INTRODUCTION
Leadership determines the direction of any
organization. The progress and success of any organization whether the church
or secular institutions – depend upon the quality and effectiveness of the
leadership put in place. Corporate directors for years have understood that the
success of their organizations is predicated on executive efficiency. In this
discourse, we will concentrate on Biblical leadership.
DEFINITION
OF CONCEPTS
What do we mean by “Philosophy of Leadership”? We
don’t intend to teach philosophy in this discourse which we know as “the
science of Enquiry” But by philosophy of leadership we mean the principles that
underlie proper and effective leadership. A thorough understanding and
appreciation of these principles is vital to our understanding of Biblical
leadership. True learning is not merely the enlargement of the intellect but
the development of a culture. What do we mean by culture here?
Leadership is the art of influencing and directing men
in such a way as to obtain their obedience, confidence, respect and loyal
cooperation to accomplish the mission of the organization. True leadership
culture therefore envisions a leader who is aware of his responsibilities,
capitalizes on his strong traits, corrects his weakness and is guided by the
principles of leadership. It is on this note that we examine just ten of these
principles.
(1) CHARACTER:
It is unequivocally stated that the foundation of leadership is character – the
mental or moral qualities that make a man, a race, different from the others.
God is more interested in who you are than what you are doing. In 1 Samuel
16:6-7, the man of God mistook good looks, elegance for the foundation for
leadership. We often blame the devil for every bad conduct. The truth is that
man is the creator of his character. God created man but gave him a
considerable amount of freedom and power of creating his own character by which
he is responsible for his actions. We know that there are two major factors in
character moulding or formation – heredity and environment, but man is to blame
for allowing the undesirable elements of his character to form.
T. C. Hammonds in his book “Perfect
Freedom” spoke of the four faculties in man that made him a “moral being” not
just an animal. These are:
(1) Desire (2) will (3) motive and (4)
intention. So, every character of a man is a product of desire, propelled by
his will power, motivated by a factor in order to realize his intention. On
this note we conclude that man must be held accountable for his actions, and
therefore, it is morally wrong to trust one that is morally bankrupt with
leadership positions: Since leadership has to do with directing and influencing
people Rom. 2:17-23. The character we portray will make or mar our ministry,
lift us up or let us down, open the way for us or close up our door of
excellence. On thing is to have amounting, another thing is to have character.
(2) Sacrifice: It is believed that the
measure of leadership is sacrifice. In John 10, Jesus and Church leaders are
likened to shepherds sheep. The are:
(1)
desire (2) will (3) motive and (4) intention. S, every character of a man is a
product of desire, propelled by his will power, motivated by a factor in order
to realize his intention. On this note we conclude that man must be held accountable
for his actions, and therefore, it is morally wrong to trust one that is
morally bankrupt with leadership positions: Since leadership has to do with
directing and influencing people Rom. 2:17-23. The character we portray will
make or mar our ministry, lift us up or let us down, open the way for us or
close up our door of excellence. On thing is to have amounting, another thing
is to have character.
(2) SACRIFICE: It is believed that the
measure of leadership is sacrifice. In John 10, Jesus and church leaders are
likened to shepherds. Sheep symbolize the true followers (believers) of Jesus.
Jesus warns his disciples to guard against three majored enemies of the sheep.
They are:
1. The
thief: This is one who steals subtly and deceitfully. Jn, 10:1,8,10. The thief
is the devil and those church leaders who are like him.
2. The
Robber/wolf. Jn 10:1,8, The robber steals by force, violently attacking others
etc. Acts 20:29. False prophets and pastors etc. are wolves.
3. The
hireling Jn. 10:12, 13. The hireling is one whose only motive for working with
the sheep is money, wages, or gain. Peters calls it filthy lucre 1Peter 5:2-3,
Job. 7:2 He has no real care for the sheep and therefore will not watch his
life and as a result “cannot spare the flock” Acts 20:29 there can be no real
sacrifice where these are prevalent. What we give up as sacrifice in our effort
to serve God’s people in leadership is a measure of our yieldedness.
