Building off of yesterday's post, I started thinking about how those things I wrote yesterday apply to leadership, especially in a setting of God's people. In case you missed yesterday's, here is the link to it. http://pastorscott25.blogspot.com/2015/05/enduring-fire.html
When you look for people to lead God's people, you want to have people who have been through the fire, and who have shown themselves able to endure, and to lead others through the fire. When you think about it, that makes sense. You'd rather have someone who can lead the way through in a position of leadership, rather than someone who cannot endure through the fire. We can only lead as far as we are able to go, after all.
That leads to a phrase I heard a few years back about those who would lead in positions within the body of God's people. The man who shared it said he would look for three things, each of which begin with C. Character, chemistry, and competence. Just a few words on each as to how they apply, especially in leadership of God's people.
I'll start with character, which I would suggest is the highest priority. Especially in a situation where leaders of God's people are called to be standards to which others can look and imitate, character is of utmost importance. Character calls for doing the right thing, even when it's not the popular thing to do. Character calls for a life of integrity, where you are not one person in one situation, and then someone else in a different situation. Character calls for humilty, in looking for the good of God's people, even if it calls for demands and sacrifices on your part. Character means that you will abide within what God says, so much as you are able, regardless of the outcome.
You also need some level of competence. If you are untrained, say, at working with children, you might not be the best one to work with the nursery class. While formal training in the areas is nice, really, it amounts to you having experience in what you seek to do. Yes, there is a time and place to learn if you have never been in that situation before, but at that point, you should not be expected to be a leader, then. You're a student, learning the ropes, and not a leader, calling for others to follow you, if you have never been there before.
Chemistry is also vitally important. You could have a great level of competence, but if your character has not permitted you to work well with others, you could end up doing more damage than good. Character and chemistry have some level of interaction here. However, you could be the most upstanding person, but yet have difficulty working with superiors or those who would report to you. After all, the hand simply cannot say "I don't need you" to the rest of the body and still remain part of the body.
Character, competence, and chemistry. Three necessary ingredients, especially as it applies to those who would be leaders in God's church.
When you look for people to lead God's people, you want to have people who have been through the fire, and who have shown themselves able to endure, and to lead others through the fire. When you think about it, that makes sense. You'd rather have someone who can lead the way through in a position of leadership, rather than someone who cannot endure through the fire. We can only lead as far as we are able to go, after all.
That leads to a phrase I heard a few years back about those who would lead in positions within the body of God's people. The man who shared it said he would look for three things, each of which begin with C. Character, chemistry, and competence. Just a few words on each as to how they apply, especially in leadership of God's people.
I'll start with character, which I would suggest is the highest priority. Especially in a situation where leaders of God's people are called to be standards to which others can look and imitate, character is of utmost importance. Character calls for doing the right thing, even when it's not the popular thing to do. Character calls for a life of integrity, where you are not one person in one situation, and then someone else in a different situation. Character calls for humilty, in looking for the good of God's people, even if it calls for demands and sacrifices on your part. Character means that you will abide within what God says, so much as you are able, regardless of the outcome.
You also need some level of competence. If you are untrained, say, at working with children, you might not be the best one to work with the nursery class. While formal training in the areas is nice, really, it amounts to you having experience in what you seek to do. Yes, there is a time and place to learn if you have never been in that situation before, but at that point, you should not be expected to be a leader, then. You're a student, learning the ropes, and not a leader, calling for others to follow you, if you have never been there before.
Chemistry is also vitally important. You could have a great level of competence, but if your character has not permitted you to work well with others, you could end up doing more damage than good. Character and chemistry have some level of interaction here. However, you could be the most upstanding person, but yet have difficulty working with superiors or those who would report to you. After all, the hand simply cannot say "I don't need you" to the rest of the body and still remain part of the body.
Character, competence, and chemistry. Three necessary ingredients, especially as it applies to those who would be leaders in God's church.
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