Recently, I've been doing a series at Vineyard Columbus titled Strength in Weakness: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Paul. Many Christians ask themselves the question: "Am I called to Christian leadership?" Some feel called to pastor, some to missions, some to lead a small group, some to lead children or teens. Some Christians feel called to lead regarding issues of justice, such as poverty, racial reconciliation, immigration reform, valuing life or sex trafficking.
What are the essential elements of a call to leadership? I've used the acronym "C.A.L.L." to mark four foundation stones of a called person.
C - Leaders are CALLED first to a relationship with Christ
When the Apostle Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, he saw a bright light in the sky. The Risen Christ spoke to him and said: Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me? (Acts 22:7).
In response, the Apostle Paul asked these two questions: Who are you, Lord? (Acts 22:8). And second: What shall I do, Lord? (Acts 22:10). Most of us, when we think about calling, only ask the second question: "What do you want me to do, Lord?" "What task have you called me to, Lord?"
But there is a prior and more fundamental question for everyone called to leadership that must be answered: "Who are you, Lord?" It is not who are you abstractly, Lord, that I need to know. Or who are you according to my parents, my church or the experts. To lead, I must know who are you going to be for me, Lord. Are you going to be my moral policeman, my parole officer, my school principal? Or will you be my lover, my master, my rock, my Father in heaven?
A call to leadership is, first of all, always a call to deep personal relationship with Christ.
A - Leaders are AWARE of themselves
It is essential that leaders be self-aware. We leaders must understand our gifting, our strengths, our weaknesses and the particular contribution we can make to the church and to the world. So much ineffectiveness is due to trying to work outside our particular areas of gifting and talent. Many try to be like some other successful Christian, preach like the person whose podcasts we listen to, share the gospel like Billy Graham, pray for the sick like John Wimber, etc. We can never be anyone other than ourselves.
Much of the really interesting contemporary work on leadership is about emotional intelligence. One of the key components of emotional intelligence is self-awareness - really understanding ourselves, knowing our gifts, talents and the contributions we uniquely make, knowing our weaknesses and the derailing baggage that keep us from reaching our full potential; understanding ourselves well enough to know what drives us, what triggers our emotional responses, and why we have the views that we do.
L - Leaders use LOVE as their motivating power
At the beginning of the 16th century, a man by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a basic primer called "The Prince" for would-be leaders who are intent on gaining and holding power. Lots of modern business leadership books claim to have derived their lessons from "The Prince." Here is what Machiavelli said: If you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain. Those princes have accomplished most who paid little heed to keeping their promises, but knew how to manipulate the minds of men craftily. In the end, they won out over those who tried to act honestly.
Compare this counsel to a man who was a near contemporary of Machiavelli, Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order. Ignatius said: Leaders must act with great affection towards others, an affection that is coupled with a passion to see the other person run at full speed towards perfection. Ignatius believed that leaders have to be characterized by two things: 1) a great affection for the person they are leading, and 2) a passion to see that other person run at full speed toward perfection.
L - Leader are LIFE-LONG LEARNERS
I've met 26-year-olds who are already old in their thinking and who are inflexible, no longer open to new discoveries, and who have committed themselves to defending an old paradigm out of loyalty to a former leader or a certain theological perspective. And I've met 60 and 70-year-olds who are still young in their thinking: they are rethinking issues, revising former opinions, and open to changing long-held views. These folks are on an exciting journey because they've committed themselves to be followers of Jesus and not followers of a certain person or perspective. As they go after Jesus, these life-long learners are constantly discovering and rediscovering who Jesus will be for them. They are constantly asking questions and rethinking ministry from fresh angles. Leaders who change the world are those who are open to being changed themselves.
Here, then, is the C.A.L.L. to leadership:
Want to take a Next Step towards leadership?
We have an upcoming Intro to Leadership class which is the next step for anyone interested in leading at Vineyard Columbus on Saturday, June 14, 2014 from 9am-1pm at the Cooper Road campus. For more information, e-mail Deb George or 614.259.5358.