3. The
NATURE of leadership is service. Jesus said that he come not to be served, but
to serve (MK 10:45).
4. The
MOTIVE of leadership is love- Jesus commanded us to love one another to the
point of being willing to lay down our lives for others, if need be. If a
leaders is motivated by any other motive, love of money, prestige, power etc-
he is not likely to do this Jn. 10:13.
5. The
AUTHORITY of leadership is submission, submission to the lord and to his people
(Jn. 14:15, Rom. 13:14) if in habit you offend your brethren, give up that
habit (Rom. 14:15).
6. The
PURPOSE of leadership is the glory of
God (1Cor, 10:31) we must always ask ourselves: do our attitudes bring glory to
God? The things we do, the thoughts in our hearts, the way we relate to others,
our motives and dreams, do they bring glory to God?.
7. The
TOOLS of leadership are the word and prayer (Jn. 14:12-15) Through the word of
God, we have knowledge and through prayer we are able to receive from God the
miracles we need in order to succeed.
8. The
PRIVILEGE of leadership is growth. The more we are used of the lord, the more
we increase in stature, and the sharper we become.
9. The
POWER is leadership is the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) it is He that equips the
saints for the work of the ministry. Therefore, we must never grieve the Holy
Ghost. A life of sin grieves him.
10. The
MODEL of leadership is Jesus Christ.
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP
1a. authoritarian
leadership: This is leadership based on the authority vested in the office by
Biblical or other institutional authorities.
b. PERSUASIVE
LEADERSHIP: Leadership based on the personal influence of the leader brought to
peak by his personality, character, persuasive
ability, and dedication to the mission of the organization,
3. ELEMENTS
OF LEADERSHIP (The 3 care factors involved) Each leader must formulate his own
solution to each problem based upon his analysis of the three basic elements in
the leadership environment which are the leader the group and the situation.
a. The
leader must analyze himself and develop those personal traits and professional
techniques which will ensure his success in a leadership role.
b. The
group must be understood on the basis of its organizational structure,
sub-leaders cultural background, and educational background it must be viewed
also as an aggregation of individuals-involving personality, emotions, values,
desires etc.
c. Each must be faced as a new and
separate problem with its own
answers, and there must be a continuous evaluation of the
situation as it changes. The various
situations that confront a leader require substantial leadership adaptability.
4. THE
LEADER'S ROLE
a. The
leader must first of all Know himself. To do so, he must have the mental
courage to evaluate his strengths and weakness in terms of morel, physical and
mental characteristics. The leader must
seek an awareness of his image as viewed by the members positively (and) or
negatively-positively through verbal or non-verbal feedback and constructive criticism,
or negatively, through criticism.
b. Next,
the- leader must understand and be able to recognize individual differences in the people
of his congregation.
c. Each
person has his own individual personality and each is affected differently by the aspects
of his environment.
d. The
leader must understand and be able to recognize types and analyze Individuals,
so that the proper appeal or approach can be selected which will cause the
individual to respond willingly in the way which the leader desired.
e. The
leader's understanding of human behaviour patterns of individual differences and
of the drive for satisfaction of basic human needs provides a basis for;
i The establishment of good working
relationships
ii The
development of desirable group interaction
iii The
accomplishment of the mission of the church.
It should be recognized, however, that the
leader's goal the personalities of the people with whom he is working, and the
circumstances of the specific situation will have a profound effect on which
particular trait or traits needs the most emphasis.
5. LEADERSHIP
TRAITS
1a. Judgment:
judgment is the quality of logically weighting facts and possible solutions on
which to base sound decisions. Enhance your judgment by being as technically
qualified as possible.
b. To
improve judgment
i . Practice making estimates of the
situation
ii. Anticipate
situations winch require decisions, so you may be prepared when the need
arises.
iii. Avoid making rash decisions.
iv. As a Christian one can trust that the
Holy Spirit will give insight.
