as the detection of various weaknesses which would make one unfit for leadership). When I taught a leadership class at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Zambia, I gathered teaching notes on the topic of leadership. Consider asking these questions:

  1. Have you ever broken yourself of a bad habit? To lead others, one must be master of self.
  2. Do you maintain control of yourself when things go wrong? The leader who loses self control in difficult circumstances forfeits respect and loses influence. He must be calm in crisis and resilient in adversity and disappointment.
  3. Do you think independently? While it is good to know the thoughts of others, the leader cannot afford to let others do his thinking or make his decisions for him.
  4. Can you handle criticism objectively and remain unmoved under it? Do you turn it in to good? The humble man can gain benefit from petty and even malicious criticism.
  5. Can you use disappointments creatively?
  6. Do you have the cooperation and win the respect and confidence of others?
  7. Do you possess the ability to discipline without having to resort to a show of authority? True leadership is an internal quality of the spirit and requires no external show of force.
  8. Have you qualified for the beatitude pronounced on the peacemaker (Matthew 5:9)? It is much easier to keep the peace than to make peace where it has been shattered. An important function in leadership is conciliation, the ability to discover common ground between opposing viewpoints and then lead both parties to accept it.
  9. Are you entrusted with the handling of difficult and delicate situations?
  10. Can you induce people to do happily some legitimate thing which they would not normally wish to do?
  11. Can you accept opposition to your viewpoint or decision without considering it a personal insult and reacting accordingly? Leaders must expect opposition and should not be offended by it.
  12. Do you find it easy to make and keep friends? Your circle of loyal friends is an sign of the quality and extent of your leadership.
  13. Are you unduly dependent on the praise or approval of others? Can you hold a steady course in the face of disapproval and even temporary loss of confidence?
  14. Are you at ease in the presence of your superiors or strangers?
  15. Do your subordinates appear at ease in your presence? A leader should give an impression of sympathetic understanding and friendliness that will put others at ease.
  16. Are you really interested in people? In people of all types and all races? Is there hidden racial prejudice? An antisocial person is unlikely to make a good leader.
  17. Do you possess tact? Can you anticipate the likely effect of a statement before you make it?
  18. Do you possess a strong and steady will? A leader will not long retain his position if he is indecisive.
  19. Do you hold on to resentments, or do you quickly forgive injuries done to you?
  20. Are you reasonably optimistic? Pessimism is no asset to a leader.
  21. Are you in the grip of a master passion like Paul who said: “This one thing I do”? Such a singleness of motive will focus all one’s energies and powers on the desired objective.
  22. Do you welcome responsibility?

R. E. Thompson, the founder of Mission Training International (serving in China in the 1920’s and 1930’s), suggests these tests of our attitudes to people as an indication of our capacity for leadership:

  1. Do other people’s failures annoy us or challenge us?
  2. Do we use people or cultivate people?
  3. Do we direct people or develop people?
  4. Do we criticize or encourage?
  5. Do we shun the problem person or seek him out?

It will not be sufficient merely to engage in this exercise in self analysis superficially, and pay no further attention to the discoveries made. Something must be done about it. Why not take some of the points of weakness and failure and, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, concentrate on strengthening or correcting them?

These desirable qualities were all present in their fullness in the character of Jesus, and each Christian should make it their constant prayer that they might more rapidly be incorporated into his or her own personality.