After this the Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Luke 10:1
First, my apologies on the lack of posting recently. I have noticed that being in a position which requires travel means that some of the regular things I'd like to do (like blogging) sometimes just doesn't happen as regularly as I would like. Thanks for bearing with me!
Over the next few days, I intend to do a series of posts on the connection between the three main words in the title. Leadership. Empowerment. Authority. Over the years, and through lots of reading, study, and research, I have come to see how these are important attributes for any leader, but especially for those who lead in God's Church. Good, effective leadership can be a great assistance to the Gospel message. No, leadership in and of itself is not the Gospel, but it serves as part of God's creation to better facilitate how God's people work together as His Spirit sends them to one another and the world with that ongoing message of redemption in Jesus.
As you read the verse above, one thing we see there is that Jesus empowered others and gave them authority in His name. I would suggest reading the whole selection, Luke 10:1-23, to get a better grasp of what all Jesus does here. Jesus demonstrates leadership in a couple of ways here. First, He empowers His followers with the work that He has designed for them. As you read on following verse 1, He is actually pretty explicit about what He is empowering them to do. This is worth noticing. Jesus gives empowers them for His work, but He also gives them a good amount of detail of what they are to be doing. He leaves how they do it to them, but He is very clear with what He wants them to be doing.
Empowerment involves giving someone a task to do. You give them the expectation of what they are to be doing. Then, you set the parameters of what that will look like. To use a brief example, if I want my kids to build a fort, I might give them the instructions to "build a fort." I might even give them the specific materials to use (use blocks, don't use couch cushions, etc.). Then, they are left to do the task that I have given them. They have a clear directive, as well as clear boundaries, and as long as they work within those boundaries, they are free to build and create to their hearts content.
I would suggest that many people who lead may think that they are empowering others, but they actually serve to sever their empowerment in several ways. They may not be clear on the expectation. They may give a clear expectation, but then meddle in the details to the point that they discourage those they are attempting to empower. They may not give clear enough expectations or parameters, and then be surprised when things either don't go as they intended, or they get frustrated that those they are empowering aren't doing what is expected.
I'll touch on these a bit more over the next few days. But for now, read through this account in Luke 10. See how Jesus is clear with His expectation, as well as with His parameters. Note also He gives them freedom to do what they were sent to do. I suggest that you even write down the various things that you note as you read, as well as any thoughts or insights you have. Feel free to comment with anything that you think calls for further discussion.
First, my apologies on the lack of posting recently. I have noticed that being in a position which requires travel means that some of the regular things I'd like to do (like blogging) sometimes just doesn't happen as regularly as I would like. Thanks for bearing with me!
Over the next few days, I intend to do a series of posts on the connection between the three main words in the title. Leadership. Empowerment. Authority. Over the years, and through lots of reading, study, and research, I have come to see how these are important attributes for any leader, but especially for those who lead in God's Church. Good, effective leadership can be a great assistance to the Gospel message. No, leadership in and of itself is not the Gospel, but it serves as part of God's creation to better facilitate how God's people work together as His Spirit sends them to one another and the world with that ongoing message of redemption in Jesus.
As you read the verse above, one thing we see there is that Jesus empowered others and gave them authority in His name. I would suggest reading the whole selection, Luke 10:1-23, to get a better grasp of what all Jesus does here. Jesus demonstrates leadership in a couple of ways here. First, He empowers His followers with the work that He has designed for them. As you read on following verse 1, He is actually pretty explicit about what He is empowering them to do. This is worth noticing. Jesus gives empowers them for His work, but He also gives them a good amount of detail of what they are to be doing. He leaves how they do it to them, but He is very clear with what He wants them to be doing.
Empowerment involves giving someone a task to do. You give them the expectation of what they are to be doing. Then, you set the parameters of what that will look like. To use a brief example, if I want my kids to build a fort, I might give them the instructions to "build a fort." I might even give them the specific materials to use (use blocks, don't use couch cushions, etc.). Then, they are left to do the task that I have given them. They have a clear directive, as well as clear boundaries, and as long as they work within those boundaries, they are free to build and create to their hearts content.
I would suggest that many people who lead may think that they are empowering others, but they actually serve to sever their empowerment in several ways. They may not be clear on the expectation. They may give a clear expectation, but then meddle in the details to the point that they discourage those they are attempting to empower. They may not give clear enough expectations or parameters, and then be surprised when things either don't go as they intended, or they get frustrated that those they are empowering aren't doing what is expected.
I'll touch on these a bit more over the next few days. But for now, read through this account in Luke 10. See how Jesus is clear with His expectation, as well as with His parameters. Note also He gives them freedom to do what they were sent to do. I suggest that you even write down the various things that you note as you read, as well as any thoughts or insights you have. Feel free to comment with anything that you think calls for further discussion.
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