2 JUSTICE
a. Justice
is the quality of being impartial and consistent in dealing with people. Justice
involves the rendering of reward, and also to met out punishment in accordance
with the merits of the case. Anger and other emotions must not enter into a
situation. Prejudice of the race or creed must be avoided. Few things will
disrupt the moral of an organization more quickly than unfairness or partiality
of a leader toward a certain man or group of men.
b. Your decisions relative to people are a
test to your fairness.
It makes a- long time to build up a reputation of being fare. One
thoughtless error or injustice can destroy a good reputation that took years to
establish.
c. To
administer justice, you must understand human behaviour, study people with the
idea of learning why certain individuals behave the way they do under certain
conditions. Analyze the asses that have
been decided, and determine what you would have done had you been the one to
make the decision. This is personal
mental process and should never be used as an occasion to criticize the
decision of another leader.
d. To develop the trait of justice
e. Be fair, consistent and prompt when
making a decision
ii. Consider
each case on its own merit
iii. Correct
in private, with dignity, and with spiritual understanding.
iv. Search
your mental attitudes to determine if you hold any prejudices, and if so, make
conscious efforts not to permit them to influence your decision.
v. Never punish a group for the faults of
an individual
vi. Be honest with yourself. The Holy Spirit will help you to do so.
vii. Recognize
members worthy of commendation or award.
Do not be known as one who dispenses only criticism
3. LOYALTY:(a)
Loyalty is the quality of faithfulness to you, church, seniors, subordinates and
associates. This quality alone can do
much to earn for you the confidence and respect of your seniors, subordinates,
and associates, your action must reflect loyalty to your Lord.
b. To develop loyalty
i. Be quick to defend others .from abuse
ii. Never
give the slightest hair of
disagreement with orders from leadership
when relating instructions to members.
iii. Practice
doing every task to the best of your ability, and wholeheartedly supporting
your leadership’s decisions.
iv. Never
discuss the personal problems of your members with others.
v. Be
discreet in discussing church problems with individuals not
4. TACT
(A) Tact is the ability to deal with others without creating offence. In the field of human relations, tact is the
ability to say and do the proper thing at the right time. Tact involves the
understanding of human nature and consideration for the feelings of others.
b. Tact
is important in all personal relationships criticism must be clear, yet
constructive. It should not cause
discouragement or detract from the drive and energy of the church member. Every Pastor needs to be tactful when
advising those who come to him with embarrassing personal matters. Avoid
passing judgment on these matters, your role is primarily that of a counsellor.
Sometimes the highest degree of tact is simply to listen with understanding
interest and permit the member to arrive, at his own solution. You may confirm his solution or suggest a
different one.
c. To
demand courtesy, and to fail to return it in full measures, indicates either arrogance
or a lack of interest. Courtesy stems from one's mental attitude and is
expressed in both words and actions One leader may bark out directives
impersonally and abruptly. Another may give his directives in a tone tinged
with courtesy that implies the expectancy of obedience. Either method may get
obedience and cooperation. Usually a calm, courteous, though firm tone
of speech will bring a quick response. Thus, a tact and courtesy are closely
related to mental attitude as well as to manner and language.
d. To develope tact
i. Be courteous and cheerful
ii. Be considerate of others
iii. Study the actions of ministers who work
with your.
Be patient with your followers and give
them time to understand both you and your system in order to adjust.
Unit 2
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FOR
EFFECTIVE MINISTRY
There is a
tendency to have leadership in any given group or - society.
A society
is organized in a way that needs would be met.
To meet
the needs of a given society demands leadership. Apart from needs, there are
also goals or aspirations to be attained as well as resources (human, natural,
etc) to be used to meet the common goal of the society.
The big
question therefore is:
v
How do
we organize the society to meet the goals, aspirations and needs of its
members? Who will in turn work for the attainment of the goal of the
organization.
This
brings about two basic concepts:
(i)
Leadership:
whether in a church, government or
(ii)
(ii)
Followership: business.
