Jump Start # 3444

John 15:15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Last Saturday, a group of guys from our congregation met at the church building to spend a few hours studying and talking about leadership. We call this our Leadership Workshop. We do this every year. Much too often, the only time a congregation thinks about leaders is when there is a crisis, such as an elder moves away or one steps down because of health problems. The congregation panics. The preacher hurriedly races through the qualifications found in Timothy and a couple of names are brought before the congregation. Men are appointed and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. And, nothing is said about leadership until the next crisis.

That is just not a good way of doing things. Every disciple is a leader. That’s where the salt and light ideas come in. Every husband is a leader. Every father is a shepherd. His flock is his family. Getting us to see our roles, mentoring, developing and growing is healthy for a church. These qualities involve vision, legacy and planning, all the characteristics of a thriving congregation.

In our Leadership Workshop, we have three lessons and in between those lessons we have break out sessions. I divide the guys up into three or four groups. Each group becomes elders in a congregation. I hand each group a situation, most of them things I have experienced, and they must work together as a team to come up with a Biblical and reasonable solution to the problem. It is really eye opening for many of them. It helps them to see some of the things shepherds go through.

My lesson this year was on “The Importance of Communication in Leadership.” Our verse today was one of the key passages I used to introduce this concept. Jesus told them all things. Jesus didn’t keep secrets. Jesus didn’t tell some, while not telling others. When communication is lacking, people do not feel valued.

This is a major problem in marriages. “He just doesn’t talk,” the wife says. Or, “He does things without telling me.” That communication problem begins to chip away at the trust between the two.

Years ago, I was talking with a church about moving and working with them. I sat down with a group of the deacons. I asked them how things were going. All seven said that they had written letters of resignation. I was shocked. I asked “Why?” They all said, “We don’t know what’s going on here.”

In the Lord’s illustration of the Good Shepherd, in John 10, the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. They listen. There was a confidence and trust among them. The congregation takes clues from the leadership. This is how the DNA or culture of a church can be changed into something more positive and more Biblical. Expressing what our purpose is, our theme, our goals, is important. Around here, every Sunday, the congregation hears the expression that “Sunday is the best day of the week.”

Great communication can create a spirit of calm even through storms.

In our Leadership Workshop I shared “A Dozen Qualities of Communicating.” Here’s the list:

1. Authenticity: being trustworthy
2. Consistency
3. The stronger you believe it, the more people will feel it.
4. The choice of words and your tone matters
5. Understand the value of timing
6. Think things out before you speak
7. Be able to explain things simply
8. Your words can change the temperature of a room
9. Repeating things reinforces foundations
10. Know the difference between a faucet and a drain
11. Set the table so others will know good food is coming
12. Your walk and your talk must match

These dozen traits work in the home. They work at work. They work among brethren. And, they are a must for leaders.

Jesus said in John 14:2, “…if it were not so, I would have told you.” Communication—it’s one of the keys to leading people.

Roger

Jump Start # 3442

John 10:13 “He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.”

Our verse today comes from the section of Scripture we call the “Good Shepherd.” There are four characters or elements running through these thoughts. First, the Good Shepherd. That is Jesus. Second, is the hireling, or the hired hand. Third, is the thief. Fourth, are the sheep.

The Good Shepherd is good to the sheep. He leads them. He protects them. They know each other. The Good Shepherd is all in. He’s invested in the sheep. He is willing to give His life to save the sheep. The thief is trying to harm the sheep. Two opposite actions taking place. The hireling is not interested in the sheep. He is only interested in himself. Our verse today states, the hireling is “not concerned about the sheep.”

Have you ever wondered what are the qualities of someone who is not concerned? What is it like when someone doesn’t care?

First, they don’t think about others. In this account, the hireling sees a wolf and he runs. He is only interested in himself. He only wants to talk about himself. He only sees things through his perspective. He won’t be praying for the sheep. He won’t stay awake thinking about the sheep. He won’t be developing plans to help the sheep.

Now, before we leave this thought, we must recognize that there are hirelings in the church. All they care about are themselves. They never help out. They never pitch in. They never are counted on. And, when they have something to say, it’s always about them. They want this and they want that, but don’t count on them to help out. They want someone to serve them.

Second, it is obvious that the hireling is the wrong person who was put in charge of the sheep. The very idea of watching over the sheep is to watch over them. He is to care for them. He is to protect them, feed them and guide them. But in this story, when the wolf appeared, the hireling ran. You wouldn’t want this type of person to babysit your kids. The hireling should have never been hired. He didn’t do his job. He failed.

And, that tells us that sometimes the wrong person can be put in charge. We see this in politics. We see this in business. And, sadly, we see this in the church. Leaders, as God warned through Ezekiel, who were only concerned about themselves. The sheep were wounded, sick and scattered. And, where were the shepherds? They were eating and taking care of themselves. The sheep were neglected.

To lead God’s people a person must first of all be a people person. He has to not only like people but to be genuinely interested in seeing others do well, especially spiritually. Some have the strange idea that if someone were put into a leadership role, then they would learn to be a leader. That generally fails most times. If someone isn’t showing concern and leadership qualities before, it is likely that he won’t show them afterwards. And, when a church is led by hirelings and not shepherds, the church will flounder and fail.

Third, there is yet hope. A selfish person can become humble, serving and develop the heart of a true shepherd. Most kids have selfish periods of their lives. But, with the help of Jesus, we turn, grow and change. We learn to become less interested in self and more interested in others. We learn to put others first. We do this, because we see this in Jesus. We learn from the One who washed the disciples feet. We see the care and compassion of the Savior. We drive out the selfishness  and replace it with a spirit of serving others.

It takes time to change like this. Culture doesn’t help us. Commercials are all about self. But as one grows in Christ, the process, like the hymn, less of self and more of Him, begins to grow. And, in that transition, a person starts serving, leading and helping others. He no longer acts like a hireling. He’s there to stay and he’ll fight to the death for the well being of God’s people.

Thieves…hirelings…and shepherds, around sheep and around the church. Be the salt and be the light. Be a leader that points people to the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Roger