Between
leadership and followership, there is relationship for the free - flow of ideas
to achieve the goals.
In
Nigeria, our problem is not with goals or resources, but with the leadership and followership.
REASONS
Leadership
is a divine concept. It did not originate from the politicians. It existed from
the beginning of the age. Gen. 1:26. - Adam and Eve plus other creatures
constituted the first society. - Adam was to have dominion over creatures and
that was leadership. He gave the animals names. From there, leadership developed
into various kinds of governments, whether democracy or autocracy.
v
God
is the one who ordains leaders. Leadership also has relevance to the Church -
It is a Biblical concept which affects the Church. The Church is one body with
many members. The Head of the Church is Christ. The Church is then seen in an
organizational form. The Church, though, is not an organization. but an
organism.
Christ,
the Head, has set authority in the Church - viz the Prophets, Teachers, etc.
The Church
as organism entails that:
* Every member is
functional
* The
function of every member is determined, controlled and sustained by the centre - i.e. the Head. Eph. 4:16 gives us an idea of how the church is
organized illustration.
The
structure in which the world is organized is in pyramid form
Leadership means different
things to different people. There is a sharp contrast which Jesus made between
organism and organization. Matt. 20:20-28 (illustration of the rulership in the
world today).
Picture of what the request
of John and James portrays.
When
the other 10 heard it, they were moved with indignation – struggles for power
which meant they might have been nurturing the same ambition in their mind. The
disciples have been seeing the leadership of organization in their society and
wanted it that way. But Christ said’ “No, it should not be so among you”.
Leadership
in the church (organism) is different v. 26
Definition
which Jesus gave
Leadership
is not power but service. He that will be great among you let him be your
servant. Whereas in the world it is power. He gave an example of himself, he
who is the centre of the church became servant.
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World
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Church
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Boss
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Servant
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Characteristics
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Characteristics
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*
Director
|
*
Facilitator – get things going
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*
Commander
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*
Encourager – he stirs people
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*
Exploiter
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*
Enabler – meets the needs of others
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*
Competitors
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*
Helper
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*
Extorter
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Equipper
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*
Exercises power
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Leads by example
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*
Illustration of Christ’s washing the feet of the disciples. He puts leadership
like this:
We cannot use the pattern of the world to run
the spiritual organism. It is division of labour in organism. Operation is by
gifts and calling in organism while it is by connection, tribalism etc in the
organization.
Note
Associations are different from local churches. Local churches are spiritual
entities. Associations must have and operate administrative systems but you
cannot run local churches with secular administration constitutions. The only
constitution the church has is the Bible and the Holy Spirit the Director.
Some
examples of the leadership styles of Christ.
(a) John 10: 1-3
1. Leadership as shepherd hood
v Usurped leadership and v 1-2
v Given leadership vv. 3-5
A
good leader is supposed to be in the forefront. He feels it more than the
people. He goes before them. V 11. He inconveniences Himself. He makes a lot of
sacrifices.
V.
14 Very much acquainted with His own. You will not be afraid of the people
because of the intimacy between you and them.
V
17 – 18 – elements of authority. He voluntarily gave himself has authority but
exercises it in humility and wisdom. Not drunk with power. When he
was arrested, he did not use the authority to free himself, rather he yielded
to the arrest just for sake of those he was leading.
V. 27
Followership is voluntary. It is not
sustained by decree. Obedience is voluntary, not forced.
V 26
Security and safety for the sheep. At every time people came J to accuse his
disciples, he defended them. He didn't rebuke them L openly i.e. in the
presence of the people (in the public)
He
protected the integrity of even the weakest among them. It is the
responsibility of any leader to make sure that those under him make it and are
preserved.
Jesus is
an encourager. He chose them and though most of them were not very responsible.
Their understanding was too low. They also deserted him when he was arrested.
They struggled for power, yet He was so faithful to them, stuck to them and had
confidence in them despite the fact that they failed him several times.
Leadership
Qualities in Jesus Christ
A. Courage - Living, sticking and speaking
what he believes without compromising with opposition when everybody was on the
majority and he on the minority. It takes courage. It involves telling the
truth and standing by the truth without compromising. E.g of those who came the
following day of the food miracle. All of them were offended and went back.
(John 6)
* Most of
the problems we are having in our churches today arise from the fact that few
leaders are prepared to preach the truth and not succumb to the fear of the
people going/leaving their church, thus making their purses leaner.
(B) Custom Breaking.
He didn't
please people but God, e.g healing the sick on the Sabbath day which was
against the rule of the land. It takes breaking certain customs to lead. The
people made the word of God non-effect because of their rules. Such ungodly
rules need to be disobeyed under certain circumstances.
Love and
compassion come first - David, ate the food meant for the priest - He .broke a
rule but fulfilled the law of love and compassion of God. Jesus broke all those laws that prevented the
manifestation of the love of God. People
first, the law second.
(C) He recognized the ability of others
He identified their abilities and encouraged them.
The Roles
of Leaders as facilitators
John 4:34
- 36 Goals to be achieved
John 9:4 -
Needs to be met
Nehemiah
as an example made a survey, before mobilizing the people to achieve the goal.
The leader
is supposed to be a facilitator because you don't have all the gifts, you can't
do all things yourself.
A leader
as a facilitator must have the following characteristics:
1. Clear vision of what God wants him and his
people to do. Your own vision must be clear so as to help you lead the
people. An e.g. of Nehemiah. Neh.
2:12. This will enable you not to be
distracted. Nehemiah knew what his God wanted him to do.
Having a
clear vision however, will lead to:
2. A
sense of direction: - knowing where to go despite oppositions (from Tobla &
Sambalat and his people), thus not being distracted. He had a clear vision and
focused on that.
3. Awareness of cur abilities, resources,
sources and limitations.
Awareness
of the ability God has put in us and also being aware of our inability or
limitations. You’ll be able to co-ordinate things together i.e. your ability that
of others. Leaders are not achievers, no
one man achieve a corporate goal on a whole.
Awareness
of the resources available & where to get it e.g feeding of 5,000 people in
the wilderness. Phillip was not aware of the resources. Andrew was aware of the
little resources of 2 loaves & 5 fish, but was overwhelmed by the needs.
Jesus took what they had and prayed on it and gave it to them & miracle
took place in their hand.
Many
leaders do not know the source of the resources.
4. Ability
to mobilize and utilize all available resources. Nehemiah mobilized spiritual
resources first (he prayed).
Neh. 2:17
- he mobilized human resources. In Chapter One, before he left for Jerusalem,
all what he needed (material resources) were provided by the King.
5. Flexibility and
Willingness to adapt or change strategies as the Holy Spirit directs. Be flexible
in the hand of the Holy Spirit. Any leader who is not flexible in the hand of
the Holy Spirit, will become nobody. Nehemiah changed strategies also by asking
some people to be on guard while some were building.
6. Openness
to criticism and willing to make amends/take correction where necessary.
Criticism
enables us to know the parts that we take for granted or the aspect where
correction is to be made. Criticism is not to harm but to correct.
It also
helps you to know the spiritual barometer of the people you are leading. When
we see that the problem is with us, we should be ready to change for this
doesn't reduce anything from our leadership status.
7. Willingness to make sacrifice. Neh. 5: 1- end.
8. Boldness and courage for the truth and
against falsehood.
You cannot correct the people with whom you are doing the same
thing. This helped" Nehemiah.
9. Staying
on course insplte of all odds. Any leader who runs away when the going is tough
is not supposed to be a leader. Nehemiah stayed with the people insplte of all
oddities. Jesus described such people who flee during times of trouble as
hirelings i.e those who run away when things get tough.
10. Being
able to sustain peoples confidence through your own dedication and commitment.
If people doubt your integrity, dedication, etc, you'll not have
their co-operation.
GOAL SETTING
A leader should
be able to know where he is going to be able to carry people along.
E.g.
A farmer
plants - to reap
An athlete
runs - to receive reward
Christ was
able to say that He had finished the work.
So also Paul saying he had fought the good fight of faith. This implied
they've achieved their goals. So also is
a leader needed to have a clear goal and to know when he has attained it.
What is a goal? Luke 14:28 - 32
A goal is a statement of faith about what is
to be
accomplished within a given
period of time based on an inspiration (vision) from God, relying on God
(trusting and having confidence in God) for the accomplishment of such.
John 9:4 – Goal setting.
Jesus was a goal setter.
A vision
is a conviction of an idea of what God wants you to do at a given period.
Difference between Goal and Objective:
Objective
is what is to be done, while
Goal is
how and when to do it.
WHY SETTING A GOAL
(1) It gives us a sense of direction
Helps to
know when we've arrived. Everything you
do must be geared towards the goal.
Keeps on
course - keeps from drifting
Helps in
motivation. Easy to mobilize people when you know where you are going.
2. Helps us to do proper evaluation. We'll
be able to ask ourselves whether we've achieved anything or not. This helps to safe-guard
against distraction and dissipated efforts.
3. It
helps us in planning. It is man's responsibility to plan and God guides his
steps. Planning helps us to manage and apply our resources wisely. Neh. 2:7- 6
Planning gives us directions in our prayer.
4. It helps us in achieving results.
Result brings encouragement. You'll be able to know when the goal is achieved.
Mark 3:13
-'14. Christ set a goal for himself
Phil. 3:
12 -14 Paul also had a goal
Jesus and
Paul knew their goals and these helped them against distraction.
Characteristics
of a Goal - S.M.A.R.T.
1. Must
be Specific & clear - e.g Nehemiah: To rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.
2. Must be Measurable - e.g reaching 5
tribes in 10 yrs
3. Must be Attainable - something that can
be achieved.
4. Must
be Realistic - something that can be achieved in the light of reasonable
circumstances
5. Must have Time target - e.g. to make
ten converts in three months.
TYPES OF GOALS
Short term goal-procedures (steps) that lead to long term goal.
Nehemiah gives a vivid illustration of how each tribe built parts of the wall
which led to the building of the whole wall.
Long term
goal is the ultimate goal.
Disadvantages
of Long-term Goal
- Drifting a lot
- Waste of resources
- No early result to show for it.
MOBILIZATION
OF OTHERS FOR INVOLVEMENT
For an
effective mobilization, there is the need to
first of all carry out an evaluation of the goals of your ministry as well as the current output of your organization.
Mobilization
entails the following basic steps:
A.
Information Sharing
(i) Facts
(ii)
Figures highlighting: needs, problems, solutions, possibilities, opportunities. E.gs - Matt 9: 35 - 10:5 – Christ created an awareness.
Neh. 2:12 - 18 - did a research & then shared the information with the
people.
We car
share information, through oral presentation or publications, visual or
written.
What your
people will do will depend on how much you mobilize them.
In
information - sharing, we aim at the three levels of the soul i.e. intellect
(information), emotion (motivation) or will (decision -or action).
B. Exposure.
Expose
them to the realities i.e. to the need. Bring those in need to your people. Or
you take your people to the areas in need.
C. State the gains and losses.
Let the
people know what they will gain spiritually if they do it and the losses if
they don't do it. E.g. Jesus disciple at a point thought it is not use doing
the work. Jesus told them that there is no one who left his mother, house etc
who will lose his/her reward.
D.
Demonstrate your personal commitment to the cause for which you are mobilizing
the people. Acts 1:1,2, Nehemiah 2:17,16. Lead by showing example.
E. Highlight the possibilities.
Focus on the possibilities and not on negatitive things. E.g. The
12 Spies Moses sent to spy Canaan. The report of the ten (negative) and the two
(positive).